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Research has been conducted to explore the genetic basis of trigeminal neuralgia, a persistent pain condition that impacts the trigeminal nerve. COMT is an enzyme responsible for inactivating substances and hormones containing catechol and catecholamines. Previous research has linked COMT gene polymorphism with various pain conditions, including migraine. Our research aimed to investigate the correlation between trigeminal neuralgia and the rs4680 polymorphism of the COMT gene. We conducted a research project which included 10 individuals diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia and 30 healthy individuals as controls. Following collection of blood samples, we isolated DNA from the samples and then genotyping of COMT rs4680 polymorphism was performed with Real-Time PCR, using TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assay. Among the trigeminal neuralgia patients, 2 of them exhibited the AA genotype, 6 had the AG genotype, and 2 had the GG genotype for COMT rs4680. The AG genotype was notably prevalent. No statistically significant differences in the distributions of COMT genotypes and allele frequencies were found between the experimental (patients) and the control group. However, the AG genotype appeared to be more frequent in the patient group. Moving forward, we plan to expand our study by increasing the number of patients and control subjects. This will enable us to further elucidate the potential relationship between COMT gene polymorphism and trigeminal neuralgia.

According to the literature, the genetic makeup of athletes contributes to their athletic performance. Athletic performance depends on genetic and environmental factors relating to the athlete. The study of sports genetics includes extensive research into identifying genes that affect athletic performance. Psychological factors affect athletic performance and so dopamine contributes to the determination of that performance. One of the neurotransmitters of the dopaminergic system is dopamine, which affects the athlete mentally and psychologically. The dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) rs1800497 polymorphism affects the brain’s dopaminergic system and athletic performance. This study aimed to determine the genotype and allele distributions of the DRD2 rs180047 polymorphism in football players and compare them with the control group. For this purpose, 21 football players were enrolled in our study. Genotyping was performed by PCR after DNAs were isolated from buccal epithelial cells. When we examined the genotype distributions, the AG and GG were found as 5 (24%) and 16 (76%), respectively. No AA genotype was found for DRD2. When allelic distributions were examined in the athlete group, the A allele was counted as 5 (12%) and the G allele as 37 (88%). In our study cohort, the DRD2 rs1800497 polymorphism was found to be dominated by the GG genotype and the G allele. We believe that the DRD2 A allele is associated with addiction and thus with athletic performance. However, more studies with athletes from different branches are needed to reveal the effect of DRD2 rs1800497 polymorphism on athletic performance.