Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Servicio de Psiquiatría, and Centro de Investigación en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid
Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Servicio de Psiquiatría, Madrid
Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid
Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Servicio de Psiquiatría, and Centro de Investigación en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
Correspondence: Janet Hoenicka, Servicio de Psiquiatría, Hospital 12 de Octubre, AV Andalucía SN, Madrid 28041, Spain. Email: jhoenicka{at}gmail.com
* These authors contributed equally to the work.
Background
The TaqI-A polymorphism of the ANKK1 gene, adjacent to the DRD2 gene, has been associated with alcoholism and other psychiatric conditions, although other DRD2 gene variants, such as the C957T polymorphism, could be related to these phenotypic traits.
Aims
To investigate the contribution of the TaqI-A and the C957T polymorphisms to the presence of psychopathic traits in patients with alcoholism.
Method
We performed association and interaction analyses of the polymorphisms in 150 controls and 176 male alcohol-dependent patients assessed for the presence of dissocial personal disorder, using the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL–R).
Results
There was a significant association of the TaqI-A and C957T polymorphisms when both genotypes were present, with PCL–R scores of F1-171=0.13 (P=0.01) and a frequency of dissocial personal disorder OR=10.52, P<0.001.
Conclusions
The TaqI-A of the ANKK1 gene and the C957T of the DRD2 gene are epistatically associated with psychopathic traits in alcohol-dependent patients.
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