Kohnke MD, Batra A, Kolb W, Kohnke AM, Lutz U, Schick S, Gaertner I. Alcohol Alcohol. 2005 Sep-Oct;40(5):339-42.

AIMS: It was investigated whether the allele A9 of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1; SLC6A3) is associated with alcoholism, delirium tremens (DT), alcohol withdrawal seizures (AWS), or the daily alcohol intake.

METHODS: A group of 102 healthy subjects and 216 alcoholics, including 97 patients with a history of mild withdrawal symptoms, 65 with a history of AWS and 83 with a history of DT were genotyped and personal data were achieved for statistical evaluation in a case-control design.

RESULTS: The frequency of individuals carrying the allele A9 [f(A9+)] was significantly higher (P = 0.01) in the group of alcoholics [f(A9+) = 0.48] compared with healthy controls [f(A9+) = 0.32]. There was no significant association of the allele A9 with severe withdrawal symptoms or the daily amount of alcohol consumed.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal that the allele A9 is strongly associated with alcoholism but not with withdrawal symptoms or daily alcohol intake.