Abstract
BackgroundDopaminergic and opioid systems are involved in mediating drug reward and reinforcement of various types of substances including psychoactive compounds. Genes of both systems have been candidate for investigation for associations with substance use disorder (SUD) in various populations. This study is the first study to determine the allele frequency and the genetic association of the DRD2 rs1076560 SNP and OPRM1 rs1799971 SNP variants in clinically diagnosed patients with SUD from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).MethodsA cross-sectional case–control cohort that consisted of 512 male subjects was studied. Two hundred and fifty patients with SUD receiving treatment at the UAE National Rehabilitation Center were compared to 262 controls with no prior history of mental health and SUD. DNA from each subject was extracted and genotyped using the TaqMan® SNP genotyping assay.ResultsThere were no significant associations observed for DRD2 rs1076560 SNP, OPRM1 rs1799971 SNP, and combined genotypes of both SNPs in the SUD group.ConclusionFurther research is required with refinements to the criteria of the clinical phenotypes. Genetic studies have to be expanded to include other variants of the gene, the interaction with other genes, and possible epigenetic relationships.
Highlights
Dopaminergic and opioid systems are involved in mediating drug reward and reinforcement of various types of substances including psychoactive compounds
The χ2 allelic association between the DRD2 rs1076560 single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and substance use was not significant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) population that was studied [p = 0.52, odds ratio (OR) = 0.88]. The results of this UAE study were compared with published data that included association studies between the DRD2 rs1076560 SNP and the use of different substances in a number of different populations (e.g., Caucasians, African Americans, Asians, and Jordanian Arabs) (Table 1)
Clark et al [9] studied a relatively large population of European Americans (EA) and AA (999 EA cases versus 656 EA controls and 278 AA cases versus 750 AA controls) and showed that the DRD2 rs1076560 SNP was significantly associated with opioid use in both
Summary
Dopaminergic and opioid systems are involved in mediating drug reward and reinforcement of various types of substances including psychoactive compounds. Genes of both systems have been candidate for investigation for associations with substance use disorder (SUD) in various populations. The dopaminergic and opioid systems are part of a network involved in rewarding response following the consumption of opioids and other psychoactive substances [1, 2]. The dopamine system has been central to theories in reward of substance use disorder (SUD) that has been debated for several decades [3]. The mechanisms of dopamine receptor signal transduction and regulation are mediated via G protein signalling, and involve G protein independent signalling events [6]
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