The TTTAn aromatase (CYP19A1) polymorphism is associated with compulsive craving of male patients during alcohol withdrawal

• Published in: Psychoneuroendocrinology 2011-09, Vol.36 (8), p.1261-1264
• Main Authors: Lenz, Bernd, Heberlein, Annemarie, Bayerlein, Kristina, Frieling, Helge, Kornhuber, Johannes, Bleich, Stefan, Hillemacher, Thomas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Addiction; Alcohol; Alcoholism - blood; Alcoholism - complications; Alcoholism - genetics; Alcoholism - rehabilitation; Aromatase; Aromatase - genetics; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Compulsive Behavior - blood; Compulsive Behavior - complications; Compulsive Behavior - epidemiology; Compulsive Behavior - genetics; Craving; CYP19A1; Dependence; Endocrinology & Metabolism; Feeding and Eating Disorders - blood; Feeding and Eating Disorders - complications; Feeding and Eating Disorders - epidemiology; Feeding and Eating Disorders - genetics; Feeding Behavior - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Frequency; Genotype; Hormones and behavior; Humans; Leptin; Leptin - blood; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Admission - statistics & numerical data; Polymorphism, Genetic - physiology; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid - genetics; Sex Factors; Sex hormones; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - blood; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - complications; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - genetics; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - psychology
• ISSN: 0306-4530; 1873-3360
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.02.010

Summary Alcoholism is associated with alterations of the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonadal hormone axis. We recently reported a leptin-mediated relation between the CAGn polymorphism of the androgen receptor and craving during alcohol withdrawal. This study investigated whether the TTTAn polymorphism of the aromatase (CYP19A1) is equally linked to craving. An association between TTTAn and compulsive craving ( p = 0.029) was revealed in our sample of 118 male alcohol addicts at day of hospital admission. Genotype-dependent subgroups showed differences in that the patients with short alleles suffered from lower compulsive craving during withdrawal than those with the longer alleles ( p = 0.027). The additional inclusion of leptin revealed no further significant association in the present study. Our finding is a further step on the way to elucidate the genesis of craving for alcohol with its extensive underlying interactions of different genetic and non-genetic factors. Future investigations should enrol women and consider sex hormone levels for further clarification of the observed TTTAn-craving relationship.