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Evidence for a genetic component for substance dependence in Native Americans.

ABSTRACT: Although tribes differ with regard to the use of alcohol and drugs, substance dependence is one of the primary sources of health problems facing Native Americans. General population studies have demonstrated that substance dependence has a substantially heritable component (approximately 50% of the risk resulting from genetic influences); however, fewer studies have investigated the role of genetics in the risk for substance dependence in Native Americans.The authors present a literature review of the evidence for a genetic component in the etiology of substance dependence in Native Americans, including studies of heritability, linkage analyses, and candidate genes.Evidence for the heritability of alcohol and drug dependence was found. Linkage analyses revealed that genes influencing risk for substance dependence and related phenotypes, such as body mass index (BMI), drug tolerance, EEG patterns, and externalizing traits, reside on several chromosome regions identified in other population samples. Overlap in the gene locations for substance dependence and BMI suggests that a common genetic substrate may exist for disorders of consumption. Studies of the genes that code for alcohol-metabolizing enzymes have not revealed any risk variants specific to Native American populations, although most Native Americans lack protective variants seen in other populations. Other candidate genes associated with substance dependence phenotypes in Native Americans include OPRM1, CRN1, COMT, GABRA2, MAOA, and HTR3-B.Substance dependence has a substantial genetic component in Native Americans, similar in magnitude to that reported for other populations. The high rates of substance dependence seen in some tribes is likely a combination of a lack of genetic protective factors (metabolizing enzyme variants) combined with genetically mediated risk factors (externalizing traits, consumption drive, and drug sensitivity or tolerance) that combine with key environmental factors (trauma exposure, early age at onset of use, and environmental hardship) to produce an elevated risk for the disorder.

SUBMITTER: Ehlers CL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3603686 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Evidence for a genetic component for substance dependence in Native Americans.

Ehlers Cindy L CL Gizer Ian R IR

The American journal of psychiatry 20130201 2

<h4>Objective</h4>Although tribes differ with regard to the use of alcohol and drugs, substance dependence is one of the primary sources of health problems facing Native Americans. General population studies have demonstrated that substance dependence has a substantially heritable component (approximately 50% of the risk resulting from genetic influences); however, fewer studies have investigated the role of genetics in the risk for substance dependence in Native Americans.<h4>Method</h4>The aut ...[more]

PMID: 23377636

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Project description:IntroductionThe genetic admixture of the Brazilian population has considerable relevance to the implementation of the principles of pharmacogenomics (PGx), as it may compromise the extrapolation of data obtained in more homogeneous world populations.PurposeThis study aims to investigate a panel of 117 polymorphisms in 35 pharmacogenes, which contains label recommendations or clinical evidence by international drug regulatory agencies, in Amazonian Native American populations, and compare the results obtained with continental population data from the 1000 Genomes Project Consortium.Patients and methodsThe study population is composed of 109 Native American individuals from three Brazilian Amazon groups. The genotyping of the PGx polymorphisms was performed by allelic discrimination using TaqMan® OpenArray Genotyping with a panel of 120 customized assays on the QuantStudio™ 12K Flex Real-Time PCR System.ResultsStatistical differences within the Native American populations were observed regarding both genotypes and phenotypes of some genes of the CYP family. The discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPCs) between the NAM group and the continental populations of the 1000 Genomes Project resulted in the clustering of the three Native American populations. Additionally, in general, the NAM group was determined to be closely situated between East Asia, America, and South Asia groups, which enabled us to infer a genetic similarity between these populations. The DAPC analysis further demonstrated that eight polymorphisms and six polymorphisms were more relevant in differentiating the NAM from the continental populations and the NAM populations among themselves, respectively.ConclusionSome investigated polymorphisms show differences among world populations, particularly with populations of European origin, for whom precision medicine protocols are primarily designed. The accumulated knowledge regarding these variations may assist in the design of specific protocols for Native American populations and populations admixed with them.

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Evidence for a genetic component for substance dependence in Native Americans.

Publications

Evidence for a genetic component for substance dependence in Native Americans.

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