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Witt SH, Frank J, Frischknecht U, Treutlein J, Streit F, Foo JC, Sirignano L, Dukal H, Degenhardt F, Koopmann A, Hoffmann S, Koller G, Pogarell O, Preuss UW, Zill P, Adorjan K, Schulze TG, Nöthen M, Spanagel R, Kiefer F, Rietschel M. Acute alcohol withdrawal and recovery in men lead to profound changes in DNA methylation profiles: a longitudinal clinical study. Addiction 2020; 115:2034-2044. [PMID: 32080920 DOI: 10.1111/add.15020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Withdrawal is a serious and sometimes life-threatening event in alcohol-dependent individuals. It has been suggested that epigenetic processes may play a role in this context. This study aimed to identify genes and pathways involved in such processes which hint to relevant mechanisms underlying withdrawal. DESIGN Cross-sectional case-control study and longitudinal within-cases study during alcohol withdrawal and after 2 weeks of recovery SETTING: Addiction medicine departments in two university hospitals in southern Germany. PARTICIPANTS/CASES Ninety-nine alcohol-dependent male patients receiving in-patient treatment and suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms during detoxification and 95 age-matched male controls. MEASUREMENTS Epigenome-wide methylation patterns were analyzed in patients during acute alcohol withdrawal and after 2 weeks of recovery, as well as in age-matched controls using Illumina EPIC bead chips. Methylation levels of patients and controls were tested for association with withdrawal status. Tests were adjusted for technical and batch effects, age, smoking and cell type distribution. Single-site analysis, as well as an analysis of differentially methylated regions and gene ontology analysis, were performed. FINDINGS We found pronounced epigenome-wide significant [false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05] differences between patients during withdrawal and after 2 weeks [2876 cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites], as well as between patients and controls (9845 and 6094 CpG sites comparing patients at time-point 1 and patients at time-point 2 versus controls, respectively). Analysis of differentially methylated regions and involved pathways revealed an over-representation of gene ontology terms related to the immune system response. Differences between patients and controls diminished after recovery (> 800 CpG sites less), suggesting a partial reversibility of alcohol- and withdrawal-related methylation. CONCLUSIONS Acute alcohol withdrawal in severely dependent male patients appears to be associated with extensive changes in epigenome-wide methylation patterns. In particular, genes involved in immune system response seem to be affected by this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie H Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Josef Frank
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Ulrich Frischknecht
- Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Jens Treutlein
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Fabian Streit
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Jerome C Foo
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Lea Sirignano
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Helene Dukal
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Franziska Degenhardt
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Department of Genomics, Life and Brain Center, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Anne Koopmann
- Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Sabine Hoffmann
- Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Gabi Koller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Oliver Pogarell
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Ulrich W Preuss
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics, Martin-Luther-University (MLU), Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Peter Zill
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Kristina Adorjan
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany.,Institute of Psychiatric Phenomics and Genomics (IPPG), University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas G Schulze
- Institute of Psychiatric Phenomics and Genomics (IPPG), University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Markus Nöthen
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Department of Genomics, Life and Brain Center, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Rainer Spanagel
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Falk Kiefer
- Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Marcella Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
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2
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Dash GF, Davis CN, Martin NG, Statham DJ, Lynskey MT, Slutske WS. High-Intensity Drinking in Adult Australian Twins. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2020; 44:522-531. [PMID: 31943258 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many adult drinkers consume far beyond the binge threshold. This "high-intensity drinking" (HID), defined as 2 (HID-2) and 3 (HID-3) times the binge threshold, is of public health interest due to its role in acute alcohol-related harms. Research on HID has mostly been limited to college-aged young adults, focused on contextual factors, and neglected the potential role of genetic influences on the propensity to engage in HID. METHODS Structured diagnostic interviews assessing past-year alcohol involvement were conducted with 3,785 individuals (1,365 men, 2,420 women; Mage = 32, range = 21 to 46), including 3,314 twins and 471 nontwin siblings from the Australian Twin Registry. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to compare HID-2 and HID-3 to binge drinking on demographic correlates, drinking characteristics, and drinking-related consequences. Biometric modeling was conducted to estimate the role of genetic, common, and individual-specific environmental factors in HID propensity. RESULTS Among past-year drinkers, the prevalence of HID-2 and HID-3 was both 22%, with men disproportionally represented. The frequencies of drinking, intoxication, and binge drinking significantly increased across the heavier drinking categories, which also evidenced higher average consumption quantities and higher rates of alcohol-related consequences. The propensity to engage in HID was significantly heritable (A = 37% [95% CI: 28 to 46%]), with individual-specific environmental influences accounting for the remainder of the variance. CONCLUSIONS This study convincingly demonstrates that HID is not restricted to college-aged young adults, but also can be highly prevalent among those of working age, and that the propensity to engage in HID is partially explained by genetic influences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genevieve F Dash
- From the, Department of Psychological Sciences, (GFD, CND, WSS), University of Missouri- Columbia, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Christal N Davis
- From the, Department of Psychological Sciences, (GFD, CND, WSS), University of Missouri- Columbia, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Nicholas G Martin
- Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) Berghofer, (NGM), Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Dixie J Statham
- Department of Psychology, (DJS), Federation University, Ballarat, Vic., Australia
| | - Michael T Lynskey
- Department of Addictions, (MTL), King's College London Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK
| | - Wendy S Slutske
- From the, Department of Psychological Sciences, (GFD, CND, WSS), University of Missouri- Columbia, Columbia, Missouri
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3
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Lai D, Wetherill L, Bertelsen S, Carey CE, Kamarajan C, Kapoor M, Meyers JL, Anokhin AP, Bennett DA, Bucholz KK, Chang KK, De Jager PL, Dick DM, Hesselbrock V, Kramer J, Kuperman S, Nurnberger JI, Raj T, Schuckit M, Scott DM, Taylor RE, Tischfield J, Hariri AR, Edenberg HJ, Agrawal A, Bogdan R, Porjesz B, Goate AM, Foroud T. Genome-wide association studies of alcohol dependence, DSM-IV criterion count and individual criteria. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2019; 18:e12579. [PMID: 31090166 PMCID: PMC6612573 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of alcohol dependence (AD) have reliably identified variation within alcohol metabolizing genes (eg, ADH1B) but have inconsistently located other signals, which may be partially attributable to symptom heterogeneity underlying the disorder. We conducted GWAS of DSM-IV AD (primary analysis), DSM-IV AD criterion count (secondary analysis), and individual dependence criteria (tertiary analysis) among 7418 (1121 families) European American (EA) individuals from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). Trans-ancestral meta-analyses combined these results with data from 3175 (585 families) African-American (AA) individuals from COGA. In the EA GWAS, three loci were genome-wide significant: rs1229984 in ADH1B for AD criterion count (P = 4.16E-11) and Desire to cut drinking (P = 1.21E-11); rs188227250 (chromosome 8, Drinking more than intended, P = 6.72E-09); rs1912461 (chromosome 15, Time spent drinking, P = 1.77E-08). In the trans-ancestral meta-analysis, rs1229984 was associated with multiple phenotypes and two additional loci were genome-wide significant: rs61826952 (chromosome 1, DSM-IV AD, P = 8.42E-11); rs7597960 (chromosome 2, Time spent drinking, P = 1.22E-08). Associations with rs1229984 and rs18822750 were replicated in independent datasets. Polygenic risk scores derived from the EA GWAS of AD predicted AD in two EA datasets (P < .01; 0.61%-1.82% of variance). Identified novel variants (ie, rs1912461, rs61826952) were associated with differential central evoked theta power (loss - gain; P = .0037) and reward-related ventral striatum reactivity (P = .008), respectively. This study suggests that studying individual criteria may unveil new insights into the genetic etiology of AD liability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongbing Lai
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana
University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
| | - Leah Wetherill
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana
University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
| | - Sarah Bertelsen
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt.
