Epigenetic Pattern Is Associated with Alcohol Use Disorder

Genetic contributions to alcoholism have long been recognized. Investigators aimed to identify possible epigenetic nonhereditable risks for alcohol use disorders.

Using a genome-wide assay of methylated DNA regions in 18 monozygotic twin pairs at age 24 who were discordant for alcohol use disorders, the researchers identified eight regions showing differential methylation. One site — located on a cytosine-guanine-dinucleotide island associated with a region of the PPM1G gene — showed the strongest association with alcohol use disorders. PPM1G reportedly modulates metabotropic glutamate receptors and may affect signaling from cortex to striatum. In a separate sample of 499 adolescents who used alcohol, this methylation pattern was strongly as…