TY - JOUR
T1 - Molecular biology of alcohol dependence, a complex polygenic disorder
AU - Whitfield, John B.
AU - Nightingale, Brian N.
AU - O'Brien, Martin E.
AU - Heath, Andrew C.
AU - Birley, Andrew J.
AU - Martin, Nicholas G.
N1 - Funding Information:
Collection of data from the twins described in this paper was supported in part by grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia) and the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (USA).
PY - 1998
Y1 - 1998
N2 - Alcohol dependence, and the medical conditions which arise from prolonged excessive alcohol use, have no single cause. Like other complex diseases, they result from a combination of social, personal and genetic contributions; but within any society genetic variation has a substantial influence on individual risk. The genes presently known to affect alcohol dependence produce variation in alcohol metabolism; other genes which affect personality or susceptibility to intoxication are likely to be significant but so far reproducible evidence is scanty. Designs which include related subjects have advantages for the study of complex diseases, because any association effects can be placed in the context of overall heritability and because linkage analysis can also be included. Examples of our studies of alcohol metabolism, consumption and dependence are presented.
AB - Alcohol dependence, and the medical conditions which arise from prolonged excessive alcohol use, have no single cause. Like other complex diseases, they result from a combination of social, personal and genetic contributions; but within any society genetic variation has a substantial influence on individual risk. The genes presently known to affect alcohol dependence produce variation in alcohol metabolism; other genes which affect personality or susceptibility to intoxication are likely to be significant but so far reproducible evidence is scanty. Designs which include related subjects have advantages for the study of complex diseases, because any association effects can be placed in the context of overall heritability and because linkage analysis can also be included. Examples of our studies of alcohol metabolism, consumption and dependence are presented.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0031671001&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1515/CCLM.1998.111
DO - 10.1515/CCLM.1998.111
M3 - Article
C2 - 9806475
AN - SCOPUS:0031671001
SN - 1434-6621
VL - 36
SP - 633
EP - 636
JO - Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
JF - Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
IS - 8
ER -