Cladistic association analysis of Y chromosome effects on alcohol dependence and related personality traits.
Association between Y chromosome haplotype variation and alcohol dependence and related personality traits was investigated in a large sample of psychiatrically diagnosed Finnish males. Haplotypes were constructed for 359 individuals using alleles at eight loci (seven microsatellite loci and a nucleotide substitution in the DYZ3 alphoid satellite locus). A cladogram linking the 102 observed haplotype configurations was constructed by using parsimony with a single-step mutation model. Then, a series of contingency tables nested according to the cladogram hierarchy were used to test for association between Y haplotype and alcohol dependence. Finally, using only alcohol-dependent subjects, we tested for association between Y haplotype and personality variables postulated to define subtypes of alcoholism-antisocial personality disorder, novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and reward dependence. Significant association with alcohol dependence was observed at three Y haplotype clades, with significance levels of P = 0.002, P = 0.020, and P = 0.010. Within alcohol-dependent subjects, no relationship was revealed between Y haplotype and antisocial personality disorder, novelty seeking, harm avoidance, or reward dependence. These results demonstrate, by using a fully objective association design, that differences among Y chromosomes contribute to variation in vulnerability to alcohol dependence. However, they do not demonstrate an association between Y haplotype and the personality variables thought to underlie the subtypes of alcoholism.
Kittles
R A
RA
Section on Population Genetics and Linkage, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD. 20852, USA.
Long
J C
JC
Bergen
A W
AW
Eggert
M
M
Virkkunen
M
M
Linnoila
M
M
Goldman
D
D
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D003858:Dependency, Psychological; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005387:Finland; D005819:Genetic Markers; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010551:Personality / Q000235:genetics*; D017354:Point Mutation; D012201:Reward; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014998:Y Chromosome
D005819:Genetic Markers