The SLC6A3 gene possibly affects susceptibility to late-onset alcohol dependence but not specific personality traits in a Han Chinese population.
Dopaminergic dysfunction has an important role in the pathoetiology of alcohol dependence (AD). The purpose of this study was to determine whether the solute carrier family 6 member 3 (SLC6A3) gene (also known as the dopamine transporter DAT gene) was associated with AD, and whether variants in the SLC6A3 locus were associated with specific personality traits in patients with AD. Sixteen polymorphisms in SLC6A3 were analyzed using 637 patients with AD and 523 healthy controls. To reduce clinical heterogeneity, patients were classified into two subgroups: early-onset AD (EOAD) and late-onset AD (LOAD). The Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire was used to assess the personality traits novelty seeking (NS) and harm avoidance (HA) in the patients with AD. Using allele frequency and genotype distribution comparisons and logistic regression analysis, we found evidence of association between rs6350 and AD (P < 0.05). Following subgroup analysis, we confirmed evidence of an association in patients with LOAD (P = 0.003), but not in patients with EOAD. Heterozygous carriers of the A allele have a nearly 3 times greater risk to develop LOAD compared to individuals who do not have an A allele. Although we found that patients with AD had higher NS and HA scores compared to controls (P < 0.001), we did not find evidence of association between SLC6A3 polymorphisms and either NS or HA in patients with AD using linear regression analysis. The findings from our study indicate that the SLC6A3 gene may have a role in susceptibility to late-onset AD in the Han Chinese population.
Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.|Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, New Taipei City, R.O.C.
Chang-Chih
CC
Huang
Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.|Department of Psychiatry, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, R.O.C.
Shin-Chang
SC
Kuo
Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.|Department of Psychiatry, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, R.O.C.
Yi-Wei
YW
Yeh
Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.|Department of Psychiatry, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, R.O.C.
Chun-Yen
CY
Chen
Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.|Department Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chiayi Yang-Ming Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Che-Hung
CH
Yen
Department of Psychiatry, Beitou Branch, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Chih-Sung
CS
Liang
Department of Psychiatry, Beitou Branch, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Pei-Shen
PS
Ho
Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavior Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, R.O.C.
Ru-Band
RB
Lu
Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.|Department of Psychiatry, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, R.O.C.
San-Yuan
SY
Huang
D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005260:Female; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012309:Risk-Taking
D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; C493214:SLC6A3 protein, human