title: Alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase genotypes in Korsakoff syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies have suggested a genetic predisposition to the development of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS), a neuropsychiatric syndrome commonly associated with alcoholism; however, little is known about this genetic risk factor.
  
  
  METHODS
  To test the hypothesis that altered alcohol or aldehyde regulation is related to the development of WKS, the genetic polymorphisms of aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) and alcohol dehydrogenase-2 (ADH2) were examined in 47 alcoholic subjects with WKS and compared with those of 342 alcoholic subjects without any WKS symptoms and 175 nonalcoholic controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although the frequencies of the ALDH2 genotypes and alleles did not differ significantly between alcoholic subjects with WKS and alcoholics without WKS, the ADH2*1/2*1 genotype and ADH2*1 allele were significantly increased in WKS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that the ADH2*1/2*1 genotype is a risk factor for the development of WKS in alcoholic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Institute on Alcoholism, Kurihama National Hospital, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan. shiguchi@wa2.so-net.ne.jp
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsushita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muramatsu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Higuchi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics*; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics*; D000071396:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, Mitochondrial; D000483:Alleles; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D020915:Korsakoff Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase; C096127:ALDH2 protein, human; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase; D000071396:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, Mitochondrial