Pharmacogenetics: A Tool for Identifying Genetic Factors in Drug Dependence and Response to Treatment
NIDA
Pharmacogenetics research looks at variations in the human genome and ways in which genetic factors might influence how individuals respond to drugs. The authors review basic principles of pharmacogenetics and cite findings from several gene-phenotype studies to illustrate possible associations between genetic variants, drug-related behaviors, and risk for drug dependence. Some gene variants affect responses to one drug; others, to various drugs. Pharmacogenetics can inform medica- tion development and personalized treatment strategies; challenges lie along the pathway to its general use in clinical practice.
Substance dependence is a complex psychiatric disorder that develops in response to a combination of environmental and genetic risk factors and drug-induced effects (Ho et al., 2010). The strong genetic basis of depen- dence is supported by family, adoption, and twin studies, which demonstrate substantial heritability, estimated to be about 50 percent (Uhl et al., 2008). The evidence suggests that no single variant accounts for a major portion of this risk, but that variations in many genes each contribute a small amount.
