Brain Wave for Alcoholism
November 25th 2011 03:03
Geneticists working at Texas Biomedical Research Institute have identified an ‘echo’ of a gene in the brain that disposes people to alcoholism.
According to the Institute’s own research newsletter, geneticists Laura Almasy and Mark Zlojutro and a nationwide collaborative team studied the brain waves of hundreds of subjects asked to perform certain tasks, and noted patterns that were common to those at risk of dependence on alcohol.
Specifically, according to Almasy, they discovered event-related oscillations that differed between alcoholics and random subjects. [The team's full paper can be accessed here.]
“An important point,” said Almasy, “is that they’ve also been shown to be different in the children of alcoholics. These differences in brain activity are not a consequence of someone’s drinking. They’re there beforehand.”
A genome-wide scan to locate genes associated with those brain wave patterns led the team to a variant of the serotonin receptor gene named HTR7.
Antidepressant drugs work by regulating serotonin, which affects mood and sleep. In the case of alcoholics, however, serotonin is altered. And some recent studies have linked alcoholism to genes involved in transporting serotonin through the brain.
While this research suggests that targeting the HTR7 receptor could be one way to treat alcohol dependence, Almasy cautioned that it’s too early to know.
“Alcohol dependence is complex and this is just one piece of a complicated puzzle,” she said. “Additionally, if the difference is in the receptor, it’s not necessarily at the receptor that we have to intervene. Targeting other parts of the same biological pathway, upstream or downstream of the receptor, could also suggest new treatment options.”
Follow me on Twitter.
| 30 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Comment by Lester Caudill
Round Politics
Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art