Asian Teens, substance dependence and conduct disorder

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application proposes five years of support to investigate the relationship between substance dependence, conduct disorder and certain genetic polymorphisms among Asian American adolescents. There is little research characterizing conduct disordered Asian American adolescents. General population estimates and the applicant's preliminary data suggest conduct disordered Asian American adolescents are a high-risk population for comorbid substance use disorders. Asians also have high prevalence of alleles that are known to affect alcohol and nicotine metabolism. Therefore, conduct disordered Asian American adolescents likely represent a genetically informative population regarding adolescent substance use disorders. The applicant proposes to collect a sample of Asian American adolescents with conduct disorder (n=100), Asian adolescent controls (n=200), and first-degree relatives of conduct disordered probands (n=162). The aims include 1) examining the relationship between conduct disorder and substance use disorders among Asian American adolescents, 2) testing whether substance dependence and conduct disorder are familial in Asian American families, and 3) testing whether ALDH and CYP2A6 genotypes are associated with alcohol and nicotine dependence. The proposed training includes 1) completion of formal coursework and workshops dealing with twin studies, genetic association and linkage studies, 2) mentored analyses of data already collected (DA11015), focusing on within and between family genetic association studies of adolescent substance use disorders, 3) mentored analyses of national data bases examining risk factors for substance dependence among Asian Americans, and 4) attendance at national meetings.