title: Possible allelic association of a tyrosine hydroxylase polymorphism with vulnerability to alcohol-withdrawal delirium.
abstract: Recently, an association has been reported between schizophrenia and a rare allele containing 10-repeats (A10) of a polymorphic tetranucleotide motif in the first intron of the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) gene. The present association analysis tested the hypothesis that the A10 candidate allele confers vulnerability to alcohol-withdrawal delirium with visual hallucinations. The genotype of the TH tetranucleotide polymorphism was assessed in 204 German controls and 311 German alcohol-dependent subjects, including 63 alcoholics with a history of visual hallucinations during withdrawal delirium. The frequency of the A10 allele was significantly increased in the alcoholics with withdrawal delirium (3.2%) compared with that in the controls (0.5%; Fisher's exact test: P = 0.03, two-tailed; OR (A10+) = 6.85, 95% confidence interval: 1.52-30.79). The possible allelic association suggests that allelic variation at the TH locus mediates vulnerability to alcohol-withdrawal delirium in a small proportion of alcohol-dependent subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Benjamin Franklin, Free University of Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sander
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Harms
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rommelspacher
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoehe
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000430:Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D000483:Alleles; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase