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Association study of cannabinoid receptor gene (CNR1) alleles and drug dependence

Molecular Psychiatry volume 6, pages 501–502 (2001)Cite this article

SIR – The endogenous cannabinoid system is thought to be an important neuromodulator in motivation, reward and motor control systems.1 Observations using animal models suggest that modulation of endogenous central cannabinoid signaling in mesolimbic pathways may be one component of the addiction process, particularly via interaction with opioid and dopaminergic systems.2,3,4 Loss of central cannabinoid signaling in CB1 knockout mice reduces the addictive properties of opiates.5 Based on a case-control study of the cannabinoid receptor gene (CNR1, 6q14–15), in which they observed an increased frequency of long (AAT)n repeats in a group of drug-dependent non-Hispanic Caucasians from Southern California, Comings et al6 hypothesized that changes in the level of expression of the central cannabinoid receptor (CB1) may contribute to drug but not alcohol dependence. We report here an attempt to replicate those findings in a case-control study of 399 European-American (EA) and 130 African-American (AA) subjects recruited in southern New England. No significant differences in the frequencies of CNR1 (AAT)n repeats were observed in either population for drug- or alcohol-dependent subjects compared with controls. Significant differences in allele frequencies were observed between EA and AA control groups.

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Acknowledgements

The study was supported by NIH Grants M01-RR06192 (General Clinical Research Center at UCHC), P50-AA03510, R01-AA11330, K02-AA00239 (HRK), and K02-MH01387 (JG).

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  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Conneticut School of Medicine, Farmington, 06030, CT, USA

    J Covault & H Kranzler

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    J Gelernter

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  1. J Covault
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  3. H Kranzler
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Correspondence to J Covault.

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Covault, J., Gelernter, J. & Kranzler, H. Association study of cannabinoid receptor gene (CNR1) alleles and drug dependence. Mol Psychiatry 6, 501–502 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4000925

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4000925

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