Sinai, New York, NY
| | - Caitlin E. Carey
- BRAIN Lab, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences,
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Chella Kamarajan
- Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Lab, Department of
Psychiatry, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn,
NY
| | - Manav Kapoor
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt.
Sinai, New York, NY
| | - Jacquelyn L. Meyers
- Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Lab, Department of
Psychiatry, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn,
NY
| | - Andrey P. Anokhin
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of
Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - David A. Bennett
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University
Medical Center, Chicago, IL
| | - Kathleen K. Bucholz
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of
Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Katharine K. Chang
- BRAIN Lab, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences,
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Philip L. De Jager
- Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Brigham and
Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Danielle M. Dick
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University,
Richmond, VA
| | | | - John Kramer
- Department of Psychiatry, Roy Carver College of Medicine,
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
| | - Samuel Kuperman
- Department of Psychiatry, Roy Carver College of Medicine,
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
| | - John I. Nurnberger
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana
University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of
Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
| | - Towfique Raj
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt.
Sinai, New York, NY
| | - Marc Schuckit
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San
Diego Medical School, San Diego, CA
| | - Denise M. Scott
- Departments of Pediatrics and Human Genetics, Howard
University, Washington, DC
| | | | | | - Ahmad R. Hariri
- Laboratory of NeuroGenetics, Department of Psychology and
Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Howard J. Edenberg
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana
University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana
University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
| | - Arpana Agrawal
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of
Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Ryan Bogdan
- BRAIN Lab, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences,
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Bernice Porjesz
- Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Lab, Department of
Psychiatry, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn,
NY
| | - Alison M. Goate
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt.
Sinai, New York, NY
| | - Tatiana Foroud
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana
University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
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Davis CN, Slutske WS, Martin NG, Agrawal A, Lynskey MT. Genetic Epidemiology of Liability for Alcohol-Induced Blacking and Passing Out. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2019; 43:1103-1112. [PMID: 31063677 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals differ in their sensitivity to alcohol's physiological effects, including blacking and passing out. Blackouts are periods of impaired memory formation when an individual engages in activities they later cannot recall, while passing out results in loss of consciousness. METHODS The sample consisted of 3,292 adult twins from the Australian Twin Registry. Univariate twin analyses were conducted to examine the contributions of genetic and environmental influences to blacking and passing out occurrence and susceptibility (accounting for frequency of intoxication). Evidence for shared etiology of susceptibility to blacking and passing out was examined using bivariate twin analyses. RESULTS Although blacking and passing out were strongly associated (odds ratio (OR) = 4.45, 95% confidence interval (CI): [3.85, 5.14]), the genetic epidemiology was quite different. Genetic (43%) and nonshared environmental (57%) influences contributed to liability for blackout occurrence. For passing out occurrence, there was evidence of sex differences. Among men, genetic (32%) and nonshared environmental (68%) influences contributed, whereas among women, there were shared (29%) and nonshared environmental (72%) influences. After accounting for frequency of intoxication, genetic influences on blackout susceptibility remained significant; in contrast, only nonshared environmental influences were significant for passing out susceptibility. There was evidence for overlapping genetic and nonshared environmental factors influencing susceptibility to blacking and passing out among men; among women, there were overlapping nonshared environmental influences. CONCLUSIONS Blacking and passing out are 2 common sedative-like effects of heavy drinking, and people differ considerably in their susceptibility to these effects. This study suggests that differences in blackout susceptibility can be explained by genetic factors in both men and women, while differences in susceptibility to pass out after consuming alcohol may be attributable to environmental influences, particularly among women. These environmental factors may include changing social and cultural norms about alcohol use, drinking context, and the type(s) of alcohol consumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christal N Davis
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Wendy S Slutske
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | | | - Arpana Agrawal
- Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Michael T Lynskey
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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5
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Smith AH, Ovesen PL, Skeldal S, Yeo S, Jensen KP, Olsen D, Diazgranados N, Zhao H, Farrer LA, Goldman D, Glerup S, Kranzler HR, Nykjær A, Gelernter J. Risk Locus Identification Ties Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms to SORCS2. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2018; 42:2337-2348. [PMID: 30252935 PMCID: PMC6317871 DOI: 10.1111/acer.13890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Efforts to promote the cessation of harmful alcohol use are hindered by the affective and physiological components of alcohol withdrawal (AW), which can include life-threatening seizures. Although previous studies of AW and relapse have highlighted the detrimental role of stress, little is known about genetic risk factors. METHODS We conducted a genome-wide association study of AW symptom count in uniformly assessed subjects with histories of serious AW, followed by additional genotyping in independent AW subjects. RESULTS The top association signal for AW severity was in sortilin family neurotrophin receptor gene SORCS2 on chromosome 4 (European American meta-analysis n = 1,478, p = 4.3 × 10-9 ). There were no genome-wide significant findings in African Americans (n = 1,231). Bioinformatic analyses were conducted using publicly available high-throughput transcriptomic and epigenomic data sets, showing that in humans SORCS2 is most highly expressed in the nervous system. The identified SORCS2 risk haplotype is predicted to disrupt a stress hormone-modulated regulatory element that has tissue-specific activity in human hippocampus. We used human neural lineage cells to demonstrate in vitro a causal relationship between stress hormone levels and SORCS2 expression, and show that SORCS2 levels in culture are increased upon ethanol exposure and withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these findings indicate that the pathophysiology of withdrawal may involve the effects of stress hormones on neurotrophic factor signaling. Further investigation of these pathways could produce new approaches to managing the aversive consequences of abrupt alcohol cessation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew H. Smith
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program and Medical Scientist Training Program, Yale School of Medicine
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, VA CT Healthcare Center and Yale School of Medicine
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Peter L. Ovesen
- The Lundbeck Foundation Research Center MIND, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience DANDRITE - Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Sune Skeldal
- The Lundbeck Foundation Research Center MIND, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience DANDRITE - Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Seungeun Yeo
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
| | - Kevin P. Jensen
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, VA CT Healthcare Center and Yale School of Medicine
| | - Ditte Olsen
- The Lundbeck Foundation Research Center MIND, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience DANDRITE - Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Nancy Diazgranados
- Office of the Clinical Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Hongyu Zhao
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health
| | - Lindsay A. Farrer
- Departments of Medicine (Biomedical Genetics), Neurology, and Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, and Departments of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - David Goldman
