The Genetics, Neurogenetics and Pharmacogenetics of Addiction.

ABSTRACT: Addictions are prevalent psychiatric disorders that confer remarkable personal and social burden. Despite substantial evidence for their moderate, yet robust, heritability (approx. 50%), specific genetic mechanisms underlying their development and maintenance remain unclear. The goal of this selective review is to highlight progress in unveiling the genetic underpinnings of addiction. First, we revisit the basis for heritable variation in addiction before reviewing the most replicable candidate gene findings and emerging signals from genomewide association studies for alcohol, nicotine and cannabis addictions. Second, we survey the modest but growing field of neurogenetics examining how genetic variation influences corticostriatal structure, function, and connectivity to identify neural me

SUBMITTER: Demers CH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4097314 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature