J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2002 Nov;41(6):980-990.

An Association Study between Alcohol Dependence and Candidate Genes

• Chung IW
• Kim H
• Hong JB
• Chi KW
• Lee GY

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study was to explore the association between alcohol dependence and five candidate genes related to the metabolism of alcohol and the enzymes of the suspected sites in CNS.
METHODS
The genotype and allele frequencies of five candidate genes in 128 male hospitalized patients who met DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence were compared with 128 age-matched healthy male control subjects using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. A logistic regression analysis was applied in order to exclude the reciprocal interactions among five candidate genes.
RESULTS
The NN genotype frequency of the ALDH2 gene was significantly higher in alcoholic patients than in control subjects(chi-square test, p<0.001). No difference in frequency was found in the other four genes. In a logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio for alcohol dependence in the NN genotype of the ALDH2 gene and AG or GG genotypes of the N glycosylation site on the ASA gene were 130.312(95% confidence interval, 17.22-986.43) and 2.344(95% confidence interval, 1.128-4.871), respectively.
CONCLUSION
The result reiterates the association of the ALDH2 gene polyporphism and the alcohol dependence. Logistic regression analysis additionally suggested that the N-glycosylation site on the ASA gene was associated with alcohol dependence.

MeSH Terms

Alcoholics
Alcoholism*
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Gene Frequency
Genotype
Glycosylation
Humans
Logistic Models
Male
Metabolism
Odds Ratio
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length