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- Office of the Clinical Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Simon Glerup
- The Lundbeck Foundation Research Center MIND, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience DANDRITE - Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Henry R. Kranzler
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania and Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Anders Nykjær
- The Lundbeck Foundation Research Center MIND, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience DANDRITE - Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville 32224, Florida, USA
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, VA CT Healthcare Center and Yale School of Medicine
- Departments of Genetics and Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA
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6
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Pandey SC, Kyzar EJ, Zhang H. Epigenetic basis of the dark side of alcohol addiction. Neuropharmacology 2017; 122:74-84. [PMID: 28174112 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Alcoholism is a complex brain disease characterized by three distinct stages of the addiction cycle that manifest as neuroadaptive changes in the brain. One such stage of the addiction cycle is alcohol withdrawal and the negative affective states that promote drinking and maintain addiction. Repeated alcohol use, genetic predisposition to alcoholism and anxiety, and alcohol exposure during crucial developmental periods all contribute to the development of alcohol-induced withdrawal and negative affective symptoms. Epigenetic modifications within the amygdala have provided a molecular basis of these negative affective symptoms, also known as the dark side of addiction. Here, we propose that allostatic change within the epigenome in the amygdala is a prime mechanism of the biological basis of negative affective states resulting from, and contributing to, alcoholism. Acute alcohol exposure produces an anxiolytic response which is associated with the opening of chromatin due to increased histone acetylation, increased CREB binding protein (CBP) levels, and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition. After chronic ethanol exposure, these changes return to baseline along with anxiety-like behaviors. However, during withdrawal, histone acetylation decreases due to increased HDAC activity and decreased CBP levels in the amygdala circuitry leading to the development of anxiety-like behaviors. Additionally, innately higher expression of the HDAC2 isoform leads to a deficit in global and gene-specific histone acetylation in the amygdala that is associated with a decrease in the expression of several synaptic plasticity-associated genes and maintaining heightened anxiety-like behavior and excessive alcohol intake. Adolescent alcohol exposure also leads to higher expression of HDAC2 and a deficit in histone acetylation leading to decreased expression of synaptic plasticity-associated genes and high anxiety and drinking behavior in adulthood. All these studies indicate that the epigenome can undergo allostatic reprogramming in the amygdaloid circuitry during various stages of alcohol exposure. Furthermore, opening the chromatin by inhibiting HDACs using pharmacological or genetic manipulations can lead to the attenuation of anxiety as well as alcohol intake. Chromatin remodeling provides a clear biological basis for the negative affective states seen during alcohol addiction and presents opportunities for novel drug development and treatment options. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled "Alcoholism".
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhash C Pandey
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
| | - Evan J Kyzar
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Huaibo Zhang
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
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7
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Tawa EA, Hall SD, Lohoff FW. Overview of the Genetics of Alcohol Use Disorder. Alcohol Alcohol 2016; 51:507-14. [PMID: 27445363 DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agw046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a chronic psychiatric illness characterized by harmful drinking patterns leading to negative emotional, physical, and social ramifications. While the underlying pathophysiology of AUD is poorly understood, there is substantial evidence for a genetic component; however, identification of universal genetic risk variants for AUD has been difficult. Recent efforts in the search for AUD susceptibility genes will be reviewed in this article. METHODS In this review, we provide an overview of genetic studies on AUD, including twin studies, linkage studies, candidate gene studies, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). RESULTS Several potential genetic susceptibility factors for AUD have been identified, but the genes of alcohol metabolism, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), have been found to be protective against the development of AUD. GWAS have also identified a heterogeneous list of SNPs associated with AUD and alcohol-related phenotypes, emphasizing the complexity and heterogeneity of the disorder. In addition, many of these findings have small effect sizes when compared to alcohol metabolism genes, and biological relevance is often unknown. CONCLUSIONS Although studies spanning multiple approaches have suggested a genetic basis for AUD, identification of the genetic risk variants has been challenging. Some promising results are emerging from GWAS studies; however, larger sample sizes are needed to improve GWAS results and resolution. As the field of genetics is rapidly developing, whole genome sequencing could soon become the new standard of interrogation of the genes and neurobiological pathways which contribute to the complex phenotype of AUD. SHORT SUMMARY This review examines the genetic underpinnings of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), with an emphasis on GWAS approaches for identifying genetic risk variants. The most promising results associated with AUD and alcohol-related phenotypes have included SNPs of the alcohol metabolism genes ADH and ALDH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth A Tawa
- Section on Clinical Genomics and Experimental Therapeutics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Samuel D Hall
- Section on Clinical Genomics and Experimental Therapeutics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Falk W Lohoff
- Section on Clinical Genomics and Experimental Therapeutics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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8
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Wetherill RR, Fromme K. Alcohol-Induced Blackouts: A Review of Recent Clinical Research with Practical Implications and Recommendations for Future Studies. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2016; 40:922-35. [PMID: 27060868 DOI: 10.1111/acer.13051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2015] [Accepted: 02/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol-induced blackouts, or memory loss for all or portions of events that occurred during a drinking episode, are reported by approximately 50% of drinkers and are associated with a wide range of negative consequences, including injury and death. As such, identifying the factors that contribute to and result from alcohol-induced blackouts is critical in developing effective prevention programs. Here, we provide an updated review (2010 to 2015) of clinical research focused on alcohol-induced blackouts, outline practical and clinical implications, and provide recommendations for future research. METHODS A comprehensive, systematic literature review was conducted to examine all articles published between January 2010 through August 2015 that focused on vulnerabilities, consequences, and possible mechanisms for alcohol-induced blackouts. RESULTS Twenty-six studies reported on alcohol-induced blackouts. Fifteen studies examined prevalence and/or predictors of alcohol-induced blackouts. Six publications described the consequences of alcohol-induced blackouts, and 5 studies explored potential cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced blackouts. CONCLUSIONS Recent research on alcohol-induced blackouts suggests that individual differences, not just alcohol consumption, increase the likelihood of experiencing an alcohol-induced blackout, and the consequences of alcohol-induced blackouts extend beyond the consequences related to the drinking episode to include psychiatric symptoms and neurobiological abnormalities. Prospective studies and a standardized assessment of alcohol-induced blackouts are needed to fully characterize factors associated with alcohol-induced blackouts and to improve prevention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reagan R Wetherill
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Studies of Addiction, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Kim Fromme
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
