A gene mutation for excessive alcohol drinking found

UK researchers have discovered a gene that regulates alcohol consumption and when faulty can cause excessive drinking. They have also identified the mechanism underlying this phenomenon. The study showed that normal mice show no interest in alcohol and drink little or no alcohol when offered a free choice between a bottle of water and a bottle of diluted alcohol. However, mice with a genetic mutation to the gene Gabrb1 overwhelmingly preferred drinking alcohol over water, choosing to consume almost 85% of their daily fluid as drinks containing alcohol. The consortium of researchers from five UK universities - UCL, Imperial College London, Newcastle University, Sussex University and University of Dundee - and the MRC Mammalian Genetics Unit (MGU) at Harwell, funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), Wellcome Trust and ERAB, publish their findings today in Nature. Professor Trevor Smart (UCL Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology), a senior author of the study said, "This has been a long-term project involving many groups. It is quite remarkable that a single mutation in a relatively rare GABA receptor gene can lead to such a profound change in alcohol consumption.