• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.288-296
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• 2008

Objectives : We investigated the association of Val108/158Met polymorphism on catechol-O-methyl transferase(COMT) gene with smooth pursuit eye movement(SPEM) abnormality in Korean schizophrenia patients. Methods : We measured SPEM in 217 Korean schizophrenia patients(male 116, female 101) and divided them into two groups, one was a good SPEM function group and the other was a poor SPEM function group. Then we analyzed Val108/158Met polymorphism on COMT gene. We compared the differences of genotype and allele distributions of the polymorphism on COMT gene between the two groups. Results : The natural logarithm value of signal/noise ratio(Ln S/N ratio) of the good SPEM function group was $4.39{\pm}0.33$(mean${\pm}$s.d.) and that of poor SPEM function group was $3.17{\pm}0.71$. There were no statistically significant differences of age and male/female ratio between the two groups. There were no significant differences of genotype or allele distributions of the Val108/158Met polymorphism on COMT gene between the two schizophrenic groups. Conclusions : The results suggest that Val108/158Met polymorphism on COMT gene is not related to SPEM function abnormality in schizophrenia.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.213-218
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• 1993

($\pm$)-Higenamine is known as a cardiotonic principle of aconite root (root of Aconitum spp., Ranunculaceae). A simple and sensitive detection method for higenamine was developed by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The recovery of higenamine after extraction and concentration with XAD-2 resin column was around 95% from rat biological fluids such as bile, plasma and urine. The limits of detection of higenamine in these biological fluids were approximately 0.1 ng/ml each. It has well been suggested that tetrahydroisoquinolines possessing catechol moiety such as higenamine should be subjected to the catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) activity in vivo. We detected two major peaks of presumed metabolites of higenamine in the total ion chromatogram obtained from the rat urine sample after the oral adminstration of ($\pm$)-higenamine. The scan mass spectrum of one of the metabolties coincided with those obtained from coclaurine $(C_6$-O-methyl higenamine) and those of the other metabolite are suggestive of isococlaurine $(C_7$-O-methyl higenamine).

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.4 no.1 s.5
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• pp.41-44
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• 1968

Pyrogallol is recently known to be a inhibitor of catechol-o-methyl transferase (COMT) and increase the action of epinephrine on the isolated rabbit atria. In this experiment, the author attempated to investigate the influence of pyrogallol on the effect of ephedrine and epinephrine on the blood pressure of the rabbit and isolated atria and excised intestine of the rabbit. The results obtained were summarized as follows; 1. Pyrogallol tends to increase the blood pressure and respiration of the rabbit. But it has no significant effect on the excised rabbit atria and intestine. 2. The effect of ephedrine on the blood pressure and respiration, isolated atria and excised intestine of the rabbit were not influenced by the pretreatment with pyrogallol. 3. The effect of epinephrine on the blood pressure and isolated atria of the rabbit is potentiated with pyrogallol pretreatment.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.178-184
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• 2004

Objectives : This study was conducted to investigate the association of the COMT polymorphism with the TD in Korean sample of families with TD probands. The relationship between risk alleles and specific clinical features (tic severity, comorbidity, drug response) was also explored. Method : Patients were recruited from the Tic Disorder clinic at the Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Division of Seoul National University Hospital and assessed through 2 stage evaluation. Firstly, all the patients and parents received semistructured interview using Korean version of K-SADS-PL. Secondly all the patients received clinical interview and tic severity assessment with Korean version of YGTSS. The subjects in control group were recruited from the health promotion center in out hospital and were evaluated by SCL-90 and SCID-IV. Through these process, total of 42 children and adolescents with TD, their 84 parents and 86 control subjects were finally recruited. Genotyping for The Val158Met polymorphism of the COMT gene was done by standardized method. After collection of genetic data of all the patients, parents and control subjects, case-control comparison and tranmission dysequilibrium test was executed by SPSS version 11. Result : From the case-control comparison, the frequency of L-allele and LL genotype was significantly higher in TD group. However, no differences were found from the TDT. No significant differences were found in in family history of tic, ADHD, OCD, drug response and comorbid conditions among the three different genotypes in patients with TD. Conclusion : Though this study results should be interpreted cautiously due to small sample size and negative finding in TDT test, this study is the first report that there is positive association between the functional polymorphism of COMT gene the TD.