Co-Occurring Risk Factors for Alcohol Dependence and Habitual Smoking

RICHARD A. GRUCZA, PH.D., M.P.E., is an assistant professor and LAURA J. BIERUT, M.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri. Habitual smoking and alcohol dependence frequently co-occur, and the genetic factors that influence both conditions appear to overlap. The Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) has investigated genetic factors that contribute to both alcohol dependence and habitual smoking. Using a sample of families densely affected with alcohol dependence, COGA investigators have identified regions of the genome likely to contain genes that specifically contribute to alcohol dependence and habitual smoking, as well as regions likely to contain genes that contribute to the development of both conditions. Further genetic analyses (i.e., candidate gene studies) have helped identify specific genes that may contribute to the development of alcohol dependence and habitual smoking. These analyses have implicated several genes that encode parts of receptors for the neurotransmitter gamma­ aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the development of alcohol or nicotine dependence, respectively. Other studies have identified additional candidate genes for alcohol or nicotine dependence. The results to date suggest that both common and drug-specific genetic influences play a role in the development of alcohol and nicotine dependence.