Association of NPY Receptor 2 Polymorphism with Alcohol Dependence

Einleitung: Alcohol dependence (AD) contributes substantially to the global burden of disease. It's etiology involves both environmental and genetic factors with an estimated heritability of around 50%. Several lines of evidence suggest that the neuropeptide Y system plays a role in ethanol consumption: NPY knock-out mice consumed more alcohol than the wild-type, and NPY infusion reduced ethanol intake in rats. A recent study reported that activation/inhibition of the NPF system reduced/strengthened ethanol preference in drosophila. NPF receptors in drosophila are homologs of human NPY receptors. Following this…