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May 22, 2009

UCSF alcoholism research reported in The Wall Street Journal Health Blog

The discovery of a mutated gene in fruit flies that confers relative resistance to the intoxicating effects of alcohol is featured in the May 22 Health Blog in The Wall Street Journal. The UCSF study http://www.cell.com/abstract/S0092-8674(09)00319-5, led by neuroscientist Ulrike Heberlein, PhD, professor of anatomy, is significant because the more resistance one has to alcohol—ie., the longer it takes to get drunk—the more likely one is to become an alcoholic. The finding, as described in the WSJ Health Blog, could have implications for treating patients. The gene, which the team dubbed “happyhour,” is one out of many genes, plus environmental factors, that are believed likely to contribute to alcoholism.

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/05/22/scientists-discover-happyhour-gene/