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Palmer RHC, McGeary JE, Heath AC, Keller MC, Brick LA, Knopik VS. Shared additive genetic influences on DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence in subjects of European ancestry. Addiction 2015; 110:1922-31. [PMID: 26211938 PMCID: PMC4644467 DOI: 10.1111/add.13070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2015] [Revised: 04/22/2015] [Accepted: 07/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Genetic studies of alcohol dependence (AD) have identified several candidate loci and genes, but most observed effects are small and difficult to reproduce. A plausible explanation for inconsistent findings may be a violation of the assumption that genetic factors contributing to each of the seven DSM-IV criteria point to a single underlying dimension of risk. Given that recent twin studies suggest that the genetic architecture of AD is complex and probably involves multiple discrete genetic factors, the current study employed common single nucleotide polymorphisms in two multivariate genetic models to examine the assumption that the genetic risk underlying DSM-IV AD is unitary. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, MEASUREMENTS AD symptoms and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data from 2596 individuals of European descent from the Study of Addiction: Genetics and Environment were analyzed using genomic-relatedness-matrix restricted maximum likelihood. DSM-IV AD symptom covariance was described using two multivariate genetic factor models. FINDINGS Common SNPs explained 30% (standard error=0.136, P=0.012) of the variance in AD diagnosis. Additive genetic effects varied across AD symptoms. The common pathway model approach suggested that symptoms could be described by a single latent variable that had a SNP heritability of 31% (0.130, P=0.008). Similarly, the exploratory genetic factor model approach suggested that the genetic variance/covariance across symptoms could be represented by a single genetic factor that accounted for at least 60% of the genetic variance in any one symptom. CONCLUSION Additive genetic effects on DSM-IV alcohol dependence criteria overlap. The assumption of common genetic effects across alcohol dependence symptoms appears to be a valid assumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohan H. C. Palmer
- Division of Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence RI
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903
| | - John E. McGeary
- Division of Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence RI
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903
- Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Providence, RI, 02908
| | - Andrew C. Heath
- Midwest Alcoholism Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Matthew C. Keller
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and Institute for Behavioral Genetics at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | - Leslie A. Brick
- Division of Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence RI
| | - Valerie S. Knopik
- Division of Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence RI
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903
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Wetherill L, Kapoor M, Agrawal A, Bucholz K, Koller D, Bertelsen SE, Le N, Wang JC, Almasy L, Hesselbrock V, Kramer J, Nurnberger JI, Schuckit M, Tischfield JA, Xuei X, Porjesz B, Edenberg HJ, Goate AM, Foroud T. Family-based association analysis of alcohol dependence criteria and severity. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2014; 38:354-66. [PMID: 24015780 PMCID: PMC3946798 DOI: 10.1111/acer.12251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2012] [Accepted: 07/08/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the high heritability of alcohol dependence (AD), the genes found to be associated with it account for only a small proportion of its total variability. The goal of this study was to identify and analyze phenotypes based on homogeneous classes of individuals to increase the power to detect genetic risk factors contributing to the risk of AD. METHODS The 7 individual DSM-IV criteria for AD were analyzed using latent class analysis (LCA) to identify classes defined by the pattern of endorsement of the criteria. A genome-wide association study was performed in 118 extended European American families (n = 2,322 individuals) densely affected with AD to identify genes associated with AD, with each of the 7 DSM-IV criteria, and with the probability of belonging to 2 of 3 latent classes. RESULTS Heritability for DSM-IV AD was 61% and ranged from 17 to 60% for the other phenotypes. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the olfactory receptor OR51L1 was significantly associated (7.3 × 10(-8) ) with the DSM-IV criterion of persistent desire to, or inability to, cut down on drinking. LCA revealed a 3-class model: the "low-risk" class (50%) rarely endorsed any criteria and none met criteria for AD; the "moderate-risk" class (33%) endorsed primarily 4 DSM-IV criteria and 48% met criteria for AD; and the "high-risk" class (17%) manifested high endorsement probabilities for most criteria and nearly all (99%) met criteria for AD. One SNP in a sodium leak channel NALCN demonstrated genome-wide significance with the high-risk class (p = 4.1 × 10(-8) ). Analyses in an independent sample did not replicate these associations. CONCLUSIONS We explored the genetic contribution to several phenotypes derived from the DSM-IV AD criteria. The strongest evidence of association was with SNPs in NALCN and OR51L1.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Nhung Le
- Washington University School of Medicine
| | | | | | | | - John Kramer
- University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
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Irons DE, Iacono WG, Oetting WS, Kirkpatrick RM, Vrieze SI, Miller MB, McGue M. Gamma-aminobutyric acid system genes--no evidence for a role in alcohol use and abuse in a community-based sample. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2014; 38:938-47. [PMID: 24460875 DOI: 10.1111/acer.12352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2013] [Accepted: 11/13/2013] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While twin and adoption studies point to substantial genetic influence upon alcohol use, dependence, and other alcohol-related phenotypes, few of the genes underlying variation in these phenotypes have been identified. Markers in genes related to GABAergic activity-a system integral to many of alcohol's biological effects-have been implicated in alcohol use and alcohol-related psychopathology in linkage and association studies. METHODS Using multiple methods, we conducted a comprehensive examination of the effects of markers in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system genes in a community-based sample of 7,224 individuals assessed in early and middle adulthood. In addition to testing the effect of individual single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers on alcohol-related phenotypes, we computed a polygenic score reflecting the aggregated effects of multiple GABA system SNPs. We also estimated the variance in alcohol-related phenotypes attributable to all GABA system markers considered simultaneously and conducted gene-based association tests. RESULTS No method produced results indicative of an effect of GABA system variants on measures of alcohol use or misuse. CONCLUSIONS These results reflect alcohol-related behaviors in a population-representative sample, many of whom are still in adolescence, and in which the incidence of heavy drinking and alcohol-related symptomatology are relatively low. Contrasted with existing studies of the association between alcohol use and GABA system genes, our results suggest that the relationship may be limited to particular contexts, such as when accompanied by polysubstance abuse or a familial history of alcoholism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Irons
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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12
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Quinn PD, Harden KP. Behind the wheel and on the map: Genetic and environmental associations between drunk driving and other externalizing behaviors. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 2013; 122:1166-78. [PMID: 24128260 DOI: 10.1037/a0034426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Drunk driving, a major contributor to alcohol-related mortality, has been linked to a variety of other alcohol-related (e.g., Alcohol Dependence, early age at first drink) and non-alcohol-related externalizing behaviors. In a sample of 517 same-sex twin pairs from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we examined 3 conceptualizations of the etiology of drunk driving in relation to other externalizing behaviors. A series of behavioral-genetic models found consistent evidence for drunk driving as a manifestation of genetic vulnerabilities toward a spectrum of alcohol-related and non-alcohol-related externalizing behaviors. Most notably, multidimensional scaling analyses produced a genetic "map" with drunk driving located near its center, supporting the strength of drunk driving's genetic relations with a broad range of externalizing behaviors. In contrast, nonshared environmental associations with drunk driving were weaker and more diffuse. Drunk driving may be a manifestation of genetic vulnerabilities toward a broad externalizing spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - K Paige Harden
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin
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13
