Association between catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism and configural mode of face processing

• We investigated the link between COMT gene and face recognition ability.
• Met/Met genotype was linked to superior ability of configual face processing.
• The effect of COMT gene was eliminated when faces were presented upside–down.

Human visual system heavily relies on the spatial configuration among facial parts in discriminating faces. There are individual differences in the ability of configural face processing, which are supposed to be partly attributable to genetic predispositions. However, few studies have identified a specific gene linked to configural face processing ability. The present study investigated an association between configural mode of face processing and a single-nucleotide polymorphism in codon 158 of catechol-O-methyltransferase gene (COMT Val158Met polymorphism) using part-spacing paradigm.The results have revealed superior sensitivity to the changes in facial configuration in participants with Met/Met genotype of COMT Val158Met polymorphism compared to the other genotypes. This effect was virtually eliminated when the faces were presented upside–down. There was no group-difference in the ability to detect the change in morphological features of individual facial parts. These results indicate that COMT Val158Met polymorphism partly explains the individual differences in the ability of configural face processing.