Dopaminergic control of speech production – influence of COMT Val158Met and DAT1 VNTR 9/10 repeat polymorphisms

Introduction: Dopamine (DA) in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatum modulates cognitive functions. Given the effects of Parkinson-associated DA depletion on cognition and motor function including speech, cognitive processes involved in the preparation and execution of speech (Kell et al., Cerebral Cortex 2010) could also physiologically be modulated by DA. DA-regulating polymorphisms explain individual variations in executive control and simple reaction time tasks (Reuter et al., Behav Brain Res 2005). In the PFC, DA degradation is under the control of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met single nuc…