Family history is a critical factor in understanding both the environmental and genetic risks that can create the perfect storm for an alcohol use disorder. In addition to genetic causes, the frequent misuse of alcohol in family networks may influence risky behaviors related to alcohol.
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A new study has found that nearly one is five white individuals carries a genetic variant that significantly increases his or her odds of severely abusing cocaine. This variant, which is characterized by tiny gene mutations, changes the brain’s response to the rewarding effects of substances such as cocaine. Ohio State University researchers found that carriers of the variant were more than three times more likely to be susceptible to cocaine abuse, which can lead to overdose and death.
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A new study has found that your genes influence the ways in which you respond to environmental social drinking cues such as alcohol advertisements and seeing other people drinking. The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, was conducted by Helle Larsen from Radboud University in the Netherlands and her colleagues.
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Scientists are increasingly researching the impact of genetic disposition on substance abuse. Understanding to what extent behaviors are programmed in a person’s DNA may help target individuals for awareness education.
An artificial intelligence that can automatically plan and execute experiments may soon provide new insights into the biology of addiction to drugs and alcohol. The artificial intelligence (AI) that controls the experiments, called “Eureqa,” could help detect disease organisms or traces of toxic chemicals, said Hod Lipson, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and computing and information science.
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A new study shows that cocaine not only changes the way you feel and behave—it also changes the way the genes in the brain operate. Maia Szalavitz of TIME writes that understanding this process could eventually lead to new treatments for the 1.4 million Americans who are addicted to cocaine, and millions more around the world.
Kelly Osbourne, daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, told BBC Radio 5 Live that genes are responsible for her former drug addiction. Her father had a long struggle with drug addiction, and Kelly says her DNA was pre-programmed to make her susceptible to addiction.
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Scientists at Yale University have identified an “addiction gene” that puts Caucasian women at high risk of alcohol or drug abuse. The findings paves the way for a DNA test that could warn people who might be at risk of becoming dependent on alcohol and/or drugs.
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