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Influence of alcohol use on neural response to Go/No-Go task in college drinkers. Neuropsychopharmacology 2013; 38:2197-208. [PMID: 23670589 PMCID: PMC3773670 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2013] [Revised: 04/19/2013] [Accepted: 04/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Impaired inhibition of prepotent motor response may represent an important risk factor for alcoholism. Alcohol use may also increase impulsive behavior, including impaired response inhibition. Little is known about the brain function underlying response inhibition among college-age drinkers based on their drinking patterns, despite college-age drinkers demonstrating high rates of alcohol-use disorders. Our major objective was to compare behavior and associated brain activity measured with fMRI during a response-inhibition task in matched heavy- and light-alcohol-drinking college students. Participants were light (N=36) and heavy (N=56) drinkers, aged 18-20 years. We characterized blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) responses, while participants performed an fMRI Go/No-Go task to quantify inhibitory behavior and brain activity. Behaviorally, group performance differences were observed for Go correct-hit and No-Go false-alarm reaction times with increased reaction times in heavy compared with light drinkers. During fMRI No-Go correct rejections, light drinkers exhibited greater BOLD response than did heavy drinkers in left supplementary motor area (SMA), bilateral parietal lobule, right hippocampus, bilateral middle frontal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus, and cingulate gyrus/anterior cingulate cortex (Brodmann area 24). Group differences in Go/No-Go-related regional activations correlated with alcohol- and impulsivity-related measures. These findings suggest that heavy alcohol drinkers may have dysfunction in brain regions underlying attention and response inhibition, leading to diminished abilities to suppress prepotent responding. The extent to which these tendencies relate to impulsive decision-making and behaviors in real-life settings and may guide intervention development warrants additional investigation.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE Although tribes differ with regard to the use of alcohol and drugs, substance dependence is one of the primary sources of health problems facing Native Americans. General population studies have demonstrated that substance dependence has a substantially heritable component (approximately 50% of the risk resulting from genetic influences); however, fewer studies have investigated the role of genetics in the risk for substance dependence in Native Americans. METHOD The authors present a literature review of the evidence for a genetic component in the etiology of substance dependence in Native Americans, including studies of heritability, linkage analyses, and candidate genes. RESULTS Evidence for the heritability of alcohol and drug dependence was found. Linkage analyses revealed that genes influencing risk for substance dependence and related phenotypes, such as body mass index (BMI), drug tolerance, EEG patterns, and externalizing traits, reside on several chromosome regions identified in other population samples. Overlap in the gene locations for substance dependence and BMI suggests that a common genetic substrate may exist for disorders of consumption. Studies of the genes that code for alcohol-metabolizing enzymes have not revealed any risk variants specific to Native American populations, although most Native Americans lack protective variants seen in other populations. Other candidate genes associated with substance dependence phenotypes in Native Americans include OPRM1, CRN1, COMT, GABRA2, MAOA, and HTR3-B. CONCLUSIONS Substance dependence has a substantial genetic component in Native Americans, similar in magnitude to that reported for other populations. The high rates of substance dependence seen in some tribes is likely a combination of a lack of genetic protective factors (metabolizing enzyme variants) combined with genetically mediated risk factors (externalizing traits, consumption drive, and drug sensitivity or tolerance) that combine with key environmental factors (trauma exposure, early age at onset of use, and environmental hardship) to produce an elevated risk for the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy L. Ehlers
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Neurosciences, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Ian R. Gizer
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
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15
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Gozzi A, Agosta F, Massi M, Ciccocioppo R, Bifone A. Reduced limbic metabolism and fronto-cortical volume in rats vulnerable to alcohol addiction. Neuroimage 2012; 69:112-9. [PMID: 23261637 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2012] [Revised: 12/07/2012] [Accepted: 12/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol abuse is associated with long-term reductions in fronto-cortical volume and limbic metabolism. However, an unanswered question in alcohol research is whether these alterations are the sole consequence of chronic alcohol use, or contain heritable contributions reflecting biological propensity toward ethanol addiction. Animal models of genetic predisposition to alcohol dependence can be used to investigate the role of inborn brain abnormalities in the aetiology of alcoholism. Here we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the Marchigian-Sardinian (msP) alcohol-preferring rats to assess the presence of inherited structural or functional brain alterations. Alcohol-naïve msP (N=22) and control rats (N=26) were subjected to basal cerebral blood volume (bCBV) mapping followed by voxel-based morphometry (VBM) of grey matter and tract-based spatial statistics mapping of white matter fractional anisotropy. msP rats exhibited significantly reduced bCBV, an established marker of resting brain function, in focal cortico-limbic and thalamic areas, together with reduced grey matter volume in the thalamus, ventral tegmental area, insular and cingulate cortex. No statistically significant differences in fractional anisotropy were observed between groups. These findings highlight the presence of inborn grey matter and metabolic abnormalities in alcohol-naïve msP rats, the localization and sign of which are remarkably similar to those mapped in abstinent alcoholics and subjects at high risk for alcohol dependence. Collectively, these results point for a significant role of heritable neurofunctional brain alterations in biological propensity toward ethanol addiction, and support the translational use of advanced imaging methods to describe the circuital determinants of vulnerability to drug addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Gozzi
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Nanotechnology Innovation, Pisa, & Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems at UniTn, Rovereto, Italy.
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16
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Palmer RHC, Button TM, Rhee SH, Corley RP, Young SE, Stallings MC, Hopfer CJ, Hewitt JK. Genetic etiology of the common liability to drug dependence: evidence of common and specific mechanisms for DSM-IV dependence symptoms. Drug Alcohol Depend 2012; 123 Suppl 1:S24-32. [PMID: 22243758 PMCID: PMC3342475 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2011.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2011] [Revised: 11/09/2011] [Accepted: 12/05/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We investigated the etiological nature of comorbid alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis DSM-IV dependence symptoms in late adolescence and young adulthood while accounting for gender differences in the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences. METHODS Univariate and multivariate twin modeling was used to determine the heritability of each substance and the etiology of multiple drug problems in a sample of 2484 registrants of the Center for Antisocial Drug Dependence who provided data at the second wave of an ongoing longitudinal study. We report on mean and prevalence levels of whole-life DSM-IV dependence symptoms that were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Substance Abuse Module. Biometrical analyses were limited to age-adjusted DSM-IV dependence symptom counts from a subset of twins that reported using alcohol, tobacco, or cannabis in their lifetime. RESULTS Male and female alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis DSM-IV symptoms are indicators of a heritable unidimensional latent continuous trait. Additive genetic factors explain more than 60% of the common liability to drug dependence. A larger proportion of the variation in each substance is attributable to substance-specific genetic and environmental factors. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that both common and substance-specific genetic and environmental factors contribute to individual differences in the levels of DSM-IV alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis dependence symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohan H. C. Palmer
- Division of Behavioral Genetics, Rhode Island Hospital,Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University
| | - Tanya M. Button
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | - Soo H. Rhee
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | - Robin P. Corley
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | - Susan E. Young
