New Clues on Alcoholism in Families
New Clues on Alcoholism in Families
April 24, 2006 -- Researchers have identified several traits that may increase the risk of alcoholismfor people who have a family history of alcoholism.
The finding comes from a study of 175 young adults without alcoholism. Half of the participants had a family history of alcoholism.
Participants took memory, personality, and gambling tests. Among the findings:
If confirmed, those patterns may help predict and treat at-risk people, note William Lovallo, PhD, and colleagues in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Lovallo directs the Behavioral Sciences Laboratory at Oklahoma City's Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The study doesn't paint a picture of all people with a family history of alcoholism.
Past studies have shown that people with a family history of alcoholism, especially men, are more likely to develop alcoholism than the general public, note Lovallo and colleagues. But not everyone with alcoholic relatives develops alcoholism.
Lovallo's team searched for traits that might make a difference in alcoholism risk.
"Having the ability to decipher the brain characteristics of people who we think are at risk for alcoholism allows us to begin to talk about the process, about brain mechanisms, and how an inherited risk may be expressed through a person's behavior," Lovallo says in a news release.
"If you come from a family with alcoholism, and you also tend to like to take risks, break rules, etc., which are all part of behavioral disinhibition, you should be aware that you're manifesting some high-risk characteristics," he continues, adding that "parents and teachers may also want to be aware of these characteristics."
Participants were about 23 years old, on average. They answered questions about their parents' and grandparents' drinking habits.
The researchers checked those reports with most of the participants' parents. A total of 87 participants had a family history of alcoholism in which either or both parents had alcohol problems.
The finding comes from a study of 175 young adults without alcoholism. Half of the participants had a family history of alcoholism.
Participants took memory, personality, and gambling tests. Among the findings:
- Memory scores were lower in less-inhibited people with a family history of alcoholism.
- Risky behavior on the gambling test was more common among men with a family history of alcoholism, compared with those not from alcoholic families.
If confirmed, those patterns may help predict and treat at-risk people, note William Lovallo, PhD, and colleagues in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Lovallo directs the Behavioral Sciences Laboratory at Oklahoma City's Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Higher Risk
The study doesn't paint a picture of all people with a family history of alcoholism.
Past studies have shown that people with a family history of alcoholism, especially men, are more likely to develop alcoholism than the general public, note Lovallo and colleagues. But not everyone with alcoholic relatives develops alcoholism.
Lovallo's team searched for traits that might make a difference in alcoholism risk.
"Having the ability to decipher the brain characteristics of people who we think are at risk for alcoholism allows us to begin to talk about the process, about brain mechanisms, and how an inherited risk may be expressed through a person's behavior," Lovallo says in a news release.
"If you come from a family with alcoholism, and you also tend to like to take risks, break rules, etc., which are all part of behavioral disinhibition, you should be aware that you're manifesting some high-risk characteristics," he continues, adding that "parents and teachers may also want to be aware of these characteristics."
Alcoholism in the Family
Participants were about 23 years old, on average. They answered questions about their parents' and grandparents' drinking habits.
The researchers checked those reports with most of the participants' parents. A total of 87 participants had a family history of alcoholism in which either or both parents had alcohol problems.