A Candidate Gene Approach Identifies the CHRNA5-A3-B4 Region as a Risk Factor for Age-Dependent Nicotine Addiction

2008

Genetic Factors in Nicotine Addiction Linked to Early Smoking

Sample size: 2827 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Robert B. Weiss, Timothy B. Baker, Dale S. Cannon, Andrew von Niederhausern, Diane M. Dunn, Nori Matsunami, Nanda A. Singh, Lisa Baird, Hilary Coon, William M. McMahon, Megan E. Piper, Michael C. Fiore, Mary Beth Scholand, John E. Connett, Richard E. Kanner, Scott W. Rogers, John R. Hoidal, Mark F. Leppert

Primary Institution: University of Utah School of Medicine

Hypothesis

Do genetic variants in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors influence nicotine dependence severity more in smokers who start at a young age?

Conclusion

The study found that specific genetic haplotypes are associated with increased nicotine dependence severity in individuals who began smoking daily before age 16.

Supporting Evidence

Common haplotypes at the CHRNA5-A3-B4 locus were linked to nicotine dependence severity.
Smokers who began daily smoking at or before age 16 showed stronger genetic associations.
Significant differences in haplotype frequencies were observed based on age of smoking onset.

Takeaway

If you start smoking when you're young, your genes can make it harder to stop later on. This study shows that some people are more likely to get addicted based on their DNA.

Methodology

The study used a candidate-gene approach to analyze genetic variants in three cohorts of long-term smokers and assessed nicotine dependence using the Fagerstrom Test.