How Fast COMT impacts motivation and attention

COMT is an enzyme that breaks down dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine and estrogen.

V158M COMT GG

A faster activity of the enzyme does this too quickly. We refer to this as a fast COMT. This is the GG Allele of V158M. It breaks down more than 60% of dopamine in the prefrontal cortex and around 15% in the striatum. This often leads to lower tonic dopamine in the Pre-frontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for executive functioning such as memory, attention, planning, and speech.

 

How Fast COMT affects the brain

COMT influences tonic dopamine (baseline level), while your DRD genes (dopamine receptors) influence how your cells respond to dopamine, including phasic signals and how dopamine is taken back up. Dopamine is involved in reward prediction, motivation, learning, memory, movement and behaviour. Tonic dopamine refers to the brain’s steady baseline level of dopamine, while Phasic dopamine is a quick burst(or dip) that signals something important. This can be an unexpected reward or disappointment. 

 

DRD receptors

Dopamine receptors are found in the brain and nerves. They act as chemical receivers. Dopamine can bind to the receptor and set off a chemical reaction. The receptor and dopamine molecule work together like a lock and key. Your COMT allele and what DRD variants you have can influence how susceptible you are to things like ADHD, behavioral disorders, alcohol dependency, bipolor disorder, Parkinsons disease, shyness and novelty seeking. Note that other genes and environmental factors influence these things too.

 

• They often tend to cope better with acute stress, especially in situations where they need to respond quickly. They may recover faster from stress than those with slow COMT.
• They may have difficulty with sustained attention and working memory, especially for tasks that they find boring. However they may have prolonged focus (called hyperfocus) on something they find interesting and rewarding. Attention regulation can work both ways in this regard.
• They tend to do better on a higher protein diet. COMT relies on the amino acid Tyrosine, found in protein, to convert to L-DOPA and then dopamine.

Fast COMT and ADHD

If you are understimulated, you may have more difficulty sustaining attention, initiating tasks you find boring, resisting distractions or staying mentally engaged. However, when you are highly stimulated such as from novelty, urgency, or exercise then this could increase dopamine signaling.

 

 

Two Resources for you

1. Dopamine Recalibration webinar: a masterclass on how to start feeling motivated again, have better focus and sustained attention. Get it here
2. COMT Guide: How to support your COMT gene for better stress resilience, executive functioning and emotional regulationGet it here