Studies Examine Genetic Risk Factors That Influence Alcohol Use Disorder In Adolescents

The New York Times (10/21, Klass) reports on the work of University of Pittsburgh postdoctoral scholar Frances Wang to understand the role of genetics in adolescents’ risk for developing alcohol use disorders and other “conduct problems, like aggression and antisocial behavior, which can be predecessors of alcohol problems.” Dr. Wang helped to author “a study published in 2018 in the journal Development and Psychopathology, which looks at a particular biological attribute – the functioning of serotonin, a neurotransmitter – determined by a combination of genetic factors.” Dr. Wang said that “for most people it’s the interaction between already having that genetic risk and an environment that increases genetic risk or makes genetic risk come out.” In another study, Dr. Wang and her colleagues “found that the serotonin function may be related to a tendency to become impulsive in the face of negative emotion, a trait called negative urgency.”

Related Links:

— “When Teen Drinking Becomes a Disorder, “Perri Klass, M.D., The New York Times, October 21, 2019

Posted in In The News.