Effects of OPRM1 and DRD2 on brain structure in drug-naive adolescents: Genetic and neural vulnerabilities to substance use.

ABSTRACT: Genetic variants in the opioid receptor mu 1 (OPRM1) and dopamine receptor d2 (DRD2) genes are implicated in behavioral phenotypes related to substance use disorders (SUD). Despite associations among OPRM1 (rs179971) and DRD2 (rs6277) genes and structural alterations in neural reward pathways implicated in SUDs, little is known about the contribution of risk-related gene variants to structural neurodevelopment. In a 3-year longitudinal study of initially SU-naïve adolescents (N = 129; 70 females; 11-14 years old), participants underwent an MRI structural scan at baseline and provided genetic assays for OPRM1 and DRD2 with SU behavior assessed during follow-up visits. Baseline differences in key reward-related brain regions (i.e., bilateral caudate and cingulate cortex) were detected in tho

SUBMITTER: Picci G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8776605 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature