How genetics can influenc...( Alcohol expectancies reflect what ...)

• Alcohol expectancies reflect what one has learned about the results of drinking.
• Individuals with the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) gene often have a strongly unpleasant response to alcohol.
• Researchers have found that ALDH2 gene status can affect alcohol response, which can affect alcohol expectancies, which can in turn influence risk.
• The ALDH2/alcohol expectancy relationship was stronger for males than females.

Alcohol expectancies reflect what one has learned about the results of drinking. Alcohol expectancies are considered a significant risk factor for problem drinking, even among adolescents. In a completely different area of alcohol research, the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) gene is considered a genetic factor that may reduce risk for consumption. Individuals with the ALDH2 gene often have a strongly unpleasant response to alcohol. A study in the November issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research integrates these two typically disparate fields of research to investigate if alcohol response is the mechanism by which ALDH2 gene status may affect alcohol expectancies.

"Researchers think of expectancies as a summary of people's learning history about alcohol," said Denis M. McCarthy, assistant project scientist in the department of psychology at the University of California, San Diego and lead author of the study.

"That is, the thoughts you have about the possible outcomes of drinking alcohol. Think of expectancies as an 'information database' people form about alcohol. Then other risk factors - such as personality or genetic factors - feed into this database and influence a person's decision to drink, how much to drink, and whether or when to stop drinking."

Expectancies, then, are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Since expectancies are largely considered learning variables, however, researchers have focused primarily on environmental facto
'"/>


14-Nov-2001