Alcohol Res Health. 2004;28(3):133-42.
Complex behaviors such as the initiation and use of alcohol result from an intricate interplay between genes and environment. Genes shape physiological and behavioral responses to alcohol that can influence the likelihood that a young person will begin using alcohol and that he or she will progress to problem drinking. Youthful alcohol use also can have an impact on unfolding developmental patterns, and for some, early use becomes the entry point for pathways that lead to problems with alcohol. This article first describes research on genes that may be involved in the development of alcohol problems and how genetic factors may contribute to adolescent alcohol use. It then examines how the changes that occur during adolescent development--in alcohol metabolism, in the brain, and in the endocrine and stress response systems--may affect how a young person experiences alcohol and the likelihood that he or she will develop alcohol use problems.
诸如饮酒行为的起始和饮酒习惯的养成等复杂行为，是基因与环境之间复杂相互作用的结果。基因塑造了对酒精的生理和行为反应，这可能影响年轻人开始饮酒以及发展为问题饮酒的可能性。青少年饮酒也会对正在形成的发育模式产生影响，对一些人来说，早期饮酒成为通向酒精问题路径的切入点。本文首先描述了可能与酒精问题发展有关的基因研究，以及遗传因素如何导致青少年饮酒。然后探讨青少年发育过程中发生的变化——酒精代谢、大脑、内分泌和应激反应系统中的变化——如何影响年轻人对酒精的体验以及其发展为酒精使用问题的可能性。
