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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Scientists believe some people have a gene that hard-wires them for binge drinking by boosting levels of a happy brain chemical triggered by alcohol.
The gene - RASGRF-2 - is one of many already suggested to be linked with problem drinking, PNAS journal reports.
The King's College London team found animals lacking the gene had far less desire for alcohol than those with it.
Brain scans of 663 teenage boys showed those with a version of the gene had heightened dopamine responses in tests.
During a task designed to make them anticipate a reward, these 14-year-old boys had more activity in a part of the brain called the ventral striatum which is known to be involved in dopamine release.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20583113
The gene - RASGRF-2 - is one of many already suggested to be linked with problem drinking, PNAS journal reports.
The King's College London team found animals lacking the gene had far less desire for alcohol than those with it.
Brain scans of 663 teenage boys showed those with a version of the gene had heightened dopamine responses in tests.
During a task designed to make them anticipate a reward, these 14-year-old boys had more activity in a part of the brain called the ventral striatum which is known to be involved in dopamine release.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20583113