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | - Michael C. Stallings
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | | | - John K. Hewitt
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO
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Andrews MM, Meda SA, Thomas AD, Potenza MN, Krystal JH, Worhunsky P, Stevens MC, O’Malley S, Book GA, Reynolds B, Pearlson GD. Individuals family history positive for alcoholism show functional magnetic resonance imaging differences in reward sensitivity that are related to impulsivity factors. Biol Psychiatry 2011; 69:675-83. [PMID: 21126735 PMCID: PMC3677031 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.09.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2010] [Revised: 08/09/2010] [Accepted: 09/08/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Substance-abusing individuals tend to display abnormal reward processing and a vulnerability to being impulsive. Detoxified alcoholics show differences in regional brain activation during a monetary incentive delay task. However, there is limited information on whether this uncharacteristic behavior represents a biological predisposition toward alcohol abuse, a consequence of chronic alcohol use, or both. METHODS We investigated proposed neural correlates of substance disorder risk by examining reward system activity during a monetary incentive delay task with separate reward prospect, reward anticipation, and reward outcome phases in 30 individuals with and 19 without family histories of alcoholism. All subjects were healthy, lacked DSM-IV past or current alcohol or substance abuse histories, and were free of illegal substances as verified by a urine toxicology screening at the time of scanning. Additionally, we explored specific correlations between task-related nucleus accumbens (NAcc) activation and distinct factor analysis-derived domains of behavioral impulsivity. RESULTS During reward anticipation, functional magnetic resonance imaging data confirmed blunted NAcc activation in family history positive subjects. In addition, we found atypical activation in additional reward-associated brain regions during additional task phases. We further found a significant negative correlation between NAcc activation during reward anticipation and an impulsivity construct. CONCLUSIONS Overall, results demonstrate that sensitivity of the reward circuit, including NAcc, is functionally different in alcoholism family history positive individuals in multiple regards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa M. Andrews
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT 06106
| | - Shashwath A. Meda
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT 06106
| | - Andre D. Thomas
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT 06106
| | - Marc N. Potenza
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510
| | - Patrick Worhunsky
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510
| | - Michael C. Stevens
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT 06106
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510
| | - Stephanie O’Malley
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510
| | - Gregory A. Book
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT 06106
| | | | - Godfrey D. Pearlson
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT 06106
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510
- Corresponding Author Godfrey Pearlson, MD, 200 Retreat Avenue (Whitehall Bldg), Hartford Hospital/IOL, Hartford, CT 06106, , Tel: (860)-545-7757, Fax: (860)-545-7797
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Du Y, Yang M, Yeh HW, Wan YJY. The association of exon 3 VNTR polymorphism of the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene with alcoholism in Mexican Americans. Psychiatry Res 2010; 177:358-60. [PMID: 20359751 PMCID: PMC2868944 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2010.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2008] [Revised: 01/15/2010] [Accepted: 02/26/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
In this study, the variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) polymorphism of a 48-bp sequence located in exon 3 of the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene was genotyped in 365 alcoholic and 337 non-alcoholic Mexican Americans. Logistic regression showed that genotypes without the 7-repeat allele were risk factors for alcoholism. However, linear regression did not find an association between DRD4 VNTR and MAXDRINKS, which was defined as the maximum number of drinks consumed within 24h. Our results indicate the presence of an association between DRD4 VNTR and alcoholism in Mexican Americans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanlei Du
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology & Therapeutics, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, U.S.A, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, First Municipal People’s Hospital of Guangzhou, Guangzhou Medical College, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510180, China PR
| | - Min Yang
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology & Therapeutics, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, U.S.A
| | - Hung-Wen Yeh
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, U.S.A
| | - Yu-Jui Yvonne Wan
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology & Therapeutics, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, U.S.A, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, First Municipal People’s Hospital of Guangzhou, Guangzhou Medical College, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510180, China PR,Corresponding Author: Yu-Jui Yvonne Wan, Ph.D., The University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, Kansas City, Kansas 66160, Atten: KLSIC/Rm 4059, Tel.: 913-588-9111; Fax: 913-588-7501;
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Grant JD, Agrawal A, Bucholz KK, Madden PAF, Pergadia ML, Nelson EC, Lynskey MT, Todd RD, Todorov AA, Hansell NK, Whitfield JB, Martin NG, Heath AC. Alcohol consumption indices of genetic risk for alcohol dependence. Biol Psychiatry 2009; 66:795-800. [PMID: 19576574 PMCID: PMC3077105 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2008] [Revised: 05/04/2009] [Accepted: 05/13/2009] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous research has reported a significant genetic correlation between heaviness of alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence (AD), but this association might be driven by the influence of AD on consumption rather than the reverse. We test the genetic overlap between AD symptoms and a heaviness of consumption measure among individuals who do not have AD. A high genetic correlation between these measures would suggest that a continuous measure of consumption may have a useful role in the discovery of genes contributing to dependence risk. METHODS Factor analysis of five alcohol use measures was used to create a measure of heaviness of alcohol consumption. Quantitative genetic analyses of interview data from the 1989 Australian Twin Panel (n = 6257 individuals; M = 29.9 years) assessed the genetic overlap between heaviness of consumption, DSM-IV AD symptoms, DSM-IV AD symptom clustering, and DSM-IV alcohol abuse. RESULTS Genetic influences accounted for 30%-51% of the variance in the alcohol measures and genetic correlations were .90 or higher for all measures, with the correlation between consumption and dependence symptoms among nondependent individuals estimated at .97 (95% confidence interval: .80-1.00). CONCLUSIONS Heaviness of consumption and AD symptoms have a high degree of genetic overlap even among nondependent individuals in the general population, implying that genetic influences on dependence risk in the general population are acting to a considerable degree through heaviness of use and that quantitative measures of consumption will likely have a useful role in the identification of genes contributing to AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia D Grant
- Midwest Alcoholism Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
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20
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Damashek A, Williams NA, Sher K, Peterson L. Relation of caregiver alcohol use to unintentional childhood injury. J Pediatr Psychol 2009; 34:344-53. [PMID: 18784184 PMCID: PMC2671980 DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsn097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2007] [Revised: 08/22/2008] [Accepted: 08/23/2008] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The present study used a case-crossover design to investigate the association of caregiver alcohol consumption and supervision to children's injury occurrence and severity. METHOD A community sample of 170 mothers of toddlers was interviewed biweekly about their children's daily injuries for a period of 6 months. RESULTS Proximal caregiver-reported alcohol use predicted higher likelihood of injury occurrence and higher injury severity, whereas caregiver-reported supervision predicted lower likelihood of injury occurrence and lower injury severity. CONCLUSION Even at low levels, proximal caregiver alcohol use may contribute to higher risk for childhood injuries and more severe injuries. The combined effect of supervision and drinking on injury likelihood warrants further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Damashek
- Center on Child Abuse & Neglect, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 NE 13th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73126-0901, USA.
