title: Genetic association study between pathological gambling and a functional DNA polymorphism at the D4 receptor gene.
abstract: A Spanish sample consisting of 68 Caucasian pathological gambling patients (47 males and 21 females) and 68 unaffected controls were screened by the molecular analysis of a functional DNA polymorphism in the locus for the D4 dopamine receptor gene. Our results are consistent with the existence of a significant association between genetic variants at a DRD4 gene polymorphism and pathological gambling (chi 2 = 11.82; P = 0.037). This association seems to be sex-influenced, since there was no significant association when only males were considered (chi 2 = 9.45; P = 0.09), but there was a more significant association if we only considered female subjects (chi 2 = 8.73; P = 0.033). Individuals with the longest allele (D7) were the most frequent in affected females (chi 2 = 4.50; P = 0.033). This work provides a new evidence of the implication of the dopaminergic reward pathways, now through the involvement of DRD4, in the aetiology of this impulsive disorder.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pérez de Castro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ibáñez
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sáiz-Ruiz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernández-Piqueras
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000235:genetics*; D050638:Receptors, Dopamine D4
chemical_list: C493599:DRD4 protein, human; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D050638:Receptors, Dopamine D4