Genetic Impact on Alcoholism - Essay Example

Genetic Impact on Alcoholism There has been a long held belief that alcoholism runs in families. This notion has spawned research into the testing of family lines for markers of alcoholism as a multi-tiered approach. The first tier is the determination of family members that are at risk and the second tier is to determine the genetic difference. The time frame to identify the specific markers necessary to identify a subject as prone to alcoholism, in most cases, is outstripped by current technology.

Often, these technologies collide and result in contradictory data. Three studies completed within the past decade have contributed to our understanding of the role of genetics in alcoholism. However, most current theory centers on the role of acetaldehyde in the body's ability to enjoy or reject alcohol. The Journal of Studies on Alcohol reported in 2005 found that the leveled response to alcohol among teenagers appears to identify family traits and holds the indication that alcoholism may be genetically linked.

The study involved 487 subjects, of which 236 were male. The study was problematic by the need to study the alcohol effects on teenagers to establish correlation. Due to legal constraints the study was restricted to questionnaire. However, the study was able to establish a strong correlation between first degree relatives and the body's desirability for alcohol. The study used a Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol (SRE) Questionnaire. Subjects were required to describe the effects that alcohol had on their mood.

The results are useful in establishing the need for further research. However, the research has been criticized for technical shortcomings in the small sample size of some groups as well as the failure to accommodate social factors in the study.Research reported by Molecular Psychiatry has focused on acetaldehyde as a point for the study of alcohol and its relation to genetics. Acetaldehyde is a product of ethanol metabolism. As ethanol is processed by the body, genetic differences produce enzymes that effects the body's ability to oxidize ethanol.

This study is enhanced by research reported in The Pharmacogenomics Journal, which published a study of alcohol and genetics in rats. Rats were bred to be either alcohol positive or alcohol abstaining. Environmental conditions were similar and the rats did have an opportunity to commingle. The method used was the analysis of mRNA expression profiles of the forebrain genetics of the animals. The study found that there was a strong genetic link between alcohol and its effects. The study indicated the action of neuropeptide as an involvement for the action of alcohol on the brain.

However, the study warns that animal study results may not be readily transferable to humans.The recent Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism was a large-scale study that involved 2,310 people comprised of alcoholics and control groups. The study went beyond identifying risk factors associated with alcohol abuse. In a process called genotyping, the investigation used microsatellite markers to identify chromosome regions where differences occur. Analysis of the study has revealed and isolated a region on chromosome 16 that was strongly associated with an increased risk of long term and severe alcoholism.

The study further states that genes responsible for encoding systems of communication between nerve cells, dopamine D2 receptor and a serotonin transporter, have been listed as candidate suspects in the role of genetics to alcoholism.The complexity of substance abuse renders it difficult to research from a scientific and genetic basis. The studies listed all indicate a link between genetics and alcoholism. Though hampered by social and technical constraint, each study was carried out thoroughly and recognized their limitations.

ReferencesArlinde, C., Sommer, Hyytia, P., Kiianmaa, K., Heileg, M., W., Bjork, K., & Reimers, M. (2004). A cluster of differentially expressed signal transduction genes identified by microarraanalysis in a rat genetic model of alcoholism. The Pharmacogenomics Journal, 4, 208-218.Edenberg, H. J. (2002). The Collaborative study on the genetics of alcoholism: An update. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 26(3).Quertemont, E. (2004). Genetic polymorphism in ethanol metabolism:acetaldehyde contribution to alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

Molecular Psychiatry, 9.Shuckit, M., Smith, Bierut, L., Hesselbrock, V., T., Danko, G., & Kuperman, S. (2005). Correlations among first-degree relatives for responses on the self-rating of the effects of alcohol questionnaire in teenagers. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 66(1), 62-65.