Mutation of the COMT gene puts people at higher risk for alcoholism and drug addiction if they had a stressful life at a younger age.

‘People with a mutated gene are at a heightened vulnerability to the effects of stress at a younger age, leading to consumption of alcohol and drugs.’
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The research by William R. Lovallo from the University of Oklahoma's College of Medicine focused on a small mutation of COMT. Read More..





People with this mutation of the COMT gene are more vulnerable to the effects of stress in their early lives.
That heightened vulnerability often leads to consumption of alcohol and drugs younger than age 15, which is one of the biggest independent predictors of addiction, said the study published in the journal, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
"Early-life adversity doesn't make everyone an alcoholic," Lovallo said.
"The study showed that people with this genetic mutation are going to have a higher risk for addiction when they had a stressful life growing up."
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"This one random mutation makes a difference in how the COMT gene works fine in one person but not as well in another person," Lovallo said.
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"There is no such thing as a gene for addiction, but there are genes that respond to our environment in ways that put us at risk. You have to have the right combination to develop the risk factors," he emphasized.
Source-IANS