Addiction research is the study of addiction to drugs and alcohol for the purpose of finding new and better ways to treat people who suffer from chemical dependency or compulsive behaviors such as gambling addiction and sexual addiction. Some major addiction research organizations include The National Institute on Drug Abuse and The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
A specific gene variant may play a role in one’s ability to regulate alcohol consumption and help explain why some individuals are more susceptible to alcoholism or excessive drinking than others, according to a new British study.
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When some people drink alcohol, the neurotransmitter dopamine is released in the brain, which leads to feelings of euphoria and can contribute to alcohol cravings and dependency. But alcohol doesn’t affect everyone in the same way–some people can drink occasionally and not become dependent, whereas others can become almost immediately hooked.
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Scientists have identified new genes and pathways that influence an individual’s typical pattern of brain electrical activity, a trait that may serve as a useful surrogate marker for more genetically complex traits and diseases, such as alcoholism.
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While previous twin studies have consistently shown the importance of genetic influences on various measures of alcohol consumption, a full diagnostic assessment can be complicated and lengthy. This has led some researchers to wonder: To what extent do measures of alcohol consumption accurately index the genetic risk for alcohol dependence (AD)?
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Women and men who engage in frequent heavy drinking report significantly worse health-related practices, according to a Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research study in the journal Addiction Research & Theory. For the study, the researchers surveyed 7,884 members of the Kaiser Permanente Northwest integrated health plan in Oregon and Washington. They found that risky [...]
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Alcohol dependence (AD) is a complex disease for which both genetic and environmental factors affect susceptibility. Previous research had identified several genes associated with AD through linkage analysis or candidate-gene approaches. Findings from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) support an association between AD and a cluster of genes on chromosome 11. Results will be published [...]
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