The association between cannabinoid receptor 1 gene (CNR1) and cannabis dependence symptoms in adolescents and young adults.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the genetic association between variation in the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CNR1) gene and cannabis dependence symptoms.


METHODS
Adolescent and young adult subjects were recruited from three settings: a treatment program for youth with substance use disorders, the criminal justice system, and the community. A case-control sample consisted of 224 cases who endorsed at least one dependence symptom and 108 controls who tried cannabis but endorsed no symptoms. A family-based sample of 219 families was also analyzed.


RESULTS
Case-control analysis identified a nominal association between SNP rs1049353 and having one or more cannabis dependence symptoms (p=.029), but the association did not hold up in a combined sample. Family-based analysis found a trend for the same SNP (p=.07). We did not replicate a previous report that SNP rs806380 was associated with the development of cannabis dependence.


CONCLUSIONS
These results provide inconclusive evidence of association between rs1049353/rs806380 and the development of cannabis dependence, and underscore the importance of replicating results of genetic association studies. Additional family-based studies are needed to clarify the role of the CNR1 gene, and its various SNPs, in the development of cannabis use disorders.
Hartman
Christie A
CA
School of Medicine, University of Colorado at Denver, PO Box 6508, Mail Stop F478, Aurora, CO 80045, USA. christie.hartman@colorado.edu
Hopfer
Christian J
CJ
Haberstick
Brett
B
Rhee
Soo Hyun
SH
Crowley
Thomas J
TJ
Corley
Robin P
RP
Hewitt
John K
JK
Ehringer
Marissa A
MA
D000293:Adolescent; D000483:Alleles; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003120:Colorado / Q000453:epidemiology; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D043884:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D055815:Young Adult
D043884:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1