Dr. Robert Miranda, an assistant professor of psychiatry and the author of the study, said the gene variant may enhance how teenagers feel when they drink, which partly explains why they are more at risk for alcohol-related problems. However, the gene does not cause alcohol-related problems, and both Dr. Miranda and his co-author, Professor Valerie Knopik, said that the disease appears to be a complex interaction between many genetic and environmental factors.
"The candidate gene is just one piece of tens, of hundreds, of thousands of genes that influence the actions of adolescents," said Dr. Knopik.
The study appeared in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Labels: alcohol_abuse, genetics
Posted By: Aspen/CRC