Table 5. Genetic differences in physiological and subjective effects after MDMA administration (mean ± SD; women n = 12 vs. men n = 15) (only significant effects included).
| Genotype | AUC 0-4 h (Units) | AUC 0–6 h (Units) | AUC 0–24 h (Units) | Emax (Units) | ||||
| COMT val158met | val/val | met/ * | val/val | met/ * | val/val | met/ * | val/val | met/ * |
| SBP | 76.8±17.9* | 47.3±23.9 | 100.4±29.5* | 60.1±32.6 | 251±128.8** | 73.4±115.6 | 34.2±7.0* | 24.4±8.0 |
| DBP | 34.8±17.0 | 22.0±18.4 | 44.4±24.8 | 25.7±25.8 | 101±107.2* | 12.4±69.8 | 19.2±6.5 | 14.4±5.6 |
| Dizziness | 5.6±9.3 | 13.2±15.7* | 6.5±11.6 | 13.9±16.2* | 7.1±13.3 | 15.3±17.8* | 11.7±11.5 | 18.0±12.7* |
| VESSPA – Anxiety | 17.5±6.4 | 23.0±12.9 | 19.6±7.7 | 27.3±14.0 | 21.1±9.1 | 30.7±16.9* | 9.2±4.7 | 10.4±4.8 |
| 5-HTTLPR | l/ * | s/s | l/ * | s/s | l/ * | s/s | l/ * | s/s |
| SBP | 65.4±24.0** | 39.9±20.2 | 85.4±34.3** | 48.8±26.0 | 173±153.4* | 54.0±80.9 | 30.7±8.1** | 21.4±6.6 |
| DBP | 30.4±18.0 | 17.5±16.5 | 37.8±24.5 | 19.1±25.5 | 60.0±90.0 | 4.6±81.6 | 17.4±6.2** | 12.6±4.4 |
| Heart rate | 46.1±24.9 | 33.0±25.3 | 62.7±35.6* | 36.6±35.9 | 121.9±94.8* | 17.8±146.6 | 22.0±9.4 | 20.7±10.5 |
| VESSPA – Sedation | 8.8±9.2 | 18.8±12.1* | 11.9±11.7 | 22.6±15.6 | 30.1±47.1 | 30.1±35.9 | 5.9±4.8 | 8.2±4.0 |
AUC: area under the effect-time curve; Emax: peak effect; COMT, catechol-O-methyltransferase; SBP: systolic blood pressure; DBP: diastolic blood pressure. 5-HTTLPR, gene-linked polymorphic region VESSPA: Evaluation of the Subjective Effects of Substances with Abuse Potential.
*
p<0.05;
**
p<0.01. N = [COMT, valval n = 8 vs. met/* n = 18; 5-HTTLPR, l/* n = 18 vs. s/s n = 9.