October 9 - 12, 2012
Building 10 & Natcher Conference Center
- General Schedule of Events
- Opening Plenary Session
- Concurrent Symposia Sessions
- Poster Sessions
- National Graduate Student Research Conference
- FARE Award Ceremony
- Special Exhibits on Resources for Intramural Research
- TSA Research Festival Exhibit Show
- Clinical Center Tours
- Research Festival Committees
- Past Research Festivals
The association of a functional polymorphism in CNR1 with alcohol withdrawal in a treatment-seeking alcoholic sample
| Friday, November 08, 2013 — Poster Session III | |||
|---|---|---|---|
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
FAES Academic Center (Upper-Level Terrace) |
NIAAA |
GEN-35 |
Authors
- J. Yan
- M.L. Schwandt
- H. Sun
- D.W. Hommer
- D.T. George
- M. Heilig
- V.A. Ramchandani
Abstract
The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs2023239, in CNR1, the gene encoding cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1), has been implicated in substance use disorders, response to alcohol, and CB1 receptor density in both postmortem and human brain studies. We assessed the effect of this SNP on alcohol-related traits in 551 treatment-seeking alcoholics and 405 non-treatment-seeking controls using regression models, with sex and ancestry as covariates. The rs2023239 C allele was associated with alcohol withdrawal severity, measured by the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment-Alcohol-Revised (CIWA-Ar) at treatment start in the treatment-seeking sample (p=0.039). The SNP had a nominal effect on the Addiction Severity Index withdrawal subcomponent (p=0.086) and peak overall CIWA-Ar score (p=0.061). It was not significantly associated with other clinical phenotypes or drinking history. This study suggests a potential involvement of rs2023239 in alcohol withdrawal. This pattern is consistent with prior studies reporting a lack of alcohol withdrawal responses in CB1 knockout mice, and studies showing a gain of function for the C allele in CB1 ligand binding. Because an increase in number of CB1 receptors may provide a neuroprotective effect against excitotoxic cell death during alcohol withdrawal, the C allele of rs2023239 may confer a downstream protective effect against alcohol withdrawal severity.
