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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

An investigation of associations between alcohol use disorder and polymorphisms on ALDH2, BDNF, 5-HTTLPR, and MTHFR genes in older Korean men
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Early View 28 July 2009

This study aimed to investigate the association of alcohol use disorder (AUD) with four candidate genes in older Korean men: aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2, 1/2), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, val66met), serotonin transporter gene linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR, s/l), and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR, c.677C > T).

AUD was associated with ALDH2*1 and BDNF met alleles in older Korean men. The first is consistent with previous research and likely to be explained by a protective effect of unpleasant symptoms following alcohol consumption associated with ALDH2*2. The second finding is novel and might be accounted for by BDNF-mediated serotonin or dopamine pathways. However, given the relatively small sample size, the results should be regarded as preliminary and requiring independent replication.


Request Reprint E-Mail: R.Stewart@iop.kcl.ac.uk
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