Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T18:28:48.202Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 22 - Alcoholism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 October 2012

By
Howard J. Edenberg
Edited by
John I. Nurnberger, Jr  and
Wade Berrettini
John I. Nurnberger, Jr
Affiliation:
Indiana University School of Medicine
Wade Berrettini
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Get access

Summary

This chapter focuses on alcohol dependence (alcoholism), because the diagnosis is more reliable and because most of the genetic data focus on dependence. The earliest genetic association studies in alcoholism were candidate gene studies targeting coding variations in the genes that metabolize alcohol. Certain variations in alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDH) genes have very strong effects on the risk for alcoholism. Variations in other genes appear to have a much smaller effect on risk. Linkage studies and their follow-up, along with candidate gene studies and genome-wide association studies (GWAS), are beginning to fill the gaps. Initial findings must be confirmed in independent studies, and much work remains to elucidate the mechanisms involved. The future will involve studies of epigenetic factors, copy number variants, and gene expression, as well as tests for rare variants of large effect in specific families.

Keywords

genetic linkage studiesendophenotypescandidate gene associationcommon variationautism spectrum disorders
Type
Chapter
Information
Principles of Psychiatric Genetics , pp. 279 - 286
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×