Variabilidade de desempenho em funções de Autorregulação: influência do polimorfismo Val158Met do gene COMT, estabilidade e desfechos associados

• Ano de defesa: 2017
• Autor(a) principal: Danielle de Souza Costa
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Brasil; MED - DEPARTAMENTO DE SAÚDE MENTAL; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Molecular; UFMG
• Palavras-chave em Português: Memória de Curto Prazo; Tomada de Decisões; Catecol O-Metiltransferase; Sexo; Telômero; Desempenho Acadêmico; Neurofibromatose 1; Transtorno do Deficit de Atenção com Hiperatividade; Nascimento Prematuro; Autocontrole; Função Executiva; Homeostase
• Link de acesso: http://hdl.handle.net/1843/57972; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6883-5133

Self-regulation allows people to make plans, choose from alternatives, control impulses, inhibit unwanted thoughts, and regulate appetitive behavior. To study factors associated with self-regulation performance variability and related outcomes is critical for advancing in understanding one of the most adaptive human functions. Here, we sought to investigate the association of the Val158Met COMT polymorphism with two cognitive aspects of self-regulation. We also investigated behavioral features of self-regulation and biological and academic outcomes. Four papers were presented. 1) We investigated the association between the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism and working memory and arithmetic performance in 50 Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) individuals. A significant association of the COMT polymorphism was observed with verbal working memory with an advantageous performance for Met/Met carriers. 2) We investigated the influence of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism on Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) performance depending on sex in a healthy adult sample. Participants were 192 healthy adults (84 men and 108 women). The results revealed a sex-dependent effect of COMT Va l158Met polymorphism on decision-making as measured by the IGT. Val/Val women showed the best performance in the last trials of the IGT. 3) We evaluated the telomere length (TL) of 61 ADHD children and their parents. We found general heritability to be the major mechanism explaining interindividual TL variation in ADHD, and hyperactive-impulsive dimension of ADHD was related with children’s TL. TL was shown to be a potential biomarker of the ADHD symptoms burden in families affected by this neurodevelopmental disorder. 4) Four distinct developmental groups regarding Executive Functions from 8 to 18 years of age were described in 180 children born extremely preterm. Academic performance in adolescence was related to EF stability, with those with typical and remitting EF profiles showing better outcomes. In conclusion, there was evidence of self-regulation complexity, emphasizing the adaptive role of impulsive control through cognitive and affective-motivational mechanisms.