title: Genetics of opiate addiction.
abstract: Addiction to MOP-r agonists such as heroin (and also addiction to prescription opioids) has reemerged as an epidemic in the twenty first century, causing massive morbidity. Understanding the genetics contributing to susceptibility to this disease is crucial for the identification of novel therapeutic targets, and also for discovery of genetic markers which would indicate relative protection or vulnerability from addiction, and relative responsiveness to pharmacotherapy. This information could thus eventually inform clinical practice. In this review, we focus primarily on association studies of heroin and opiate addiction, and further describe the studies which have been replicated in this field, and are thus more likely to be useful for translational efforts.
authors.affiliation: The Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: Eduardo R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Butelman
authors.forename: Vadim
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yuferov
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Randesi
authors.forename: Mary Jeanne
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kreek
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics*; D010597:Pharmacogenetics / Q000379:methods*