While personal inhibitions are always to blame for the consumption of alcohol, recent research shows that certain genes in the body may increase a person’s desire to drink. One gene in particular known as GABRA2 has been the primary gene associated with alcoholism, and there is significant data to support this theory. The information below outlines some of the information recent studies have found about GABRA2 and the risk of alcoholism.
The main theory behind the correlation between GABRA2 and alcoholism is that the gene is associated with making people act on impulse. Many impulsive people also drink on a regular basis because they like the risk and pleasure they can get from such an act. It is daring, spontaneous, and unpredictable – all of the qualities that a person with GABRA2 may crave in his or her system. Thus a person with this gene may develop drinking problems over time based partially on a component of his or her body.
For this study, researchers for the University of Michigan analyzed 449 people from 173 different families. Of those families, 129 had at least one person in the family who had been previously diagnosed with alcohol abuse or dependence. Part of the testing the researchers conducted involved MRI scans, where the observers monitored the change in blood flow in the brain as different young adults were presented with thoughts of winning or losing money. This part of the test was designed to see how changes in GABRA2 affected the way the brain worked in different situations.
The research showed that people with certain forms of GABRA2 experienced increased levels of brain activity in the “insula,” which is an area of the brain that has been previously connected to addictive behavior. Participants with the GABRA2 related to alcoholism saw increases in the brain activity as they anticipated winning or losing money. All of this shows that there may be some genetic backing to a person’s risk of developing alcoholism. Understanding this may help to create preventative measures for alcohol dependency in the future.
Researchers want to take their studies even further in their next set by looking at the family lives of alcoholics, as well as their environmental living conditions. This should all lead to further prevention of alcoholism in the medical world. Regardless of the outcome of this study though, it is important to remember that genes cannot solely be to blame for addiction. Every person possesses a will power to counteract what their body may naturally want to do. It is each person’s responsibility to control him or herself with alcohol to avoid the mental and physical damage that may come along with it. This research should only serve as a way to help people control this desire in the future.
