Genetic pre-determinants of concurrent alcohol and opioid dependence: A critical review

Abstract

Concurrent alcohol dependence poses a significant burden to health and wellbeing of people with established opioid dependence. Although previous research indicates that both genetic and environmental risk factors contribute to the development of drug or alcohol dependence, the role of genetic determinants in development of concurrent alcohol and opioid dependence has not been scrutinised.To search for genetic pre-determinants of concurrent alcohol and opioid dependence, electronic literature searches were completed using MEDLINE (PubMed) and EBSCO (Academic Search Complete) databases. Reference lists of included studies were also searched. In this discussion paper, we provide an overview of the genes (n=33) which are associated with the opioid, serotonergic, dopaminergic, GABA-ergic, cannabinoid, and metabolic systems for each dependency (i.e., alcohol or opioid) separately.The current evidence base is inconclusive regarding an exclusively genetic pre-determinant of concurrent alcohol and opioid dependence. Further search strategies and original research are needed to determine the genetic basis for concurrent alcohol and opioid dependency.

Addressing a Training Gap through Addiction Research Education for Medical Students: Letter to the Editor

“…Their work led to 3 conference presentations and 4 academic papers in peer-reviewed journals (2 currently under review). [15][16][17][18][19][20][21] Teaching literature reviews to medical students was a rewarding learning experience. We learned that students vary in their capability and expectations, which can lead to different work processes and outputs.…”

“…As one of the students commented about the webinars, “They were clear and pointed us in the right direction with regards to the lit reviews.” Their work led to 3 conference presentations and 4 academic papers in peer-reviewed journals (2 currently under review). 15-21…”