Psychoneuroendocrinology
Volume 34, Issue 7 , Pages 968-971 , August 2009

Polymorphism of the long polyglutamine tract in the human androgen receptor influences craving of men in alcohol withdrawal

  • Bernd Lenz

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6-10, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +49 9131 8536362; fax: +49 9131 8534105.
  • ,
  • Claudia Jacob

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6-10, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
  • ,
  • Helge Frieling

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6-10, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
  • ,
  • Andrea Jacobi

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6-10, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
  • ,
  • Thomas Hillemacher

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6-10, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
    • Department of Psychiatry, Socialpsychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School Hannover, Germany
  • ,
  • Marc Muschler

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6-10, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
    • Department of Psychiatry, Socialpsychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School Hannover, Germany
  • ,
  • Kathryn Watson

      Affiliations

    • University College London Hospital Trust, United Kingdom
  • ,
  • Johannes Kornhuber

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6-10, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
  • ,
  • Stefan Bleich

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6-10, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
    • Department of Psychiatry, Socialpsychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School Hannover, Germany

Received 17 September 2008 ,Revised 19 January 2009 ,Accepted 19 January 2009.

References 

  1. American Psychiatric Association. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC: Author; 1994;
  2. Anton RF. Obsessive-compulsive aspects of craving: development of the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale. Addiction. 2000;95(Suppl. 2):S211–217
  3. Anton RF, Moak DH, Latham PK. The obsessive compulsive drinking scale: a new method of assessing outcome in alcoholism treatment studies. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry. 1996;53:225–231
  4. Beyenburg S, Watzka M, Clusmann H, Blumcke I, Bidlingmaier F, Elger CE, et al. Androgen receptor mRNA expression in the human hippocampus. Neurosci. Lett. 2000;294:25–28
  5. Bleich S, Carl M, Bayerlein K, Reulbach U, Biermann T, Hillemacher T, et al. Evidence of increased homocysteine levels in alcoholism: the Franconian alcoholism research studies (FARS). Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. 2005;29:334–336
  6. Bleich S, Bönsch D, Rauh J, Bayerlein K, Fiszer R, Frieling H, et al. Association of the long allele of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism with compulsive craving in alcohol dependence. Alcohol. Alcohol. 2007;42:509–512
  7. Bönsch D, Reulbach U, Bayerlein K, Hillemacher T, Kornhuber J, Bleich S. Elevated alpha synuclein mRNA levels are associated with craving in patients with alcoholism. Biol. Psychiatry. 2004;56:984–986
  8. Bönsch D, Lederer T, Reulbach U, Hothorn T, Kornhuber J, Bleich S. Joint analysis of the NACP-REP1 marker within the alpha synuclein gene concludes association with alcohol dependence. Hum. Mol. Genet. 2005;14:967–971
  9. Bottlender M, Soyka M. Impact of craving on alcohol relapse during, and 12 months following, outpatient treatment. Alcohol. Alcohol. 2004;39:357–361
  10. Castilla-García A, Santolaria-Fernández FJ, González-Reimers CE, Batista-López N, González-García C, Jorge-Hernández JA, et al. Alcohol-induced hypogonadism: reversal after ethanol withdrawal. Drug Alcohol. Depend. 1987;20:255–260
  11. Chamberlain NL, Driver ED, Miesfeld RL. The length and location of CAG trinucleotide repeats in the androgen receptor N-terminal domain affect transactivation function. Nucleic Acids Res. 1994;22:3181–3186
  12. Fronsdal K, Engedal N, Slagsvold T, Saatcioglu F. CREB binding protein is a coactivator for the androgen receptor and mediates cross-talk with AP-1. J. Biol. Chem. 1998;273:31853–31859
  13. Härkönen K, Huhtaniemi I, Mäkinen J, Hübler D, Irjala K, Koskenvuo M, et al. The polymorphic androgen receptor gene CAG repeat, pituitary-testicular function and andropausal symptoms in ageing men. Int. J. Androl. 2003;26:187–194
  14. Hillemacher T, Bayerlein K, Wilhelm J, Reulbach U, Frieling H, Bönsch D, et al. Alteration of prolactin serum levels during alcohol withdrawal correlates with craving in female patients. Addict. Biol. 2005;10:337–343
  15. Irvine RA, Ma H, Yu MC, Ross RK, Stallcup MR, Coetzee GA. Inhibition of p160-mediated coactivation with increasing androgen receptor polyglutamine length. Hum. Mol. Genet. 2000;9:267–274
  16. Kritzer MF. Selective colocalization of immunoreactivity for intracellular gonadal hormone receptors and tyrosine hydroxylase in the ventral tegmental area, substantia nigra, and retrorubral fields in the rat. J. Comp. Neurol. 1997;379:247–260
  17. La Spada AR, Wilson EM, Lubahn DB, Harding AE, Fischbeck KH. Androgen receptor gene mutations in X-linked spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy. Nature. 1991;352:77–79
  18. Meyer RE, Dolinsky ZS. Ethanol beverage anticipation: effects on plasma testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels—a pilot study. J. Stud. Alcohol. 1990;51:350–355
  19. Packard MG, Cornell AH, Alexander GM. Rewarding affective properties of intra-nucleus accumbens injections of testosterone. Behav. Neurosci. 1997;111:219–224
  20. Seidman SN, Araujo AB, Roose SP, McKinlay JB. Testosterone level, androgen receptor polymorphism, and depressive symptoms in middle-aged men. Biol. Psychiatry. 2001;50:371–376
  21. Su QR, Su LY, Su HR, Chen Q, Ren GY, Yin Y, et al. Polymorphisms of androgen receptor gene in childhood and adolescent males with first-onset major depressive disorder and association with related symptomatology. Int. J. Neurosci. 2007;117:903–917
  22. Tut TG, Ghadessy FJ, Trifiro MA, Pinsky L, Yong EL. Long polyglutamine tracts in the androgen receptor are associated with reduced trans-activation, impaired sperm production, and male infertility. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 1997;82:3777–3782
  23. Westberg L, Baghaei F, Rosmond R, Hellstrand M, Landen M, Jansson M, et al. Polymorphisms of the androgen receptor gene and the estrogen receptor beta gene are associated with androgen levels in women. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 2001;86:2562–2568

PII: S0306-4530(09)00027-4

doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.01.009

Psychoneuroendocrinology
Volume 34, Issue 7 , Pages 968-971 , August 2009