MOLECULAR-BIOLOGY OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE, A COMPLEX POLYGENIC DISORDER

Alcohol dependence, and the medical conditions which arise from prolon ged excessive alcohol use, have no single cause. Like other complex di seases, they result from a combination of social, personal and genetic contributions; but within any society genetic variation has a substan tial influence on individual risk. The genes presently known to affect alcohol dependence produce variation in alcohol metabolism; other gen es which affect personality or susceptibility to intoxication are like ly to be significant but so far reproducible evidence is scanty. Desig ns which include related subjects have advantages for the study of com plex diseases, because any association effects can be placed in the co ntext of overall heritability and because linkage analysis can also be included. Examples of our studies of alcohol metabolism, consumption and dependence are presented.