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Thursday, August 20, 2009

Timing of first alcohol use and alcohol dependence: evidence of common genetic influences
Addiction Volume 104 Issue 9, Pages 1512 - 1518

To estimate the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on timing of first alcohol use and alcohol dependence (AD) and to quantify the overlap in these influences across the two alcohol-related outcomes.

Findings highlight the substantial role of genetics in the development of AD and the early manifestation of that genetic risk in the timing of alcohol use initiation which, unlike AD, is also influenced to a modest degree by shared environmental factors. The considerable overlap in heritable influences—and the virtual absence of overlap in individual-specific environmental influences—on initiation of alcohol use and AD indicates that the association between age at first drink and AD is attributable in large part to common genetic sources of variance.


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