TWIN STUDY OF VULNERABILITY TO ALCOHOLISM

哈佛双胞胎研究，使用从越南时代双胞胎收集的数据 (VET)登记，表明酗酒的脆弱性是 受基因影响很大。下一步是识别 调节这种遗传影响的生物和心理因素 并描述其机制。此应用程序是我们的 以前的应用。虽然我们的高风险设计方案 申请书正本可提供大量资料，我们 得出结论，一个完整的双胞胎设计，使用双胞胎对的两个成员， 会提供更多的信息采用传统的 双胞胎设计消除了我们早期发现的一些问题， 提议我们认为，我们的修订申请， 脆弱性指标和一个完整的双胞胎设计大大扩大了 在不大幅增加成本的情况下扩大项目范围。我们现在将 能够解决遗传和环境的决定因素， 脆弱性，并将包括几个新的和非常有趣的领域。 我们将从1356对双胞胎中随机抽取400对双胞胎 在我们之前的研究中采访的人没有在越南服役， 战争在我们的样本中，酒精滥用和依赖的流行率很高 足以使用随机样本提供良好的功率。参与者将被 使用假定的脆弱性指标进行评估， 以下领域：a）神经心理功能; B） 心理生理功能; c）精神病理学;和d）人格 和行为。数据将从200 MZ和200 DZ双胞胎中收集。 双胞胎将被运送到圣路易斯波士顿的参与研究中心;或 戴维斯，加利福尼亚州进行评估与一个完整的个性，心理， 心理生理学和神经心理学协议。的具体目标 建议的研究是：1）确定哪些假定的 脆弱性指标与酗酒有关， （2）确定已识别的脆弱性的程度 指标受遗传因素、环境经验 共享的双胞胎，和非共享的环境经验; 3）确定 查明的脆弱性指标和酗酒的程度 由于遗传和/或环境因素影响， （4）区分酒精滥用的后果 5）复制和验证关于脆弱性定义的调查结果， 酒精中毒，可以识别酒精滥用的亚型， 主要是遗传影响和亚型，主要是由于 环境影响（与校内研究人员一起， 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).