한국인 집단에서 알코올 의존과 세로토닌 수송체 유전자 다형성의 연관성

Abstract

Objective：Family, twin, and adoption studies have demonstrated that genes play an important role in the development of alcoholism. We investigated the association between alcoholism and the genetic polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter regulatory gene(5-HTTLPR) in Korean population. We also explored the association between the genetic polymorphisms of the 5-HTTLPR and clinical characteristics in patients with alcohol dependence. Methods：The genotype and allele frequencies of the 5-HTTLPR were investigated in 172 control subjects and 162 male hospitalized patients who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition(DSMIV), criteria for alcohol dependence. Several standardized research scales were used for the clinical assessment of alcoholism, including the Alcohol Dependence Scale(ADS), the Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale. Results：We found that the frequency of LL genotype and L allele was higher in patients with alcohol dependence than that of control subjects. Alcoholics with the 5-HTTLPR LS or SS genotypes had a later age of onset(mean age of onset, 29.4 and 32.1 years, respectively) than those with the LL genotype(mean age of onset, 25.9 years；p=.002). Also we found that the polymorphisms of the 5-HTTLPR were associated with the scores of the ADS, but not associated with the scores of the BDI, BAI, and OCDS. Alcoholics with the L allele had an earlier age of onset and higher scores of the BDI than those with the S allele(respectively p=.019, p=.021). The scores of the ADS were higher in patients with the S allele than those with the L allele(p=.002). Conclusion：Our finding suggest that genetic polymorphisms of the 5-HTTLPR may be associated with the development of alcoholism and that the 5-HTTLPR play an important role in the development of the early onset and the severe type of alcoholism.