Genetic Aspects of Substance Use Disorders

Silva, Daniel da Silva e; Moreira, Fabrício de Araújo

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-62855-0_6

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This might sustain alcohol intake through negative reinforcement mechanisms, potentially linking the two disorders [13, 14, 7]. Furthermore, shared genetic factors have been identified among SUDs, suggesting a complex interplay of common and specific biological pathways that influence vulnerability [15]. However, a comprehensive understanding of the common and distinct genetic mechanisms underlying AUD and OUD is lacking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divergent gene expression patterns in alcohol and opioid use disorders lead to consistent alterations in functional networks within the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

MacDonald,

Fonseca,

Johnson

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) manifest as persistent drug-seeking behavior despite adverse consequences, with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) representing prevalent forms associated with significant mortality rates and economic burdens. The co-occurrence of AUD and OUD is common, necessitating a deeper comprehension of their intricate interactions. While the causal link between these disorders remains elusive, shared genetic factors are hypothesized. Leveraging public datasets, we employed genomic and transcriptomic analyses to explore conserved and distinct molecular pathways within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex associated with AUD and OUD. Our findings unveil modest transcriptomic overlap at the gene level between the two disorders but substantial convergence on shared biological pathways. Notably, these pathways predominantly involve inflammatory processes, synaptic plasticity, and key intracellular signaling regulators. Integration of transcriptomic data with the latest genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for problematic alcohol use (PAU) and OUD not only corroborated our transcriptomic findings but also confirmed the limited shared heritability between the disorders. Overall, our study indicates that while alcohol and opioids induce diverse transcriptional alterations at the gene level, they converge on select biological pathways, offering promising avenues for novel therapeutic targets aimed at addressing both disorders simultaneously.

show abstract