ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) genetic polymorphism and job stress on the severity of alcohol drinking. It was hypothesized that individuals with the Met/Met BDNF genotype would be more vulnerable than those carrying the Val allele. METHODS: Participants were 133 healthy Korean adults (mean age 28.2 +/- 1.1). Job stress and the severity index of drinking were investigated through self-reported questionnaires. BDNF (rs6265) gene was genotyped. RESULTS: There was no significant association between job stress and the severity of alcohol drinking. Although the severity of alcohol drinking was not associated with BDNF genetic polymorphism, there was a significant difference in men according to genotype and job stress. Men with homozygous BDNF Met allele were more severe in alcohol drinking when job stress was high, less severe in alcohol drinking when job stress was low than those carrying the Val allele (F = 4.47, p = 0.038). Also higher level of job stress was correlated with higher severity of alcohol drinking in men homozygous for BDNF Met allele (rs = 0.620, p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the possibility that Met allele could have differential susceptibility, with men homozygous for BDNF Met allele being more susceptible to both more adverse and less adverse environmental influences.
Subject(s)
Adult , Humans , Male , Alcohol Drinking , Alleles , Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor , Drinking , Genotype , Lifting , Polymorphism, GeneticABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study was to explore the association between alcohol dependence and five candidate genes related to the metabolism of alcohol and the enzymes of the suspected sites in CNS. METHODS: The genotype and allele frequencies of five candidate genes in 128 male hospitalized patients who met DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence were compared with 128 age-matched healthy male control subjects using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. A logistic regression analysis was applied in order to exclude the reciprocal interactions among five candidate genes. RESULTS: The NN genotype frequency of the ALDH2 gene was significantly higher in alcoholic patients than in control subjects(chi-square test, p<0.001). No difference in frequency was found in the other four genes. In a logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio for alcohol dependence in the NN genotype of the ALDH2 gene and AG or GG genotypes of the N glycosylation site on the ASA gene were 130.312(95% confidence interval, 17.22-986.43) and 2.344(95% confidence interval, 1.128-4.871), respectively. CONCLUSION: The result reiterates the association of the ALDH2 gene polyporphism and the alcohol dependence. Logistic regression analysis additionally suggested that the N-glycosylation site on the ASA gene was associated with alcohol dependence.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Alcoholics , Alcoholism , Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , Gene Frequency , Genotype , Glycosylation , Logistic Models , Metabolism , Odds Ratio , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment LengthABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to explore the association of tryptophan hydroxylase(TPH) gene with diagnosis of alcohol dependence and/or clinical characteristics such as age of onset, family history, and severity of symptoms in Korean alcoholics. METHODS: The genotype and allele frequencies of TPH in 100 male hospitalized patients who met DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence were investigated using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism and were compared with 100 agematched healthy male control subjects. And the associations between gene polymorphisms and clinical characteristics in alcoholic patients were explored. RESULTS: The distributions of TPH genotype and allele in alcohol dependent patients were not different from control subjects. However, the frequencies of TPH genotype in early-onset alcoholic patients, which were 0.57, 0.39, and 0.04(AA, AC and CC, respectively), were significantly different from those of late-onset alcoholics(0.34, 0.45, and 0.21, respectively). "A" allele was found more frequent in early-onset alcoholics. CONCLUSION: The result suggests that TPH gene polymorphism is associated with early-onset alcoholic patients possibly related with inherited abnormalities of serotonin system.