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No evidence of association between a functional polymorphism in the MTHFR gene and childhood-onset mood disorders

Molecular Psychiatry volume 12, pages 1063–1064 (2007)Cite this article

Several lines of evidence implicate the role of folate pathway in the aetiology of depression. These include evidence that folic acid has shown promise as an adjuvant in complimenting antidepressant treatment, and the 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene has been associated with depression.1 Further, genome scans for depression, including early-onset depression, indicate linkage to 1p36.2,2, 3 the location of the MTHFR gene. To investigate the role of the MTHFR gene in early-onset depression, we tested a functional polymorphism, C677T, as a risk factor in a large Hungarian sample of 583 families with children diagnosed with a mood disorder before the age of 15.

MTHFR is an enzyme involved in the metabolism of folic acid, by catalysing the reduction of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to 5-methyl tetrahydrofolate. This reaction acts as a methyl donor in the conversion of homocysteine, a product formed during methylation reactions, to methionine. Methionine is a precursor for S-adenosyl methionine, an important enzyme in the catabolism of methylation reactions in the central nervous system. Impairment in the conversion of homocysteine into methionine results in an increase in homocysteine levels, which can be deleterious through the inhibition of methylation reactions if left to accumulate.1

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada

    E L Dempster & C L Barr

  2. University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary

    E Kiss, K Kapornai, G Daróczy, L Mayer & A Vetró

  3. Vadaskert Hospital, Budapest, Hungary

    I Baji, Z Tamas & J Gadoros

  4. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada

    J L Kennedy

  5. School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    M Kovacs

  6. The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada

    C L Barr

Authors
  1. E L Dempster
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  2. E Kiss
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  3. K Kapornai
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  4. G Daróczy
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  5. L Mayer
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  6. I Baji
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  7. Z Tamas
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  8. J Gadoros
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  9. J L Kennedy
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  10. A Vetró
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  11. M Kovacs
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  12. C L Barr
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The International Consortium for Childhood-Onset Mood Disorders

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Correspondence to C L Barr.

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Dempster, E., Kiss, E., Kapornai, K. et al. No evidence of association between a functional polymorphism in the MTHFR gene and childhood-onset mood disorders. Mol Psychiatry 12, 1063–1064 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4002071

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