Dominick Martino
The Alcoholic
Gene
Why can
someone have one alcoholic beverage and stop, while others drink until they
blackout? We all know that one friend who takes it a too far with drinking or
the guy at the bar who drinks himself into oblivion. More shockingly, there are
people that repeat this vicious cycle weekly, or even daily. How can scientists
explain this behavior? Could it be their environment or perhaps genetics passed
down in the family? According to investigators from the Washington University
School of Medicine, an “alcoholic gene” is likely.
They found
a gene called GABRG3 within chromosome 15 that was linked to alcoholism in the
experiment. This is not to be confused with family attitudes about alcohol
consumption. There are many families that drink more than others and although
this plays a role in alcohol consumption, the gene GABRG3 separates people who
enjoy alcohol and those who abuse it (Dick et. al, 2004).
The study
was conducted on 262 families (2,282 individuals), where they isolated and observed
three genes (GABRA5, GABRB3, and GABRG3) found on chromosome 15. People that
were dependent on alcohol had a GABRG3 gene in the majority of cases. This
experiment indicates that GABRG3 may cause a hyper excitable nervous system,
leading to alcoholism to self-medicate. This data gave way to further evidence
of how GABA relates to alcoholism, since the GABRG3 gene plays a role in how
GABA function. However, there are a variety of genes and environmental factors
that can contribute to alcoholism and scientists still do not understand why
certain genes and/or gene interactions can result in a higher dependency for
alcohol (Dick et. al, 2004).
To
conclude, although there is speculation as to what gene affects alcoholism more
than others, it is evident that certain genes affect human consumption. More
importantly, there is a crucial link between GABA transmitters and alcoholism.
Further studies should be conducted that observe more genes that regulate
anxiety and their relation to alcohol dependence. Another
study that appeared on the Journal of
Neuroscience observed a different gene that is potentially responsible for
alcoholism. CREB, a gene that regulates anxiety, brain function for learning,
and alcohol tolerance, was studied in mice. Mice were offered alcohol and the
ones that lacked the CREB gene drank 50% more alcohol than CREB sufficient
mice. The Deficient CREB mice also showed more signs of anxiety than the
control group. The consumption of alcohol decreased their anxiety. The research
appears that the lack of the CREB protein was the basis for alcohol dependence in
the mice (WebMD, 2004).
References
Dick, D. M.,
Edenberg, H. J., Xuei, X., Goate, A., Kuperman, S.,
Schuckit, M., … Foroud, T. (2004). Association of GABRG3 With Alcohol
Dependence. Alcoholism:
Clinical & Experimental Research, 28(1), 4-9. doi:10.1097/01.alc.0000108645.54345.98
WebMD. (2004). Researchers
Identify Alcoholism Gene. Retrieved from
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20040526/researchers-identify-alcoholism-gene
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Dick, D.M., Edenberg, H.J., Xuei, X., Goate, A., Kuperman, S., Schuckit, M., … Foroud, T. (2004). Association of GABRG3 With Alcohol Dependence. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 28(1), 4-9. doi:10.1097/01.alc.0000108645.54345.98
WebMD.(2004). Researchers Identify Alcoholism Gene. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20040526/researchers-identify-alcoholism-gene