title: Lack of an allelic association between polymorphisms of the dopamine D2 receptor gene and alcohol dependence in the German population.
abstract: Our study examined recent claims of an association of the TaqI A1 allele and the functional -141C Ins allele of the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) gene with alcohol dependence. Genotypes of the TaqI A and -141C insertion/deletion polymorphisms were assessed in 196 German nonalcoholic controls and 310 German alcohol-dependent subjects, including two more homogeneous subgroups selected by either a history of parental alcoholism (n = 108) or by a history of severe physiological alcohol withdrawal symptoms (n = 99). We found no association between any of the biallelic variants or the A1/Ins haplotype and alcohol dependence (p > 0.05). Our present association results failed to replicate evidence that either the TaqI A1 allele or the functional Ins allele or the A1/Ins haplotype of the DRD2 gene confers vulnerability to alcohol dependence in the German population.
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: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ladehoff
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Samochowiec
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Finckh
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rommelspacher
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D000483:Alleles; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2