Genetic comorbidity for disordered eating, alcohol use, and personality

描述（由申请人提供）：饮食失调的特征是饮食态度和行为，可能导致更多危及生命的疾病的发展，如饮食失调。通常被称为饮食病理学，饮食特征紊乱和饮食失调是遗传和环境因素共同作用的结果。 虽然饮食病理学通常与饮酒和特定的人格特征共同发生，但对这种关系的遗传和环境贡献的理解尚未得到仔细研究。一个特定的候选基因可能在某些人格特征的个体差异中发挥作用，以及对酒精使用障碍和饮食病理的脆弱性，是血清素转运蛋白基因（SLC6A4）。初步结果是有希望的，表明该基因的多态性和饮食病理学之间的关联，但这些发现需要独立的复制。此外，SLC6A4的多态性被假设可以解释饮食病理学，酒精使用和个性之间的关系，但没有研究直接评估这一假设。利用现有数据，本研究将进行二次分析，以1）调查饮食失调，饮酒和个性之间的遗传和环境关系，2）利用密集的多态性图谱来检查饮食失调与SLC6A4多个多态性的关联，3）分析SLC6A4多态性解释饮食失调，饮酒，和某些性格特征这些分析将纳入参加科罗拉多反社会药物依赖中心的青少年和年轻成年女性双胞胎及其女性非双胞胎兄弟姐妹。最初，生物统计模型拟合将用于评估遗传和环境对这些特征的影响，在单变量和多变量水平。此外，将使用最先进的统计软件包，以便对候选基因进行适当分析，特别是在考虑多种表型时。具体来说，这项研究将着眼于SLC6A4的多个多态性与饮食失调之间的关联。在某种程度上，这些多相性与饮食失调有关，他们将被检查，同时也考虑到饮酒和人格特征。识别生物标记物（即，饮食失调和相关行为的基因）不仅会为现有的关于什么导致这些行为之间的关系的知识增加重要的信息，而且还可能揭示药物治疗在改善这些症状中的作用。早期识别可能具有相似风险因素的多种行为特征之间的关系的重要性可能会潜在地防止更有害行为的出现。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Disordered eating characteristics are eating attitudes and behaviors that may lead to the development of more life-threatening illnesses, such as eating disorders. Often referred to as eating pathology, disordered eating characteristics and eating disorders result from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Although eating pathology commonly co-occurs with alcohol use and particular personality traits, understanding genetic and environmental contributions to this relationship has not been closely examined. One specific candidate gene that may play a role in individual differences in certain personality traits, as well as vulnerability to alcohol use disorder and eating pathology, is the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4). Initial results are promising, suggesting associations between polymorphisms in this gene and eating pathology, but independent replications of these findings are needed. Moreover, polymorphisms in SLC6A4 have been hypothesized to explain relationships among eating pathology, alcohol use, and personality, yet no study has directly assessed this hypothesis. Using existing data, this study will conduct secondary analyses to 1) investigate genetic and environmental relationships among disordered eating, alcohol use, and personality, 2) utilize a dense polymorphism map to examine associations of disordered eating with multiple polymorphisms in SLC6A4, and 3) analyze the extent to which polymorphisms in SLC6A4 explain relationships among disordered eating, alcohol use, and certain personality traits. Adolescent and young adult female twins and their female non-twin siblings participating in the Colorado Center for Antisocial Drug Dependence will be included in these analyses. Initially, biometrical model fitting will be used to assess genetic and environmental influences on these characteristics at both the univariate and multivariate levels. In addition, state-of-the-art statistical packages will be used that allow for appropriate analyses of candidate genes, especially when taking into account multiple phenotypes. Specifically, this study will look at associations between multiple polymorphisms in SLC6A4 with disordered eating. To the extent that these polymoprhisms are related to disordered eating, they will be examined while also taking into account alcohol use and personality traits. Identifying biological markers (i.e., genes) of disordered eating and related behaviors will not only add significant information to existing knowledge about what contributes to relationships among these behaviors, but may also shed light on the role pharmacological treatments may have in modifying these symptoms. The importance of identifying relationships among multiple behavioral characteristics that may share similar risk factors early on could potentially prevent the emergence of more harmful behaviors.