TY - JOUR PY - 2008// TI - Interaction between CRHR1 gene and stressful life events predicts adolescent heavy alcohol use JO - Biological psychiatry A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Treutlein, Jens A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, M. H. A1 - Schumann, Gunter A1 - Laucht, M. SP - 146 EP - 151 VL - 63 IS - 2 N2 - BACKGROUND: Recent animal research suggests that alterations in the corticotropin releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) may lead to heavy alcohol use following repeated stress. The aim of this study was to examine interactions between two haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering the CRHR1 gene and adverse life events on heavy drinking in adolescents. METHODS: Data were available from the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk, an ongoing cohort study of the long-term outcome of early risk factors followed since birth. At age 15 years, 280 participants (135 males, 145 females) completed a self-report questionnaire measuring alcohol use and were genotyped for two SNPs (rs242938, rs1876831) of CRHR1. Assessment of negative life events over the past three years was obtained by a standardized interview with the parents. RESULTS: Adolescents homozygous for the C allele of rs1876831 drank higher maximum amounts of alcohol per occasion and had greater lifetime rates of heavy drinking in relation to negative life events than individuals carrying the T allele. No gene x environment interactions were found for regular drinking and between rs242938 and stressful life events. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide first evidence in humans that the CRHR1 gene interacts with exposure to stressful life events to predict heavy alcohol use in adolescents.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0006-3223 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.04.026 ID - ref1 ER -