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Some Jews Have Gene... Continued
But this new study is the first to show that the
gene variant also has an effect on alcohol dependence among Jewish
populations.
"Some effect of the gene prevents them from drinking more, but we don't
know how," said Deborah Hasin, lead author of the study and professor of
clinical public health at Columbia University.
Hasin speculated that people with the gene might become drunk from a
smaller amount of alcohol, or feel some type of discomfort after consuming
a certain amount of alcohol.
Hasin plans to conduct a larger study to examine environmental factors
that could affect the gene's impact.|||
The study's findings are published in the September 2002 issue of
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Cannabinoid System in Brain May Help Regulate Drinking
Scientists have discovered a new chemical pathway in the brain that could
play a role in regulating alcohol consumption, according to a Jan. 20
press release from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
(NIAAA).
In animal studies conducted at the NIAAA and several New York state
research institutions, scientists found that brain molecules similar to
the active compound in marijuana may greatly reduce alcohol intake.
Using a strain of mice known to have a high preference for alcohol, the
scientists found reduced alcohol consumption in mice specially bred
without CB1, the brain receptor for marijuana-like substances known as
endocannabinoids.
The New York scientists further found that the endocannabinoid system
activates a brain region called the nucleus accumbens, which plays a major
role in controlling the alcohol reward system.
"These are important findings," said NIAAA Director Ting-Kai Li, M.D.
"Implicating yet another neurochemical mechanism in alcohol consumption
opens another potential avenue for the development of new pharmacologic
agents to prevent and treat alcohol problems."|||
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