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Inherited Differences in Intensity of Alcohol Withdrawal Reactions in Mice

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Abstract

IT is not known whether alcoholism is an inherited disease, although some aspects of this complex disorder have been shown to be genetically determined. One might expect that genetic factors could influence either the tendency of an individual to drink excessively or the sensitivity of individuals to the effects of a given alcohol intake, or both. Most genetic work has dealt with drinking behaviour. For example, it is well known that inbred strains of mice differ in voluntary alcohol intake1. In man, twin studies have shown higher concordance in monozygotic than dizygotic pairs with respect to patterns of drinking2,3. Alcoholism is frequent among offspring of alcoholics, even when raised away from their biological parents4,5. Genetic differences in sensitivity to acute effects of alcohol have been shown in mice6 and in human populations (Caucasoid compared with Mongoloid)7. I report here that genes influence the severity of alcohol withdrawal effects in mice. This may mean that vulnerability to physical dependence can be inherited.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305

    DORA B. GOLDSTEIN

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  1. DORA B. GOLDSTEIN
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GOLDSTEIN, D. Inherited Differences in Intensity of Alcohol Withdrawal Reactions in Mice. Nature 245, 154–156 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/245154a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/245154a0

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