|
WEDNESDAY, May 26 (HealthDayNews) -- A gene linked to alcohol dependency has been identified by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
They found laboratory mice with a deficiency in the CREB gene consumed excessive amounts of alcohol. The mice preferred ethanol to water and were highly anxious while doing maze tests.
Text Continues Below
The CREB gene produces a protein that regulates brain function during development and learning.
"This is the first direct evidence that a deficiency in the CREB gene is associated with anxiety and alcohol-drinking behaviors," Subhash Pandey, director of neuroscience alcoholism research at the UIC College of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.
Pandey suggested the mice with the CREB gene deficiency preferred ethanol to water because the ethanol reduced their anxiety, a situation often found in humans.
"Some 30 to 70 percent of alcoholics are reported to suffer from anxiety and depression. Drinking is a way for these individuals to self-medicate," Pandey said.
The study appears in the May 26 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about alcohol abuse (familydoctor.org ).
--Robert Preidt
|
.gif)
