Allelic association of a dopamine transporter gene polymorphism in alcohol dependence with withdrawal seizures or delirium

doi:10.1016/S0006-3223(96)00044-3

Biological Psychiatry

Volume 41, Issue 3, 1 February 1997, Pages 299-304

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3223(96)00044-3 Get rights and content

Hereditary factors confer susceptibility to alcohol dependence. Alcohol mediates its reinforcing effects by enhancing dopamine activity in the mesolimbic dopamine system. The role of the dopamine transporter in terminating dopaminergic activity in synaptic neurotransmission suggests that variants of the dopamine transporter gene (DATI) might contribute to individual differences in vulnerability to addictive behavior. Our population-based association study investigated whether variants of DATI confer susceptibility to alcohol dependence in 293 alcoholics and clinically more homogeneous subgroups formed by: positive family history, early age-at-onset, delirium, withdrawal seizures, antisocial tendencies, type 1 and 2 alcoholics. Analyzing a VNTR polymorphism in the 3' untranslated region of DATI, we found a significantly increased prevalence of the nine-repeat allele in 93 alcoholics displaying withdrawal seizures or delirium, compared with 93 ethnically matched nonalcoholic controls (p = 0.003; OR = 2.44; 95% confidence interval: 1.35–4.43). Our data provide evidence that a major genetic determinant of DATI influences vulnerability to severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

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: This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (He 916/7-2) and the Kommission für Forschung und wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchs of the Free University of Berlin.

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Original articleAllelic association of a dopamine transporter gene polymorphism in alcohol dependence with withdrawal seizures or delirium

Trends Pharmacol Sci

Biochem Biophys Res Commun

Neuron

Biol Psychiatry

Trends Neurosci

Genomics

Allelic association of human dopamine D2 receptor gene in alcoholism

JAMA

Ethanol increases the firing rate of dopamine neurons of the rat

Brain Res

Neurogenetic adaptive mechanisms in alcoholism

Science

Association of attention-deficit disorder and the dopamine transporter gene

Am J Hum Genet

Candidate genes in psychiatry: An epidemiological perspective

Am J Med Genet (Neuropsychiatr Genet)

Population genetic study of the human dopamine transporter gene (DATI)

Genet Epidemiol

Mutational analysis of candidate genes in psychiatric disorders

Am J Med Genet

The A1 allele at the D2 dopamine receptor gene and alcoholism. A reappraisal

JAMA

Genetic association between dopamine transporter protein alleles and cocaine-induced paranoia

Neuropsychopharmacology

Genetic transmission

Original article
Allelic association of a dopamine transporter gene polymorphism in alcohol dependence with withdrawal seizures or delirium

Allelic association of human dopamine D₂ receptor gene in alcoholism

The A1 allele at the D₂ dopamine receptor gene and alcoholism. A reappraisal