Controlled study links pain-related genes to alcoholism

Researchers at Purdue University and Indiana University have identified a group of genes related to neural plasticity as well as physical and mental pain as an important driver of alcoholism.

“Numerous genes in the genome have been implicated with alcoholism. Everybody has their favorite gene, but absolute data and proof is hard to come by,” said Purdue University’s William Muir, professor emeritus of animal sciences. “We have strong statistical evidence that the same results occurred across six diversely selected genetic lines.”

The findings stem from special lineages of rats bred specifically for their drinking preferences at IU’s Indiana Alcohol Research Center. Studies of twins reared apart have long hinted that alcoholism, which affects an estimated 15 million Americans, includes a genetic component.

Muir and three co-authors from the Indiana University School of Medicine published the results in the journal Alcohol. The study involved statistically sorting through about 3 billion DNA base pairs containing nearly 30,000 genes, in 70 individual animals within six genetic lines bidirectionally selected over multiple generations for drinking preference to identify the handful that were responsible for drinking behaviors.

Thanks to their experimental design, the researchers could identify population differences based on drinking behaviors rather than chance genetic differences or other environmental influences. The genes that mediate pain sensation act in concert with two other groups of neural channel and neural excitation genes which perform neural communication functions, the team found.

“The function of these three groups of genes is important for neuroadaptation and neuroplasticity, meaning that they can change brain communications,” said co-author Feng Zhou, professor emeritus of anatomy and cell biology at IU’s School of Medicine.

The study’s findings all pointed to the same conclusion: The drinking desire lies in the brain.

“The brain must be modified over the drinking period. That kind of modification is similar to drug abuse,” Zhou said. “It’s genetically prone neural plasticity or neural adaptation to a certain level that makes drinking more pleasurable, more tolerable. Or on the pain side, pain relief.”

The alleviation of pain appears to be one motivation to drink and continue to drink, Muir noted. “Knowing that as a driver, it’s possible that early counseling can produce drinking avoidance,” he said. “It is hoped that the new findings one day lead to the possibility of genetic testing for tendency and prevention.”

If the genetic causes are known, developing more effective drugs to help address drinking problems might also become possible.

“One future direction is how these animal findings would translate to humans,” Zhou said. If verified, “Then treatment or prevention can be more focused.”

The National Institutes of Health supported this research. Additional study co-authors are Chiao-Ling Lo and Richard Bell, both of the IU School of Medicine.

Featured Stories

Two researchers seated at a conference table smile at the camera while holding nuts and trail mix.

Purdue researchers identify infrastructure and communication challenges as barriers to food safety in the low-moisture food industry

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Low-moisture foods such as dried fruits, seeds, tree nuts and wheat...

The exterior of Stewart Center, located on Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus.

Moving at the speed of technology: Purdue to host the 2025 Pest Management Conference

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s Center for Urban and Industrial Pest...

A silhouette of a man’s face in front of a computer screen displaying a UV map with green, yellow and red lines.

Purdue’s Institute for Digital and Advanced Agricultural Systems to cultivate innovation at upcoming panel and networking event

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s Institute for Digital and Advanced...

Close up photo of soybean plant leaf, stem, and flower bunch

Advancements in genomic research reveal alternative transcription initiation sites in thousands of soybean genes

In 2010, Jianxin Ma, a professor of agronomy, and his collaborators built the first reference...

2024 BPP Research Showcase

Held on November 13 at the Beck Agricultural Center, the 2024 Research Showcase highlights...

2018 master's alumnus Daniel Bird sits at a computer; the cover art Bird created for the special Indigenous Wildlife Management in North America issue of The Journal of Wildlife Management

Master's Alum Daniel Bird Contributes to Indigenous Wildlife Management Journal Issue

Daniel Bird, who was raised on the Santo Domingo-Kewa Pueblo Reservation in New Mexico and is an...