Tryptophan hydroxylase polymorphism is associated with age of onset of alcoholism related behaviors

Chung, In-Won; Kim, Heon; Sribney, William; Hong, Joo-Bong; Lee, Chul-Ho; Lee, Kyu-Young; Nan, Hong-Mei; Kim, Yong-Sik; Manowitz, Paul

doi:10.1016/j.alcohol.2005.06.004

Next »Alcohol
Volume 36, Issue 1 , Pages 1-3, May 2005

Tryptophan hydroxylase polymorphism is associated with age of onset of alcoholism related behaviors

In-Won Chung
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Dongguk University International Hospital, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +82-31-961-7231; fax: +82-31-961-7089.
Heon Kim
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
William Sribney
- Behavioral and Research Training Institute, University Behavioral Healthcare, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
Joo-Bong Hong
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
Chul-Ho Lee
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
Kyu-Young Lee
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Hong-Mei Nan
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
Yong-Sik Kim
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Paul Manowitz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Tel.: +1-732-235-4347; fax: +1-732-235-4430.

Received 30 March 2005; received in revised form 28 May 2005; accepted 7 June 2005.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the association of a tryptophan hydroxylase gene polymorphism (TPH1 A218C) with the age of alcoholism onset in a Korean population. The genotype and allele frequencies of TPH1 were investigated in 182 male hospitalized patients who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for alcohol dependence. Alcoholics with the TPH1 AA or AC genotypes had an earlier age of disease onset (median age of onset, 26.5 years) than those with the CC genotype (median age of onset, 30 years; p=.002). Age of onset has been used in classifying alcoholics. The TPH1 polymorphism may explain, in part, the biological basis for these typologies.