Authors : Shanmugiah Arumugam
DOI : 10.47310/iarjel.2020.v01i01.003
Volume : 1
Issue : 1
Year : 2020
Page No : 1-2
Alcohol addiction is a growing concern in both developed and developing nations, influenced by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. It is often co-morbid with other psychiatric disorders that share common neurobiological reward mechanisms. The exploration of genetic causes in psychiatric disorders began with alcohol addiction, with early studies in the 18th century identifying variants in alcohol-metabolizing enzymes as risk moderators. Advances in genetic research, particularly Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) in the 20th century, have expanded the focus to genes associated with GABA receptors. However, the overall progress in uncovering the genetic basis of alcohol addiction has been relatively slow compared to other psychiatric disorders. The high rate of co-morbidity and the absence of a single genotype point toward the pleiotropic nature of genes involved in alcohol addiction. The discovery of the ALDH22 allele in the 1980s, which significantly reduces the risk of alcohol dependence, underscores the protective genetic mechanisms influencing addiction vulnerability. This allele, prevalent among East Asian populations but rare in Europeans and Africans, has been linked to a markedly lower odds ratio for alcohol dependence (0.33), with no reported cases among individuals homozygous for ALDH22. Future research should prioritize understanding the pleiotropic molecular mechanisms underlying alcohol addiction to advance prevention and treatment strategies.