A study highlighting the co-occurrence of alcohol dependence and depressive symptoms was presented here at the American Society of Human Genetics 60th Annual Meeting by first author Darlene A. Kertes, PhD, from the Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville.
The study demonstrated the value of considering comorbidities when designing genetic association studies. The research also highlighted the association between a variant of GABRA2 and depressive symptoms in alcohol-dependent populations.
Dr. Kertes described the high level of co-occurrence between depression and alcohol dependence; in people who have one disorder, the risk of developing the other is 2 to 4 times higher. This comorbidity is important clinically, as evidenced in the higher relapse frequency of alcohol-dependent individuals who also experience symptoms of depression. > > > >
