Dimensional anxiety mediates linkage of GABRA2 haplotypes with alcoholism.

ABSTRACT: The GABAAalpha2 receptor gene (GABRA2) modulates anxiety and stress response. Three recent association studies implicate GABRA2 in alcoholism, however in these papers both common, opposite-configuration haplotypes in the region distal to intron3 predict risk. We have now replicated the GABRA2 association with alcoholism in 331 Plains Indian men and women and 461 Finnish Caucasian men. Using a dimensional measure of anxiety, harm avoidance (HA), we also found that the association with alcoholism is mediated, or moderated, by anxiety. Nine SNPs were genotyped revealing two haplotype blocks. Within the previously implicated block 2 region, we identified the two common, opposite-configuration risk haplotypes, A and B. Their frequencies differed markedly in Finns and Plains Indians. In both pop

SUBMITTER: Enoch MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4516162 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature