Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Monday, February 8, 2010
Genetics Protects Some Sexual Abuse Survivors from Alcoholism
Although severe stress, such as sexual abuse, early in life has been shown to increase the risk of alcohol and drug addiction later on, scientists have found that some abuse survivors carry a genetic variation that protects them from the increased risk of alcohol abuse and its effects.
Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis identified the key set of genetic variations, called the H2 haplotype, in a recent study. They believe that the finding could support the development of targeted treatments for alcohol dependence that are based on both genetic traits and history of exposure to severe stress. Scientists estimate that genetics account for about half the risk of developing alcoholism, while the other half comes from environmental factors.
Elliot C. Nelson, M.D., lead author of the study, commented: "We looked at how genes and environment interact. Our analysis included both sexual abuse and information about the DNA region that carries the H2 haplotype. People who carry that genetic pattern were protected against the risks for alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence typically associated with sexual abuse."
The researchers found that sexual abuse survivors with the alternate genetic pattern, known as the H1 haplotype, were three times more likely than study participants who had not been abused to be heavy drinkers and alcohol dependent. By contrast, participants with the H2 haplotype appeared to be completely protected from this increased risk.
(Source: sciencedaily.com)
Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis identified the key set of genetic variations, called the H2 haplotype, in a recent study. They believe that the finding could support the development of targeted treatments for alcohol dependence that are based on both genetic traits and history of exposure to severe stress. Scientists estimate that genetics account for about half the risk of developing alcoholism, while the other half comes from environmental factors.
Elliot C. Nelson, M.D., lead author of the study, commented: "We looked at how genes and environment interact. Our analysis included both sexual abuse and information about the DNA region that carries the H2 haplotype. People who carry that genetic pattern were protected against the risks for alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence typically associated with sexual abuse."
The researchers found that sexual abuse survivors with the alternate genetic pattern, known as the H1 haplotype, were three times more likely than study participants who had not been abused to be heavy drinkers and alcohol dependent. By contrast, participants with the H2 haplotype appeared to be completely protected from this increased risk.
(Source: sciencedaily.com)
Labels: genetics, sexual abuse, substance abuse
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 8:39 AM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Mothers May Pass Addiction to Children Genetically
According to a biomedical researcher at the Cumming School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, mothers who abuse painkillers during adolescence may predispose their children to becoming addicted to those same substances.
Elizabeth Byrnes, a research assistant professor of biomedical sciences at the University commented on the research's implications: "If you took these drugs as an adolescent, and you're thinking, hey, that's no big deal, that's in the past, and now I am happy and healthy and everything's fine ... that probably is not the case.
"You actually may be transmitting sensitivity to opiates to your offspring. And that sensitivity is one thing that will determine how likely [the offspring] are to have a problem with those drugs. We already know that genetic information is passed down from one generation to the next. Is it just a matter of which genes are expressed?"
According to the 2008 Monitoring the Future Report, a national annual survey of the behaviors and attitudes of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders that is funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), approximately 10 percent of high school seniors reported recreational use of the painkiller Vicodin within the last year, and 4.7 percent reported using OxyContin.
(Source: www.laboratoryequipment.com)
Elizabeth Byrnes, a research assistant professor of biomedical sciences at the University commented on the research's implications: "If you took these drugs as an adolescent, and you're thinking, hey, that's no big deal, that's in the past, and now I am happy and healthy and everything's fine ... that probably is not the case.
"You actually may be transmitting sensitivity to opiates to your offspring. And that sensitivity is one thing that will determine how likely [the offspring] are to have a problem with those drugs. We already know that genetic information is passed down from one generation to the next. Is it just a matter of which genes are expressed?"
According to the 2008 Monitoring the Future Report, a national annual survey of the behaviors and attitudes of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders that is funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), approximately 10 percent of high school seniors reported recreational use of the painkiller Vicodin within the last year, and 4.7 percent reported using OxyContin.
(Source: www.laboratoryequipment.com)
Labels: addiction, genetics, painkillers
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 8:58 AM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Friday, December 26, 2008
Genetics Determine Effects of Alcohol
A region of the human genome has been identified as determining how strongly drinkers feel the effects of alcohol. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center found that a DNA sequence variation on chromosome 15 was significantly related to the human body's response to alcohol, and therefore to whether certain individuals are more prone to alcoholism.
Raymond L. White, PhD, director of the Gallo Center and senior author of the paper, commented on the findings:
"By understanding which portion of our genetic makeup influences our response to alcohol, we can begin to understand what type of treatments might be most successful in helping reduce alcohol use disorders." (Sources: sciencedaily.com)
Raymond L. White, PhD, director of the Gallo Center and senior author of the paper, commented on the findings:
"By understanding which portion of our genetic makeup influences our response to alcohol, we can begin to understand what type of treatments might be most successful in helping reduce alcohol use disorders." (Sources: sciencedaily.com)
Labels: alcohol, alcoholism, genetics
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 9:04 AM
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