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21
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Agrawal A, Grant JD, Littlefield A, Waldron M, Pergadia ML, Lynskey MT, Madden PA, Todorov A, Trull T, Bucholz KK, Todd RD, Sher K, Heath AC. Developing a quantitative measure of alcohol consumption for genomic studies on prospective cohorts. J Stud Alcohol Drugs 2009; 70:157-68. [PMID: 19261227 PMCID: PMC2653602 DOI: 10.15288/jsad.2009.70.157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2008] [Revised: 10/06/2008] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to develop a quantitative measure of alcohol consumption for gene-mapping studies. METHOD Using a sample of 3,787 young-adult twin women and an independent sample of 489 men and women from a college drinking study, we developed an alcohol-consumption factor score indexed by (1) maximum typical consumption (log-transformed quantity frequency [LQNTFRQ]), (2) maximum drinks in a 24-hours period (LMAXALC), (3) frequency of drinking five or more drinks per day (FIVE), and (4) frequency of drinking to intoxication (INTOX). We tested (1) for factorial and psychometric equivalence across samples and genders; (2) for construct validity and its equivalence, across samples and genders, using measures of tobacco and cannabis use and family history of alcoholism; and (3) to determine the heritability of the alcohol-consumption factor score using a genetic psychometric model. RESULTS A single-factor model fit well with factor loadings ranging from .60 to .90. With rare exception, we found support for measurement invariance across the two samples and across genders. Measures of nicotine and cannabis use as well as family history of alcoholism were associated, to a similar extent across samples and genders, with the underlying alcohol-consumption factor. Psychometric twin modeling revealed that each of the alcohol-consumption measures (h2=34%-47%) and the underlying factor score (h2=50%) were heritable, with the remainder of the variance attributable to individual-specific environmental factors. This moderately heritable alcohol-consumption factor also accounted for a majority of the genetic variance in LQNTFRQ, LMAXALC, FIVE, and INTOX. CONCLUSIONS Quantitative measures of alcohol consumption with the favorable attributes of measurement invariance, construct validity, and moderate heritability can greatly enhance future gene-mapping efforts, supplementing information afforded by conventional diagnostic measures of alcohol abuse/dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpana Agrawal
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, Box 8134, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | | | - Andrew Littlefield
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, Box 8134, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Timothy Trull
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, Box 8134, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | | | - Richard D. Todd
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, Box 8134, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Kenneth Sher
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, Box 8134, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
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Ehlers CL, Lind PA, Wilhelmsen KC. Association between single nucleotide polymorphisms in the mu opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) and self-reported responses to alcohol in American Indians. BMC MEDICAL GENETICS 2008; 9:35. [PMID: 18433502 PMCID: PMC2386778 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2350-9-35] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2007] [Accepted: 04/23/2008] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Variation in response to the hedonic and adverse effects of a substance is in part an inherited factor that may influence its use, abuse and dependence. The mu opioid receptor is the primary site of action for opiates and individuals with polymorphisms in this receptor appear to have variation in the CNS effects of opiates. Several studies have suggested that this receptor may also mediate some of the effects of non-opioid drugs, such as alcohol. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the mu opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) with self-reported responses to alcohol, an endophenotype associated with the development of alcohol dependence, in American Indians living on eight contiguous reservations. METHODS Each participant gave a blood sample and completed a structured diagnostic interview. Additionally, response to alcohol was indexed using the expectation version of the subjective high assessment scale (SHAS-E). SNPs were genotyped in 251 participants and data analyses were conducted using SOLAR. RESULTS The estimated heritability (h2) for the SHAS-E phenotypes ranged from 0.01 to 0.28. Endorsing the expectation of a more intense response on one or more of the following items from the SHAS-E: buzzed, clumsy, dizzy, drunk, effects, high, nausea, sleepy, talkative, terrible, and/or uncomfortable after imbibing 2-3 drinks was significantly associated with having at least one minor allele for at least one of 7 SNPs (p < 0.01) in the OPRM1 receptor gene. CONCLUSION These studies provide data to suggest that the minor allele, for most of the polymorphisms in the OPRM1 receptor gene investigated, was found to be associated with a more intense, and/or more adverse, response to alcohol, traits that are significantly correlated with lowered quantity of alcohol consumption and less susceptibility to dependence in this Indian population. These data further suggest that making conclusions on the role of the mu opiod receptor gene in the development of alcohol dependence may be limited if only one polymorphism in the gene is evaluated in isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy L Ehlers
- Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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23
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Wang JC, Hinrichs AL, Bertelsen S, Stock H, Budde JP, Dick DM, Bucholz KK, Rice J, Saccone N, Edenberg HJ, Hesselbrock V, Kuperman S, Schuckit MA, Bierut LJ, Goate AM. Functional variants in TAS2R38 and TAS2R16 influence alcohol consumption in high-risk families of African-American origin. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2007; 31:209-15. [PMID: 17250611 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00297.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A novel family of G protein-coupled receptors, TAS2Rs, has recently been characterized and linked to sensitivity to bitter taste compounds. We have previously reported that a missense mutation in the TAS2R16 gene reduces the sensitivity of the receptor to bitter-taste stimuli and that it is associated with risk for alcohol dependence. Other family-based studies on the genetic transmittance of taste perception have previously demonstrated a correlation between genetic variation in TAS2R38 and sensitivity to bitter-taste compounds such as phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP). Haplotypes resulting from 3 common nonsynonymous coding single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the TAS2R38 gene have been shown to alter receptor functions and taste sensitivity to PTC and PROP. The perceived bitterness of PROP has also been associated with oral sensation and drinking behaviors. METHODS We used family-based association methods to test for association between TAS2R38 haplotypes and alcohol dependence as well as a measure of alcohol consumption (Maxdrinks) and age of onset of drinking behaviors in a sample of families densely affected with alcoholism. We have also extended our analysis of TAS2R16 to include the Maxdrinks phenotype. RESULTS A positive correlation was observed between TAS2R38 haplotypes and Maxdrinks in Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) high-risk women of African-American origin. The common taster haplotype is significantly associated with a lower mean Maxdrinks compared with the other haplotypes. Similarly, the allele of TAS2R16 that is associated with a lower risk for alcohol dependence is also associated with lower mean Maxdrinks scores in African-American families. In contrast to the previously reported significant association between TAS2R16 and alcohol dependence, we found no evidence that TAS2R38 haplotypes influence alcohol dependence in the COGA dataset. CONCLUSION Functional variants in both TAS2R16 and TAS2R38 correlate with alcohol consumption in African-American families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jen C Wang
- Washington University in St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Kuo PH, Neale MC, Riley BP, Webb BT, Sullivan PF, Vittum J, Patterson DG, Thiselton DL, van den Oord EJ, Walsh D, Kendler KS, Prescott CA. Identification of Susceptibility Loci for Alcohol-Related Traits in the Irish Affected Sib Pair Study of Alcohol Dependence. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2006; 30:1807-16. [PMID: 17067344 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00217.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcoholism is a phenotypically and probably genetically heterogeneous condition. Thus, one strategy for finding genes influencing liability to alcoholism is to study the components of alcoholism, which may be more directly related to the underlying pathophysiology than is clinical diagnosis. The goal of this study was to identify genomic regions containing susceptibility loci for alcohol-related traits. METHODS A 4-cM dense whole-genome linkage study was conducted in the Irish Affected Sib Pair Study of Alcohol Dependence. Probands, affected siblings, and parents were evaluated by structured interview. Variance component linkage analysis was applied to data from 485 families for 5 measures: initial sensitivity and tolerance (based on scales from the self-report of the effects of ethanol; maximum drinks within 24 hours, an empirically derived factor score based on withdrawal symptoms, and age at onset of alcohol dependence. RESULTS Evidence for linkage (p<0.005) was found on 9 chromosomes. For age at onset, 2 regions were found on chromosome 9 (highest Lod=2.3, p=0.0005). For initial level of response to alcohol, suggestive regions were on chromosomes 1 and 11 (highest Lod=2.9, p=0.0001 on chromosome 11), while those for tolerance signals were on chromosomes 1, 6, and 22. Maximum drinking was associated with regions on chromosomes 12 and 18. For withdrawal symptoms, the highest peak was on chromosome 2 (Lod=2.2, p=0.0007). CONCLUSIONS Using quantitative measures of components of alcohol dependence, we identified several regions of the genome that may contain susceptibility loci for specific alcohol-related traits and merit additional study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-Hsiu Kuo
