What is COMT? COMT (Catechol-O-Methyltransferase) breaks down estrogen, catecholamines and neurotransmitters including dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine. Heterozygous or homozygous variants for the COMT V158M methionine allele slow down the COMT enzyme,...

What is MAO-A? MAO-A (Monoamine oxidase A) is a critical enzyme involved in breaking down important neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Males can only have a heterozygous MAO-A, while females can have heterozygous or homozygous variants....

What is the MTHFR A128C Gene? Unlike MTHFR C677T, MTHFR 1298 is not linked to elevated homocysteine levels unless there is a heterozygous MTHFR 1298 and MTHFR 677 together. Disruptions in both MTHFR genes may lead to lower levels of tetrahydrobiopterin BH4.  The...

The Story of the Cell Membrane and Mitochondria "Cancer arises from a single abnormal cell." Dr. Joe Lipsick, Professor of Pathology and Genetics at Stanford University  Imagine your cell is like your own personal kingdom. The nucleus and the mitochondria are the King...

The Story of Nitric Oxide (See Diagram Below) To understand nitric oxide, it is best to picture the character Harvey Dent as "Two-Face" from Batman. If you haven't seen the movie, what you need to know is that Harvey Dent is a good guy, but can be turned to the dark...

What is the Methylation Cycle? The methylation cycle is the process of transferring methyl groups (CH3) to DNA, turning switches off and on which change the gene expression but not the sequence. The methylation cycle relies on folate, B6, B12, B2, choline (60% of...