This study found that the desire for new and exciting experiences (sensation seeking) is linked to how much alcohol people consume, both in adults and teenagers. The connection between sensation seeking and alcohol use disorder (AUD) seems to be mainly due to increased alcohol consumption rather than directly causing more problems. The researchers used advanced genetic analyses to show that there are shared genetic factors influencing sensation seeking, alcohol consumption, and AUD. These shared factors involve genes related to specific parts of the brain, such as the midbrain and striatum, as well as genetic regions associated with changes in the size of the brain’s surface. The study also revealed that the genetic factors linked to alcohol consumption play a role in the connection between sensation seeking and AUD. Overall, the research helps us understand the genetic and neurobiological aspects that contribute to the relationship between sensation seeking, alcohol consumption, and AUD.
***Miller AP, Gizer IR (2024) Neurogenetic and multi-omic sources of overlap among sensation seeking, alcohol consumption, and alcohol use disorder. Addiction Biology, 29(2), e13365. PMID: 38380706; DOI: 10.1111/adb.13365.
