While efforts are ongoing (Dick and Agrawal, 2008), no AUD GWAS meta-analysis currently exists. In this review, we provide an overview of genetic studies on AUD, including twin studies, linkage studies, candidate gene studies, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Feeling out of control in regard to drinking and feeling as though one drinks too much are indicators that there is a problem.

• This strategy will allow the investigators to increase the reliability of the data and to refine the phenotypes, which in turn will enhance the power of the genetic analyses.
• Affected are mainly the reaction patterns to everyday stresses and conflicts, as a result of which the overall personality appears unharmonious-differentiated.
• Specific HDAC variants (i.e., isoforms) recently have been identified as regulators of neuronal processes such as synaptic plasticity (Guan et al. 2009; Renthal and Nestler 2008).
• Understanding of the genetic risk factors involved could be important to guide personalized treatments of patients who have already developed AUD and to inform the development of new pharmacological and other novel interventions.
• The University of Washington and the University of Queensland conducted a large-scale male and female twin study involving 5,889 participants.

The sensitive mice tend to lose their inhibitions and pass out rather quickly, earning them the nickname “long sleepers.” “Short sleepers” are mice that are genetically less sensitive to alcohol. They seem to lose fewer inhibitions and tolerate alcohol for longer before they pass out. Many people seek medical treatment for AUD and may work with a therapist to learn coping strategies to minimize alcohol cravings and triggers. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ As one 2015 article in Nature points out, researchers have not been able to identify a single gene that determines whether or not you develop an addiction. Additionally, about 1.7% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 were reported as having alcohol use disorder in 2019. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 5.6% of adults in the United States were living with alcohol use disorder in 2019.

Direct Sequencing of Rare Variants

Unfortunately, studies of alcohol
dependence have not yet attained these sample sizes. Meta-analyses, which
combine results across a number of studies in order to attain the critical
sample sizes needed, are being developed. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), a person’s genetic makeup accounts for roughly half of their risk for developing an AUD.

• Counseling and support can help tackle social and environmental factors that could contribute to an alcohol problem in the future.
• Genetic differences in tolerance or liver degradation capacity can also genetically influence the condition.
• Worldwide, the ratio of men to women who drink alcohol is 3.8, with 54% of men and 32% of women reporting being drinkers.
• In severe cases, agitation, fever, seizures, and hallucinations can occur; this pattern of severe withdrawal symptoms is called delirium tremens.

Genetic analyses using the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence as the phenotype have revealed regions on several chromosomes that appear to contain genes affecting the risk for alcoholism. The primary analyses were based upon determining the extent of allele sharing among siblings who meet diagnostic criteria for alcoholism. The primary COGA definition of being affected with alcoholism requires a person to meet both DSM–III–R criteria for alcohol dependence and the Feighner criteria (Feighner et al. 1972) for definite alcoholism.

Symptoms

If a person grows up in a house with a parent who abuses drugs, struggles with mental illness, suffers a major financial setback or similar stress, and the child has a gene linked to alcohol use disorder, they are very likely to develop this condition later in life. Prevention and education programs can address this risk as part of regular medical checkups. When the person drinks alcohol, for example, they may feel relaxed and happy compared to the stress they feel when they are sober. Those who have mental illnesses, especially anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia are very likely to struggle with co-occurring alcohol use disorder. Women are at risk of developing AUD faster than men due to differences in body mass, hormones, and metabolism. Those who have a family history of alcoholism have a higher risk of developing a drinking problem.

Speaking of regulation, serotonin is perhaps the most important mood-regulator in our brains. Correlations show that those with a predisposition to alcohol abuse often is alcoholism inherited have unusual levels of serotonin. This can vary, between being too little or too much, not allowing the brain to regulate the mood, resulting in a multiplicity effect.