Shen Guanghui, Wang Wei, Wu Yuyu, Luo Xinguang, Wang Kexin, Chen Yu-Hsin, Kang Yimin, Liu Yanlong, Wang Fan, Chen Li
Wenzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Wenzhou, 325006, China.
School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China.
BMC Psychiatry. 2025 Feb 3;25(1):93. doi: 10.1186/s12888-025-06529-5.
Alcohol dependence (AD) confers susceptibility to distressing withdrawal symptoms that often lead to relapse. While neuroadaptation during withdrawal influences symptoms, the genetic factors behind it have not been thoroughly investigated. We utilized propensity score matching and investigated connections between AD, OXT rs6133010, and withdrawal symptoms to address confounding variables. By elucidating the OXT rs6133010-AD interaction, we aim to gain insights into alcohol withdrawal variability and contribute to personalized treatment approaches.
A cross-sectional study design was employed involving a total of 389 AD patients and 184 healthy controls who were genotyped for the OXT rs6133010 polymorphism. Psychiatric symptoms were evaluated using standardized scales during early withdrawal. Propensity score matching mitigated age and education differences.
A two-way ANOVA demonstrated a significant AD x OXT rs6133010 interaction effect on hostility and anxiety. Further analysis revealed that the regulatory impact of OXT rs6133010 was exclusively in AD patients. Specifically, AD patients with the AA homozygote showed robust protection against hostility and anxiety. Path analysis unveiled the underlying mechanism of OXT symptom regulation.
This study presents novel evidence that OXT rs6133010 specifically modulates psychiatric symptoms in AD. The G allele may heighten hostility and anxiety vulnerability during alcohol withdrawal. These findings emphasize considering environmental factors when studying and utilizing oxytocin therapeutically. Additionally, OXT may not directly act as an anxiolytic but instead regulates anxiety by modulating hostility.
酒精依赖（AD）使人易出现令人痛苦的戒断症状，这些症状常常导致复发。虽然戒断期间的神经适应会影响症状，但其背后的遗传因素尚未得到充分研究。我们利用倾向得分匹配法，研究了AD、OXT rs6133010与戒断症状之间的联系，以解决混杂变量问题。通过阐明OXT rs6133010与AD的相互作用，我们旨在深入了解酒精戒断的变异性，并为个性化治疗方法做出贡献。
采用横断面研究设计，共纳入389例AD患者和184名健康对照，对其进行OXT rs6133010多态性基因分型。在早期戒断期间，使用标准化量表评估精神症状。倾向得分匹配法减轻了年龄和教育程度的差异。
双向方差分析显示，AD与OXT rs6133010在敌意和焦虑方面存在显著的交互作用。进一步分析表明，OXT rs6133010的调节作用仅存在于AD患者中。具体而言，AA纯合子的AD患者对敌意和焦虑具有强大的保护作用。路径分析揭示了OXT症状调节的潜在机制。
本研究提供了新的证据，表明OXT rs6133010特异性调节AD患者的精神症状。G等位基因可能会增加酒精戒断期间敌意和焦虑的易感性。这些发现强调了在研究和治疗性使用催产素时考虑环境因素的重要性。此外，OXT可能不会直接作为抗焦虑药物起作用，而是通过调节敌意来调节焦虑。
