Dataset Information

Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 gene and alcohol use among college students.

ABSTRACT: Genes that regulate serotonin activity are regarded as promising predictors of heavy alcohol use. Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH2) plays an important role in serotonergic neurotransmission by serving as the rate-limiting enzyme for serotonin biosynthesis in the midbrain and serotonergic neurons. Despite the link between TPH2 and serotonergic function, TPH2's role in the pathogenesis of alcohol-use disorders remains unclear. The goal of this study was to examine whether a variation in the TPH2 gene is associated with risky alcohol consumption. Specifically, this study examined whether the TPH2 G-703T polymorphism predicted alcohol consumption among college students. In two successive years, 351 undergraduates were asked to record their alcohol use each day for 30 days using an Internet-based electronic diary. Participants' DNA was collected and polymerase chain reaction genotyping was performed. Results show that alcohol consumption was not associated with the TPH2 G-703T polymorphism alone, or the interaction of TPH2 with two other candidate polymorphisms (TPH1 C218A and the SLC6A4 tri-allelic 5-HTTLPR), or negative life events. In conclusion, this study supports recent null findings relating TPH2 to drinking outcomes. It also extends these findings by showing null interactions with the TPH1 C218A polymorphism, the SLC6A4 tri-allelic 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and environmental stressors in predicting sub-clinical alcohol use among Caucasian American young adults.

SUBMITTER: Gacek P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2695976 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 gene and alcohol use among college students.

Gacek Paul P Conner Tamlin S TS Tennen Howard H Kranzler Henry R HR Covault Jonathan J

Addiction biology 20080901 3-4

Genes that regulate serotonin activity are regarded as promising predictors of heavy alcohol use. Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH2) plays an important role in serotonergic neurotransmission by serving as the rate-limiting enzyme for serotonin biosynthesis in the midbrain and serotonergic neurons. Despite the link between TPH2 and serotonergic function, TPH2's role in the pathogenesis of alcohol-use disorders remains unclear. The goal of this study was to examine whether a variation in the TPH2 gene ...[more]

PMID: 18782386

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Project description:This study examines Korean college students' rates and the severity of various negative consequences resulting from the frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption and the unique factors that are affecting this problem in the Korean context in comparison to other countries. It assesses how much gender, age and other associated respondent characteristics mediate alcohol use and the resulting negative consequences among the population. A stratified representative sample of 4803 valid student respondents attending 82 colleges participated in the alcohol consumption survey, of which 95% reported drinking in past 12 months. Drinking is measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) screening tool. Based on this test, composite scores for each participant were computed and students were grouped into four risk groups: (a) nondrinkers, (b) light drinkers, (c) moderate drinkers and (d) heavy drinkers. Outcome measures include 21 validated items evaluating self-reported alcohol-related negative consequences. Rates of negative consequences are reported for each drinking risk group stratified by gender. Descriptive statistics, stepwise regression, multivariate linear regression and MANOVA tests were used to analyze the data. The study found that female respondents in the sample who consumed alcohol in the past 12 months drank 11.5 percent less than males (AUDIT-C score ? = 6.0 and 6.7, respectively), and there was a greater proportion of females (5.1 percent) who were nondrinkers than males (4.6 percent). Yet, when females drank, they experienced 11.8 percent more negative consequences on average than males (? = 1.9 and 1.7, respectively). The study attempts to explain this apparent contradiction. The self-reported rates for many individual negative consequences also varied discernibly by gender. The study concludes with suggestions for how alcohol prevention on Korean college campuses would benefit from targeting females and males differently.

Dataset Information

Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 gene and alcohol use among college students.

Publications

Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 gene and alcohol use among college students.

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