Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access originally published online on December 8, 2006
Alcohol and Alcoholism 2007 42(2):70-74; doi:10.1093/alcalc/agl106
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STUDY OF DOPAMINE RECEPTORS GENES POLYMORPHISMS IN BIPOLAR PATIENTS WITH COMORBID ALCOHOL ABUSE
GLARZ1
SKA1
OPIE
3
SKA-RODZIEWICZ2
1 Laboratory of Psychiatric Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Poznan University of Medical Sciences Poland
2 Department of Adult Psychiatry, Poznan University of Medical Sciences Poland
3 Department of Child and Adolescence Psychiatry, Poznan University of Medical Sciences Poland
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed at: Aleksandra Szczepankiewicz, Laboratory of Psychiatric Genetics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 27/33 Szpitalna Street, 60-572 Poznan, Poland. Tel: +48 61 8491 311; Fax: +48 61 8480 392; E-mail: alszczep{at}amp.edu.pl
Received 26 July 2006; first review notified 6 October 2006; in revised form 8 November 2006; accepted 13 November 2006
| Abstract |
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Alcoholism is present in
4060% of bipolar patients. This comorbidity between bipolar disorder and alcoholism is high and may result from existence of common genetic factors for the two disorders. In both disorders, dysregulation of the dopaminergic neurotransmission had been implicated. Association analyses revealed several candidate genes acting in the dopaminergic pathway and polymorphisms in those genes that might be associated with both disorders. Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse possible relationship between polymorphisms in the dopaminergic pathway genes (one SNP for each dopamine receptor gene 14) and alcohol abuse comorbidity in bipolar patients. Methods: We analysed 317 patients with bipolar disorder. In this group, 42 patients were diagnosed with alcohol abuse. The diagnosis was made for each patient by at least two psychiatrists, using structured clinical interviews for DSM-IV Axis I disorders (SCID). The control group consisted of 350 subjects. We performed RFLP analysis of polymorphisms in four genes: DRD1, DRD2, DRD3, and DRD4. Results: We have not found association of any of the analysed polymorphisms in the dopamine genes in the group of bipolar patients with comorbid alcohol abuse as compared to the control group. In the male group of bipolar patients with comorbid alcohol abuse, we also have not observed any significant differences between the patients and the control subjects. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the analysed polymorphisms of the dopamine genes polymorphisms may not be involved in the shared genetic vulnerability to both, bipolar disorder, and alcohol abuse.