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No association between (AAT)n repeats in the cannabinoid receptor gene (CNR1) and heroin abuse in a Chinese population

Molecular Psychiatry volume 5, pages 128–130 (2000)Cite this article

SIR – Previously, Comings et al1 hypothesised that the central cannabinoid receptors gene CNR1 might influence susceptibility to IV drug use or alcoholism. They analysed a nine-allele triplet repeat in the CNR1 gene and found an allelic association with the number of different drugs used intravenously. We have attempted to replicate this finding in a sample of 375 heroin addicts from South West China, who were classified as either intravenous/intramuscular injectors or nasal inhalers of opiates.

There is strong evidence from genetic epidemiology that drug abuse and dependency have their origins in both genetic and environmental risk factors.2 This applies to a wide range of chemically unrelated drugs, including cocaine, alcohol, cannabis, and heroin. Users are often dependent on more than one category of drug, and there is evidence for shared genetic vulnerability to cannabis, sedatives, stimulants, psychedelics and heroin. In addition there are likely to be genetic factors which are unique to each class of drug, especially opiates.3 The heritability of substance abuse also varies with exposure to drugs; with an increasing proportion of the population exposed, heritability increases as individual genetic susceptibility to addiction is expressed.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the China Natural Sciences Foundation (TL, XL), and to Elisabeth Dawson for providing information on the CNR1 triplet repeat prior to publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK

    T Li, J Zhao, X Hu, D M Ball, P C Sham & D A Collier

  2. Department of Psychiatry, West China University of Medical Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, PR China

    T Li, X Liu & Z-H Zhu

  3. Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, The Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK

    J Zhao, D M Ball, P C Sham & D A Collier

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  1. T Li
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  2. X Liu
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  3. Z-H Zhu
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  4. J Zhao
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  5. X Hu
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  6. D M Ball
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  7. P C Sham
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  8. D A Collier
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Correspondence to D A Collier.

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Li, T., Liu, X., Zhu, ZH. et al. No association between (AAT)n repeats in the cannabinoid receptor gene (CNR1) and heroin abuse in a Chinese population. Mol Psychiatry 5, 128–130 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4000670

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