The clinical, personality, and genetic correlates of binge drinking: A controlled association study from India

Background and Objectives: Reasonable amount of literature has been accumulated over the years to indicate that the binge drinkers might be different from the group which does not have any history of binging. Only a handful of research demonstrated genetic predisposition for binging. Materials and Methods: This was a clinic-based association study with a case–control design. Two hundred and ten alcohol dependence cases were recruited. Binge drinking was diagnosed using Semi-structured Assessment for Genetics of Alcoholism-II-. Structured instruments were used for the assessment of impulsivity, and novelty seeking traits. single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping was done using Taqmann assay by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) using Taqman assay (ABI 7500) fast real-time PCR system. Results: Comparison of clinical characteristics revealed an earlier age of onset of alcohol use and dependence, significantly more number of accidental injuries, emotional problems, and history of delirium tremens among the binge drinking group. The mean score in the extravagance subscale, overall novelty seeking scale, subscales of nonplanning, and attentional impulsiveness were significantly more among the binge drinkers. With regard to the candidate gene polymorphism (rs25531), short (S) allele of serotonin transporter was observed to be associated with the binge drinking group. Conclusion: Association of impulsiveness and novelty seeking is a new and important finding, indicating the role of personality traits to increase the vulnerability toward binge drinking. The association with the S allele, although is a replication of previous results, is nevertheless important as our study is from a different ethnic population