Genetic Causes Of Alcoholism
Drinking is considered one of the major social problems in the present day world. People consume alcohol for a number of reasons like psychological, physiological, social and genetic. Various medical experts from all around the globe believe that alcoholism mainly develops from the combination of unified genetics and various other environmental factors. According to a medical research report, the chances of a person, having a close alcoholic relative, entering the alcoholism phase are more as compared to the person having a clean family background. Individuals having an alcoholic family history must exercise full caution in alcohol consumption because of their tendency towards addiction.
Different Chromosome Locations
Chromosomes, the packages of the genetic information are passed down from the parents to the children, contain thousands of genes. These genes mainly determine all the characteristics of a human being, from the color of eyes to the size of the hat. It is also evident that genes even contribute to determining the behavioral traits, like the tendency of developing an addiction towards alcohol. Some of the genes in the human body are presumed to contribute towards alcoholism.
For a number of years, researchers have hunted for the specific genes involved in the alcoholism and have tried their level best to understand the disease. While the definite genes have remained largely undefined, certain area on the chromosomes appear to play a major role in the alcoholism. According to a well known study, genes on chromosome 1 can incline certain people to alcoholism and possibly melancholy. Certain sections of other chromosomes may also wharf genes that play a major role in alcoholism. Different genes also interact with each other in a combined manner and set a stage for alcohol addiction.
Addiction and Neurotransmitter Systems
The tendency of addiction towards alcohol appears to be genetic in itself. People suffering from alcohol abuse have greater chances of becoming addicted to certain other substances and behaviors like gambling or smoking. According to the medical experts, about half chances of an individual being addicted towards alcohol, nicotine and other related drugs depend on the genetic influences. Liquor addiction can also be linked with the imbalances of the neurotransmitters (chemical signals passed between the neurons inside the brain). Neurotransmitter imbalances are also inherited from the parents. We have different types of neurotransmitters and one of these neurotransmitters is believed to be directly related to the addiction.
Event-Related Brain Potentials
Particular event-related brain potentials, or better known as ERPS, are the recordings of the brain activities which are mainly produced by the electrodes present on the scalp. People suffering from alcoholism and other psychiatric disorders are likely to have altered ERPs. One of the particular ERP alterations, popularly known as reduction of amplitude of the P3 component, occurs in the alcoholic people and their children. According to a medical study, the P3 amplitude of a person is strongly influenced by the genetic factors, mainly the sections of the DNA present on the 4 and 58 chromosomes.
So, this was all about genetic causes of alcoholism. You should go through the article carefully in order to know more about the genetic reasons of becoming addicted to alcohol.