Genetics – Page 4

Influence of Parental Alcohol Dependence Symptoms and Parenting on Adolescent Risky Drinking and Conduct Problems: A Family Systems Perspective

Posted on June 19, 2023 (June 28, 2023) by Ricki Arvesen

This study examined how parental alcohol dependence symptoms and parenting behaviors can influence teenagers’ risky drinking and conduct problems using a family-based approach. By understanding the impact of both parents’ alcohol problems and their parenting styles, we can gain insights into the factors that contribute to adolescent risk behaviors and behavior problems. The study showed […]

Examining Associations Between Genetic and Neural Risk for Externalizing Behaviors in Adolescence and Early Adulthood

Posted on May 24, 2023 (May 24, 2023) by Ricki Arvesen

Researchers have identified genetic and neural risk factors for externalizing behaviors. The current study sought to determine how these polygenic risk for externalizing behavior (EXT PRS) and P3 amplitude related to externalizing behavior and to determine if genetic risk is conferred in part through neural risk markers. We found that while both the EXT PRS […]

Positive Parenting, Brain Development, and Teen Alcohol Use

Posted on March 22, 2023 by Ricki Arvesen

A recent COGA prospective study led by Dr. Gayathri Pandey and colleagues, was covered in Psychology Today by Dr. Dona Matthews. The study investigated whether parents’ closeness to their children aged 12 to 17 had an impact on the teens’ binge drinking behavior. They found that young people at risk of alcohol abuse were less likely to be […]

High Polygenic Risk Scores Are Associated With Age of Onset of Alcohol Use Disorder in Adolescents and Young Adults at Risk

Posted on January 25, 2023 (January 25, 2023) by Ricki Arvesen

A polygenic risk score is a measure of a person’s genetic vulnerability for a particular disorder. In this study we have used the polygenic risk score for alcohol use disorder, in combination with other characteristics such as sex and family history of alcohol problems, to see whether that might help identify young people who may […]

Sensation Seeking and Social Support Partially Mediate Polygenic Influences on Adult Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms

Posted on January 19, 2023 (January 19, 2023) by Ricki Arvesen

Genetic predispositions play an important role in the development of alcohol use disorders (AUD). Understanding the psychosocial mechanisms through which genetic risk unfolds to influence AUD is critical for identifying modifiable targets and developing prevention and intervention efforts. In this study, we examined the role of sensation seeking and social support from family and friends […]

The Role of Adolescent Social Relationships in Promoting Alcohol Resistance: Interrupting the Intergenerational Transmission of Alcohol Misuse

Posted on January 10, 2023 (January 10, 2023) by Ricki Arvesen

Genes play an important role in whether someone develops alcohol use disorder or engages in other risky alcohol behaviors, but not all individuals who are at-risk due to genetic factors go on to misuse alcohol. Yet, little is known about what the “active ingredients” are for promoting resistance to alcohol misuse. In this study, we […]

The Role of Parental Genotype in the Intergenerational Transmission of Externalizing Behavior: Evidence for Genetic Nurturance

Posted on December 20, 2022 by Ricki Arvesen

In this analysis, we examined the pathways by which genetic risk associated with externalizing is transmitted in families. We used phenotypic and genetic data from parents and offspring to test the genetic and environmental pathways contributing to adolescent externalizing behavior. Genetic liability for externalizing problems was operationalized in the form of polygenic scores. In addition […]

Genetic Nurture Effects for Alcohol Use Disorder

Posted on December 20, 2022 by Ricki Arvesen

Genetic factors play an important role in the intergenerational transmission of alcohol use disorder. Typically, when we think about how genetic risk is passed from generation to generation, we think about the genotypes that children inherit from their parents. Yet, this represents only one potential way that genetic risk may be transmitted in families. This […]

Parsing Genetically Influenced Risk Pathways: Genetic Loci Impact Problematic Alcohol Use Via Externalizing and Specific Risk

Posted on December 13, 2022 (December 14, 2022) by Ricki Arvesen

In this analysis, we parsed the genetic variance of problematic alcohol use (ALCP) into that which is shared with other externalizing traits and that which is not. The genetic correlations for the ALCP-specific variance differ for correlations with ALCP that includes variance which overlaps with externalizing. The ALCP-specific variance is primarily associated with alcohol […]

Alcohol Reverses the Effects of KCNJ6 (GIRK2) Noncoding Variants on Excitability of Human Glutamatergic Neurons

Posted on November 30, 2022 (November 30, 2022) by Ricki Arvesen

People diagnosed with alcohol use disorder have been studied to identify genes linked with their diagnosis as well as other measurements such as EEG/behavioral tests.  Previous work has linked these EEG measurements with variations in and near KCNJ6, a gene encoding a potassium channel protein.  To study this, we prepared induced pluripotent stem cells using […]