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Saturday, October 20, 2007

GABRA2 Alleles Moderate the Subjective Effects of Alcohol, Which are Attenuated by Finasteride
Neuropsychopharmacology (2005) 30, 1193–1203







GABAA receptors are involved in the subjective effects of alcohol. Endogenous neuroactive steroids interact with GABAA receptors to mediate several behavioral effects of alcohol in rodents.

Based on a haplotypic association of alcohol dependence with the gene encoding the GABAA receptor alpha-2 subunit (GABRA2), we examined whether GABRA2 alleles are associated with the subjective response to alcohol. We also examined whether finasteride (a 5-alpha steroid reductase inhibitor), which blocks the synthesis of some neuroactive steroids, reduces the subjective response to alcohol.

These findings provide preliminary evidence that the risk of alcoholism associated with GABRA2 alleles may be related to differences in the subjective response to alcohol. The effects of finasteride provide indirect evidence for a mediating role of neuroactive steroids in some of the subjective effects of alcohol.

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