GAD1 Enzyme: Implicated in Alcoholism?

New research out of Taiwan suggests that glutamate decarboxylase (GAD)—an enzyme involved in the synthesis of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA—could play a role in the development of alcoholism. The genotypes of 140 Taiwanese males who met DSM-III-R criteria for alcohol dependence and 146 Taiwanese male control subjects were examined. Significant differences between alcoholics and controls were found in the distributions of 9 single-nucleotide polymorphisms at the GAD1 gene. The researchers found no significant, alcohol-associated polymorphisms at the GAD2 gene. This study, the first report implicating GAD1 in alcoholism, appeared in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00218.x

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