GABA Mechanisms Underlying the Vulnerability to Alcohol Dependence
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2012-04-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
This Project will explore the hypothesis that individuals with a family history positive for
alcohol dependence (without any current Axis I disorder, except nicotine dependence),
experience an alteration in the reward "valence" (balance of positive and negative effects)
of the GABAA receptor agonist barbiturate (thiopental) compared to family history negative
age-matched subjects. Further, variation in genes involved in brain GABA function may
influence the risk for alcoholism by altering a component of the discriminative stimulus
effects of ethanol.