Neurogenetics of alcohol use disorder a subset of reward deficiency syndrome: candidate genes to be or not to be?

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a complex condition or conditions and there is no single cause of its development, which often varies dramatically over time and in different circumstances and even cultures, but genetic research helps us recognize that there is an important DNA component shaping individual risk. Utilizing both techniques, genome-wide association studies and candidate gene investigations, should help researchers and practitioners more effectively gage individual risk for AUD and problem-drinking. Over time, they could also help us develop targeted treatments—treatments tailored for individuals and for specific genetic risk factors they may have as we proposed herein with GARS testing coupled to precision prodopamine regulation. AUDs are likely to be complicated by cooccurring conditions, life experiences, trauma, early drinking, and associations with other traits. We must keep in mind that based on a plethora of solid scientific data, a neurochemical commonality exists between alcoholism and opioid dependence. Opioid use disorder appears to be linked to multiple traits, including psychiatric conditions, neuroticism, depression, and substance use. Genetic studies of substance use disorders and psychiatric illnesses are advancing rapidly and may have heuristic value especially in terms of early identification of one’s risk for all reward deficiency syndrome behaviors. In these troubled times with both viral and opioid pandemics, we need to move from bench to bedside by gearing up for development of genetic testing to identify risk as well as DNA-guided therapeutics.