Genetic influences on alcohol use behaviors have diverging developmental trajectories: a prospective study among male and female twins.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Both alcohol-specific genetic factors and genetic factors related to externalizing behavior influence problematic alcohol use. Little is known, however, about the etiologic role of these 2 components of genetic risk on alcohol-related behaviors across development. Prior studies conducted in a male cohort of twins suggest that externalizing genetic factors are important for predicting heavy alcohol use in adolescence, whereas alcohol-specific genetic factors increase in importance during the transition to adulthood. In this report, we studied twin brothers and sisters and brother-sister twin pairs to examine such developmental trajectories and investigate whether sex and cotwin sex effects modify these genetic influences.

Methods

We used prospective, longitudinal t

SUBMITTER: Meyers JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4244647 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature