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Publication Abstract Display
Type: Published Manuscript
Title: Preliminary evidence of ethnic divergence in associations of putative genetic variants for methamphetamine dependence.
Authors: Bousman CA, Glatt SJ, Cherner M, Atkinson JH, Grant I, Tsuang MT, Everall IP, and the HNRC Group
Year: 2010
Publication: Psychiatry Research
Volume: 178 Issue: 2 Pages: 295-298
Abstract:Research into the biological processes that increase susceptibility to methamphetamine dependence has been conducted primarily in Asian populations. Using a case-control design this study`s purpose was to explore, among a population of methamphetamine-dependent Caucasians, six putative single nucleotide polymorphisms previously found to be associated with methamphetamine dependence in Asian populations. A total of 193 non-psychotic males (117 methamphetamine-dependent and 76 controls) were genotyped for variants located in six genes (AKT1, ARRB2, BDNF, COMT, GSTP1, OPRM1). Genotypic and allelic frequencies, odds ratios, and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. None of the putative gene associations was significantly replicated in our sample of Caucasian men. Effect size comparisons suggest a trend toward allelic divergence for arrestin beta 2 (ARRB2) and glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) and allelic convergence for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Results provide preliminary support for further exploration and validation of candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for methamphetamine (METH) dependence reported among Asian populations across other ethnic/ancestral groups.

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