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Genetics of Alcoholism

Is alcoholism inherited? There is some evidence that it could be, but science has yet to find the direct genetic link. Find out more about the genetic components of alcohol dependence and alcoholism.
Unprecedented Study Maps Genes Linked to Alcoholism
In a genetic study of unprecedented scope, researchers have used new genomic technology to indentify human genes in people most at risk for developing alcoholism, which could revolutionize treatment and prevention options.
Risk Factors: Family History of Alcoholism, Disinhibition
All individuals with a family history of alcoholism are at risk for developing alcohol abuse disorders, but males who also have behavioral disinhibition are at the greatest risk, according to research at the Behavioral Sciences Laboratories.
Novelty Seeking, Parental Alcoholism Are Risk Factors
Parental alcoholism is a risk factor for children to become alcoholics themselves, but that risk increases significantly if the children, especially boys, have novelty-seeking personalities, with risk-taking, thrill-seeking and impulsive characteristics.
New Genes Found For Excessive Alcohol Drinking
Researchers have identified new genes that may contribute to excessive alcohol consumption, which provide clues to the underlying molecular mechanisms and allow scientists to focus on targets not previously implicated in excessive drinking.
Stress Risky With Family History of Alcoholism
Individuals with a family history of alcoholism tend to have a biological dysfunction in their response to stress before they develop drinking problems that others exhibit only after alcohol problems arise.
Sweet Tooth Linked to Alcoholism
Can a child's sweet tooth predict a tendency toward alcoholism in later life? Researchers from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill say, yes.
Gene Mutation Linked to Alcoholism
Once again scientists have uncovered genetic evidence linked to alcohol-dependent persons that could lead to the development of medication to treat alcoholism.
Brain Protein Linked to Drinking
Researchers have linked a protein found in the brain to both alcohol-seeking behavior and the sensitivity to the effects of alcohol intoxication.
Gene Linked to Drinkers' Response to Alcohol
How alcohol makes a person feel can play a part in whether or not that drinker develops alcohol problems and now researchers believe they have found the gene that is directly linked to a drinker's level of response to alcohol.
Early Childhood Drinking Not Linked to Family History
Child psychiatrists have found that a child's characteristics and environment are more like to affect the age at which they take their first drink than a family history of alcoholism.
Brain Protein Linked to Alcoholism and Anxiety
Researchers have discovered that a protein found in the brain is genetically linked to alcoholism and anxiety and that protein can be manipulated to increase or decrease anxiety and drinking behaviors.
Alcoholism: Is It Inherited?
There is a growing body of scientific evidence that alcoholism has a genetic component, although the gene has not been identified.
Genetics of Alcoholism
The idea that alcoholism runs in families is an ancient one. Science has advanced this idea from the status of folk-observation to systematic investigation.
A 'Brain Disease'
Alcoholism has been called a disease for a long time, but we couldn't demonstrate the mechanisms of it like we can now, reports the NCADD.
View of American Indian Drinking 'Bias'
A new study of alcohol dependence among two culturally distinct tribes in the United States has found that alcohol problems are not nearly as serious as some stereotypes may suggest.
Family History of Alcoholism: Are You at Risk?
If you are among the millions of people in this country who have a parent, grandparent, or other close relative with alcoholism, you may have wondered what your family's history of alcoholism means for you.
Genetic Factors
Family, twin and adoption studies have shown that alcoholism has a genetic component.
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