Homozygosity at the dopamine D3 receptor gene is associated with opiate dependence.
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| Abstract |
Anatomical, pharmacological and human post-mortem studies suggest the dopamine D3 receptor (DRD3) gene as a candidate for drug dependence. We thus performed an association study of the Bal I polymorphism at the DRD3 gene, including 54 opiate addicts and 70 controls. Opiate addicts had a higher sensation-seeking score (on the Zückerman scale) than controls (P = 0.001), particularly a subgroup (70%) who had a distinctly higher score, exceeding 24. There were no marked differences in genotypes between patients as a whole and controls. However, patients with a sensation-seeking score above 24 were more frequently homozygotes for both alleles than patients with a sensation-seeking score under 24 (P = 0.038) or controls (P = 0.034). Although obtained in a sample of limited size, these results suggest that the DRD3 gene may have a role in drug dependence susceptibility in individuals with high sensation-seeking scores. This hypothesis is consistent with the role of DRD3 in mediating responses to drugs of abuse in animals and the association of homozygosity at the Bal I polymorphism with drug abuse in schizophrenic patients (see companion article by Krebs et al).
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| Authors | E Duaux, P Gorwood, N Griffon, M C Bourdel, F Sautel, P Sokoloff, J C Schwartz, J Ades, H Lôo, M F Poirier |
| Journal | Molecular psychiatry (Mol Psychiatry) Vol. 3 Issue 4 Pg. 333-6 (Jul 1998) ISSN: 1359-4184 [Print] England |
| PMID | 9702742 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't) |
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