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Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2006;296:1458.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 141 words of the full text and any section headings.

Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse have completed the most comprehensive scan of the human genome for clues to the genetics of alcoholism and turned up variations clustered around 51 chromosomal regions that may play roles in alcohol addiction (Johnson C et al. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. doi:10.1002/ajmg.b.30346 [published online ahead of print August 7, 2006]).

By creating a new genetic tool that allowed them to generate the equivalent of more than 29 million individual genotypes and to analyze more than 100 000 genetic variations from alcohol-dependent and control individuals, the scientists identified candidate genes involved in such activities as cellular signaling, gene regulation, and development. Most of these genes have been previously identified in other addiction research, providing support to the idea that genetic variants are involved in vulnerability to substance abuse.