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
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Beseler C, Jacobson KC, Kremen WS, Lyons MJ, Glatt SJ, Faraone SV, Gillespie NA, Tsuang MT. Is there heterogeneity among syndromes of substance use disorder for illicit drugs? Addict Behav 2006; 31:929-47. [PMID: 16697532 PMCID: PMC4255560 DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2006.03.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2005] [Revised: 03/02/2006] [Accepted: 03/17/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The use of DSM criteria to evaluate liability to substance use disorders (SUDs) and to identify SUD phenotypes may not provide the sensitivity required to identify genes associated with vulnerability to SUDs. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a number of basic aspects of substance use that may be more proximal than full SUDs to risk genes, some of which may thus have greater potential utility as phenotypes in subsequent molecular genetic analyses. In this paper we present results from the first stage of our planned analyses, focusing on how individual symptoms of abuse and dependence may be used to create alternate phenotypes for SUDs. Specifically, we used factor analysis and biometrical modeling on each symptom of illicit substance abuse and dependence within different types of substances, and compared and contrasted factor patterns and heritabilities across the different substances. These analyses were carried out using a population-based sample of 3372 male-male twin pairs from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry who participated in the Harvard Twin Study of Substance Abuse. We obtained extensive data from these participants on substance use and SUDs via telephone interview in 1992, including data on the illicit substances: opiates, cocaine, cannabis, sedatives, stimulants, and psychedelics. The results indicate that: A) although a one-factor model assuming a single underlying liability for abuse and dependence symptoms and behaviors can be rejected for most substances, there is no uniform support for a two-factor model differentiating between abuse versus dependence; B) patterns of symptoms or behaviors reported by substance users vary across substances; C) not all symptoms or behaviors contribute equally to the presentation of an SUD; and D) the heritability of symptoms or behaviors of substance users varies both within and between substances. These results represent important first steps in facilitating the search for SUD-risk genes in subsequent high-throughput molecular genetic analyses by providing alternate phenotypes that may have both optimal validity and increased heritability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl Beseler
- Center for Behavioral Genomics, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0603, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Kristen C. Jacobson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC 3077 Room L-461, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - William S. Kremen
- Center for Behavioral Genomics, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0603, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Michael J. Lyons
- Department of Psychology, Boston University, 648 Beacon Street, Room 214, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Stephen J. Glatt
- Center for Behavioral Genomics, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0603, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
- Veterans Medical Research Foundation, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla, CA 92161, USA
| | - Stephen V. Faraone
- Medical Genetics Research Program and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 750 East Adams Street, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Nathan A. Gillespie
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 East Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23219, USA
| | - Ming T. Tsuang
- Center for Behavioral Genomics, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0603, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
- Harvard Institute of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Genetics, Harvard Departments of Epidemiology and Psychiatry, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla, CA 92161, USA
- Corresponding author. Center for Behavioral Genomics, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0603, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, USA., (M.T. Tsuang)
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Breese GR, Overstreet DH, Knapp DJ. Conceptual framework for the etiology of alcoholism: a "kindling"/stress hypothesis. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2005; 178:367-80. [PMID: 15765253 PMCID: PMC2958094 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-004-2016-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2003] [Accepted: 08/23/2004] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The rationale for proposing the "kindling"/stress hypothesis is to provide a conceptual basis for the insidious development and maintenance of alcohol abuse. OBJECTIVE AND RESULTS An objective of the hypothesis is to emphasize how continued alcohol abuse is linked to progressive neural adaptation. Work has shown that repeated withdrawals from chronic low levels of alcohol sensitize ("kindle") anxiety-like behavior ("anxiety") in rats, a finding consistent with multiple withdrawal kindling of seizure activity. Additionally, stress substitutes for initial cycles of the multiple withdrawal protocol to sensitize withdrawal-induced anxiety, which is indicative that stress is capable of facilitating neuroadaptive processes related to withdrawal. The persistence of adaptation caused by stress and multiple withdrawals is revealed by the appearance of withdrawal-induced anxiety following a future re-exposure to a single 5-day period of alcohol. This persisting adaptation also permits stress to induce anxiety during a period of abstinence--a response not observed in animals without previous exposure to alcohol. Furthermore, stress interacts with repeated withdrawals to enhance voluntary alcohol drinking. Results of other preclinical and clinical studies reported in the literature are integrated with these investigations in support of the proposed hypothesis. CONCLUSIONS The "kindling"/stress hypothesis is based on the premise that repeated withdrawals from cycles of chronic alcohol exposure contribute to a progressive development of persisting adaptive change that sensitizes withdrawal-induced anxiety and allows stress to evoke symptoms associated with negative affect during abstinence. Thus, these consequences of repeated withdrawals account for the evolution of major characteristics of alcoholism, which include worsened acute withdrawal symptoms and increased stress-induced negative affect during abstinence, both of which enhance the likelihood of relapse--and with relapse an inability to limit an abusive pattern of alcohol intake. The "kindling"/stress hypothesis provides a clear strategy for future studies to explore the advancing neural adaptation proposed to contribute to the pathogenesis of alcoholism.
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Affiliation(s)
- George R Breese
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, 3007 Thurston-Bowles Building CB-7178, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7178, USA.
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Xian H, Chantarujikapong SI, Scherrer JF, Eisen SA, Lyons MJ, Goldberg J, Tsuang M, True WR. Genetic and environmental influences on posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol and drug dependence in twin pairs. Drug Alcohol Depend 2000; 61:95-102. [PMID: 11064187 DOI: 10.1016/s0376-8716(00)00127-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
We investigated whether and to what degree genetic and environmental contributions overlap among posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol dependence (AD) and drug dependence (DD). Subjects were 3304 monozygotic and dizygotic male-male twin pair members of the Vietnam Era Twin Registry who participated in 1992 telephone administration of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule Version 3 Revised (DIS-3R). Genetic model fitting was performed to estimate the magnitude of genetic and environmental contributions to the lifetime co-occurrence of DSM-III-R PTSD, AD and DD. The liability for PTSD was partially due to a 15.3% genetic contribution common to AD and DD and 20.0% genetic contribution specific to PTSD. Risk for AD was partially due to a 55.7% genetic contribution common to PTSD and DD. Genetic influences common to PTSD and AD accounted for 25.2% of the total risk for DD. Specific family environmental influence accounted for 33.9% of the total variance in risk for DD. Remaining variance for all three disorders was due to unique environmental factors both common and specific to each phenotype. These results suggest that PTSD, AD and DD each have etiologically distinct components and also have significant genetic and unique environmental contributions in common.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Xian
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of General Medical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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Abstract
In our present genetic study to map Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) for alcohol-related behaviors, we used 44 B6.C and 36 B6.I inbred congenic Recombinant QTL Introgression (RQI) mouse strains of the b5i7 series carrying genes of BALB/cJ (C) or CXBI (I) origin on C57BL/6ByJ (B6) genetic background. Ethyl alcohol consumption (EAC) was measured in adult males, and chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 9, and 15 were scanned with polymorphic microsatellite markers. In the B6.C set of strains, multiple regression analysis yielded a model with three microsatellite markers, which explained 32% of the genetic variance (p=0.0006). The two markers with the highest significance levels in the model, D1Mit167 and D2Mit74, have been mapped to chromosome regions close to the gene opioid receptor kappa 1 (chr. 1) and opioid receptor kappa 3 (chr. 2), respectively. The results of this gene-mapping study suggest that genetic polymorphisms in kappa opioid receptors may contribute to genetic predisposition to voluntary alcohol-drinking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Vadasz
- Laboratory of Neurobehavior Genetics, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, 10962, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
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