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Saturday, July 24, 2010

A Variable-Number-of-Tandem-Repeats Polymorphism in the Dopamine D4 Receptor Gene Affects Social Adaptation of Alcohol Use


Research suggests that people adapt their own drinking behavior to that of other people.

According to a genetic-differences approach, some individuals may be more inclined than others to adapt their alcohol consumption level to that of other people.

Using a 3 (drinking condition) × 2 (genotype) experimental design (
N = 113), we tested whether susceptibility to alcohol-related cues (i.e., seeing someone drink) was related to the variable number of tandem repeats in exon 3 of the D4 dopamine receptor gene.

A strong gene-environment interaction showed that participants carrying at least one copy of the 7-repeat allele consumed substantially more alcohol in the presence of a heavy-drinking individual than did participants without this allele.

This study highlights that individual variability in sensitivity to other people’s drinking behavior may be attributable to genetic differences.

Carrying the 7-repeat allele may increase the risk for heavy alcohol use or abuse in the company of heavy-drinking peers.



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Request Reprint E-Mail: h.larsen@pwo.ru.nl


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