TWIN STUDY OF VULNERABILITY TO ALCOHOLISM

哈佛大学双胞胎研究，使用从越南时代双胞胎收集的数据 (VET)注册表显示，酗酒的脆弱性是 很大程度上受基因影响。下一步是确定 调节这种遗传影响的生物和心理因素 并对它们的机制进行了表征(S)。此应用程序是我们的 以前的申请。虽然我们提出的高风险设计 最初的申请可以提供大量的信息，我们有 结论是，完全双胞胎设计，使用来自双胞胎对的两个成员， 将产生相当多的信息。采用一种传统的 双胞胎设计消除了我们早先发现的一些问题 求婚。我们相信，我们修改后的申请增加了 漏洞指示器和完整的孪生设计极大地扩展了 在不大幅增加成本的情况下扩大了项目的范围。我们现在就会 能够解决遗传和环境决定因素 漏洞，并将包括几个新的和非常有趣的领域。 我们将从1356对双胞胎中随机挑选400对 在我们之前的研究中接受采访的人在 战争。在我们的样本中，酗酒和依赖的流行率很高 足以使用随机样本提供良好的功率。参与者将是 使用假定的脆弱性指标进行评估，这些指标选自 以下领域：a)神经心理功能；b) 心理生理功能；c)精神病理学；d)个性 和行为。数据将从200 MZ和200 DZ双胞胎对中收集。 双胞胎将被运送到圣路易斯波士顿的参赛地点；或 戴维斯，加州，将以全面的人格，心理， 心理生理学和神经心理学规程。的具体目标 拟议的研究是：1)确定哪个推定的 易损性指标与酒精滥用有关 个人；2)确定已查明的脆弱性程度 指标受遗传因素、环境经验的影响 双胞胎共有的，以及非共有的环境经历；3)确定 确定的脆弱性指标和酗酒的程度 相关是因为遗传和/或环境因素影响 两者兼而有之；4)区分酗酒和酗酒的后果 脆弱性；以及5)复制和验证关于以下定义的调查结果 酒精中毒，可能会确定酒精滥用的亚类 主要由于遗传影响和亚型，主要是由于 环境影响(与校内研究人员合作) Nida)。

The Harvard Twin Study, using data collected from the Vietnam Era Twin (VET) Registry, demonstrated that vulnerability to alcohol abuse is significantly genetically influenced. The next step is to identify biological and psychological factors that mediate this genetic influence and characterize their mechanism(s). This application is a revision of our previous application. Although the high-risk design proposed in our original application could provide a great deal of information, we have concluded that a full twin design, using both members from twin pairs, will yield considerably more information. The adoption of a traditional twin design has eliminated a number of problems identified in our earlier proposal. We believe that our revised application with additional vulnerability indicators and a full twin design dramatically expands the scope of the project without dramatically expanding the cost. We will now be able to address the genetic and environmental determinants of vulnerability and will include several new and highly interesting domains. We will randomly select 400 twin pairs from among 1356 twin pairs interviewed in our previous study who did not serve in Vietnam during the war. The prevalence of alcohol abuse and dependence in our sample is high enough to provide good power using a random sample. Participants will be evaluated using putative vulnerability indicators, selected from the following domains: a) neuropsychological functioning; b) psychophysiological functioning; c) psychopathology; and d) personality and behavior. Data will be gathered from 200 MZ and 200 DZ twin pairs. Twins will be transported to participating sites at Boston, St. Louis; or Davis, CA to be evaluated with a full personality, psychological, psychophysiological, and neuropsychological protocol. The specific aims of the proposed study are: 1) to determine which of the putative vulnerability indicators are associated with alcohol abuse within individuals; 2) to determine the extent to which identified vulnerability indicators are influenced by genetic factors, environmental experiences shared by twins, and non-shared environmental experiences; 3) to determine the extent to which identified vulnerability indicators and alcohol abuse correlate because of genetic and/or environmental factors that influence both; 4) to distinguish alcohol abuse consequences from alcohol abuse vulnerability; and 5) to replicate and validate findings on definitions of alcoholism that may identify subtypes of alcohol abuse that are due primarily to genetic influences and subtypes that are due primarily to environmental influences (in conjunction with intramural researchers at NIDA).