ABSTRACT
<p><b>AIM</b>To explore the change of number working memory ability in healthy young adults, a continuous 3-back number working memory task were performed for an hour and 12 Blocks according to different COMT genotypes of young adults.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>18 different genotype subjects were chosen from 112 healthy young adults, P3 event-related potentials was utilized to observe the relationship between this COMT polymorphism and cortical physiology in a continuous working memory task.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Subjects bearing the Val/Val homozygote had significantly higher mean P3 amplitudes than Val/Met heterozygote (P < 0.01), however, no significant differences in comparison to Met/Met homozygote.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Val/Met Heterozygote subjects are associated with the poorest performance of working memory. There is a relationship between COMT genotype and P3 visual event-related potentials evoked from 3-back task.</p>