Association study of DRD2 and MAOA genes with subtyped alcoholism comorbid with bipolar disorder in Han Chinese

Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2013 Jan 10:40:144-8. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2012.09.014. Epub 2012 Oct 5.

Abstract

Background: Several studies have hypothesized that genes involved in the dopamine system, including dopamine type-2 receptor (DRD2)-related TaqIA polymorphism and monoamine oxidase-A upstream variable number tandem repeat (uVNTR), may be associated with alcoholism. But their results were contradictory because of alcoholism's heterogeneity. Therefore, we examined whether the DRD2TaqIA and MAOA-uVNTR gene polymorphisms are susceptibility factors for alcoholism comorbid with bipolar disorder (ALC+BP) in Han Chinese in Taiwan.

Methods: We recruited 101 Han Chinese men with comorbid alcoholism and bipolar disorder, and 328 healthy male controls from the community. Genotyping was done using PCR-RFLP.

Results: There were no significant differences in the genotypic frequencies of the DRD2TaqIA or the MAOA-uVNTR polymorphisms between the 2 groups. The MAOA-uVNTR 3-repeat had a significant protective effect on the ALC+BP (odds ratio=0.432, p=0.035) but not on the healthy controls. However, the interaction between the MAOA-uVNTR 3-repeat and DRD2 A1/A2 was a risk factor in the ALC+BP (odds ratio=3.451, p=0.018).

Conclusions: We indicated the impact of the association between MAOA-uVNTR 3-repeat and DRD2 A1/A2 with ALC+BP.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Alcoholism / epidemiology
  • Alcoholism / genetics*
  • Alleles
  • Asian People / genetics
  • Bipolar Disorder / epidemiology
  • Bipolar Disorder / genetics*
  • China / epidemiology
  • Comorbidity
  • Gene Frequency
  • Genetic Association Studies
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Monoamine Oxidase / genetics*
  • Polymorphism, Genetic
  • Receptors, Dopamine D2 / genetics*

Substances

  • Receptors, Dopamine D2
  • Monoamine Oxidase