Summer 2004

Forget the Talking Frogs – This GABRA2’s For You

It’s happy hour for a team of IUSM researchers who have identified a gene strongly linked to a person’s risk of becoming an alcoholic.

The gene is called GABRA2 and is one of several genes that produce parts of the receptor for the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA, chemical messenger that carries information between nerve cells. When GABA binds to the GABA-receptors on a nerve cell, it inhibits the firing of that cell. GABA is known to be involved with some of the body’s responses to alcohol consumption, such as loss of physical coordination, effect on mood, and alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

“While there is no single gene that causes alcoholism, we have found that the statistical link between GABRA2 and the risk for alcoholism is powerful,” says Howard J. Edenberg, PhD, Chancellor’s Professor. Dr. Edenberg, director of the IU Center for Medical Genomics, was the lead researcher for the study, which was published in a recent issue of American Journal of Human Genetics.

As researchers identify genes and brain-signaling pathways associated with alcoholism – and learn how they vary from one person to another – opportunities should arise for the development of more precisely targeted drugs and for individualized methods to prevent and treat the disease.