The tachykinin receptor 3 gene has been linked to alcohol and cocaine dependence

• The search for genes associated with alcohol dependence (AD) has recently been extended to the tachykinin receptor 3 gene (TACR3), located within a broad region on chromosome 4q.
• Researchers have found that seven of the nine single nucleotide polymorphisms – DNA sequence variations – in the 3’ region of TACR3 have a significant association with AD as well as cocaine dependence.

Previous family-based research had linked a broad region on chromosome 4q with alcohol dependence (AD). A new study has found that nine of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) – DNA sequence variations – in the 3’ region of the tachykinin receptor 3 gene (TACR3), located within chromosome 4q, have a significant association with AD, particularly those with more severe AD, and co-existing cocaine dependence. … Continue Reading »

A person with dilated cardiomyopathy has an enlarged and stretched heart cavity, usually too weak to pump normally; most people will go on to develop heart failure. While clinicians know that up to 36 percent of all cases of dilated cardiomyopathy may be due to excessive drinking, it has been difficult to differentiate between alcohol-induced heart failure and heart failure due to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. A first-of-its-kind study has found a way to both diagnose alcohol-induced heart failure and possibly reverse it through therapeutic interventions.

Results are published in the May issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. … Continue Reading »

Researchers have long believed that abnormal function in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) region of the brain contributes to the impulsive behavior and lack of control over drinking that characterize alcohol dependence, but how this occurred was unknown. This study used rodents to examine the effects of alcohol on three specific ion channels that control the activity of PFC neurons, finding that N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors are especially sensitive to alcohol disruption. … Continue Reading »