Genetics, ethnicity can influence pathway between early drinking and alcohol use disorders

Researchers examined 604 college students recruited from the University of California, San Diego: 214 of Korean ancestry (107 men, 107 women), 200 of European ancestry (106 men, 94 women), and 190 of Chinese ancestry (99 women, 91 men), each with both biological parents having the same heritage. Participants were genotyped for the ALDH2*2 variant allele and completed a self-report assessment.
The effect of ADI as a risk factor for developing AUD symptoms varied with both ethnicity and ALDH2*2 status. ADI was not associated with AUD symptoms in Korean-Americans with an ALDH2*2 allele or in Chinese-Americans regardless of ALDH2*2status. This indicates that being Korean (and having the protective ALDH2*2 allele) or Chinese buffered the risk for developing AUD symptoms associated with an early ADI. Although an earlier ADI places some individuals at risk to develop AUD symptoms, the path from ADI to AUD symptoms is complex and can be modified by other factors.

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Younger mothers are more likely to engage in risky drinking during and after pregnancy

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A Finnish research group worked with 11 young men and 16 young women who had a heavy 10-year alcohol use, and compared them with 12 young men and 13 young women who had little or no alcohol use. All were between 23 to 28 years old at the time the measurements were taken. The researchers examined the responses of the brain to being stimulated by magnetic pulses -- known as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which activates brain neurons. The brain activity was measured using EEG (electroencephalogram). Previously, the researchers had found that heavy alcohol users showed a greater electrical response in the cortex of the brain than non-alcohol users, which indicates that there had been long-term changes to how the brain responds. This time, they found that young men and young women responded differently, with males showing a greater increase in electrical activity in the brain in response to a TMS pulse. As researcher Dr Outi Kaarre (University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio ...
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Given the choice, zebrafish willingly dose themselves with opioids

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Zebrafish at College of Utah Well being Centralized Zebrafish Animal Useful resource (CZAR) facility. Credit score: College of Utah Well being Because the opioid disaster escalates, the science behind dependancy stays poorly understood. To handle this want, researchers at College of Utah Well being devised a system that allowed zebrafish, a small tropical fish, to self-administer doses of hydrocodone, an opioid generally prescribed to folks for ache. After one-week, the fish had elevated their drug-seeking habits, even when doing so required them to place themselves in dangerous circumstances. Additional, 48-hours after the final publicity, conditioned fish confirmed indicators of hysteria, a trademark of withdrawal. Printed August 25 on-line within the journal  Behavioral Mind Analysis , this research affords a brand new method to discover the organic pathways behind dependancy and withdrawal that might result in new therapies to deal with depen...
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