A genome analysis funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has identified 188 genetic variants, most of which occur within 26 genes, as being associated with alcoholism.
Of those thought to play the largest role in susceptibility for the illness, several have also been linked to methamphetamine abuse and illegal substance abuse in other studies. Still other genes known to function in areas related to cell signaling and development were also implicated.
ABSTRACT: Pooled association genome scanning for alcohol dependence using 104,268 SNPs: Validation and use to identify alcoholism vulnerability loci in unrelated individuals from the collaborative study on the genetics of alcoholism