Berman S M, Noble E P
Alcohol Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles 90024-1759, USA.
Behav Genet. 1995 Jan;25(1):45-58. doi: 10.1007/BF02197241.
Previous studies suggest a reduced dopaminergic function in subjects with the A1 (minor) allele of the D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) gene. To explore influences on visuospatial ability as a function of the DRD2 gene, 182 alcohol- and other drug-naive sons (age 10-14) of active alcoholic, recovered alcoholic, and nonalcoholic fathers were administered a visuospatial task (Benton's Judgment of Line Orientation Test) which makes minimal motoric/verbal demands. Visuospatial scores were lower for boys with the A1 allele and for sons of active alcoholics. A1-allele boys made more errors than A2 boys on all 11 of the template lines, with the effect being largest for the rightmost presentations. In contrast, the effect of family history for alcoholism was strongest on both right and left midquadrant presentations. Moreover, separate analyses of the two types of errors produced allele but not family history of alcoholism effects when the two lines were misjudged as farther apart than they actually were and family history but not allele effects where the two lines were misjudged as closer together. These results suggest that polymorphism of the DRD2 gene and family history of alcoholism are dissociable determinants of visuospatial ability and that visuospatial defects previously observed in alcoholics may, in part, be antecedent to their drinking behavior.
先前的研究表明，携带D2多巴胺受体（DRD2）基因A1（次要）等位基因的受试者多巴胺能功能降低。为了探究DRD2基因对视觉空间能力的影响，对182名年龄在10至14岁、未饮酒及未使用其他药物的男孩进行了视觉空间任务测试（本顿直线方向判断测试），这些男孩的父亲分别为现酗酒者、已戒酒者和非酗酒者，该测试对运动/语言能力要求极低。携带A1等位基因的男孩以及现酗酒者的儿子的视觉空间得分较低。在所有11条模板线上，携带A1等位基因的男孩比携带A2等位基因的男孩犯错更多，最右侧呈现的效果最为明显。相比之下，酗酒家族史对左右中象限呈现的影响最为强烈。此外，对两种错误类型进行单独分析时，当两条线被误判为比实际距离更远时，产生的是等位基因效应而非酗酒家族史效应；当两条线被误判为比实际距离更近时，产生的是酗酒家族史效应而非等位基因效应。这些结果表明，DRD2基因多态性和酗酒家族史是视觉空间能力的可分离决定因素，先前在酗酒者中观察到的视觉空间缺陷可能部分先于他们的饮酒行为。
