Influence of the OPRM1 A118G polymorphism on alcohol-induced euphoria, risk for alcoholism and the clinical efficacy of naltrexone.

Elaine Setiawan, Robert O Pihl, Chawki Benkelfat, Marco Leyton

Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Pharmacogenomics 2012 Jul

filter terms:

Alcohol-use disorders are thought to be heterogeneous in etiology, pathophysiology and response to treatment. One hypothesized contributor to this variability is the common A118G polymorphism of the µ-opioid receptor gene, OPRM1. This article critically evaluates the evidence that the A118G substitution affects subjective, behavioral and neurobiological responses to alcohol and the opioid receptor antagonist, naltrexone. Although screening of patients in a clinical setting remains premature, results suggest the A118G substitution may influence one etiological pathway to alcoholism, for which naltrexone pharmacotherapy is more effective.

Citation

Elaine Setiawan, Robert O Pihl, Chawki Benkelfat, Marco Leyton. Influence of the OPRM1 A118G polymorphism on alcohol-induced euphoria, risk for alcoholism and the clinical efficacy of naltrexone. Pharmacogenomics. 2012 Jul;13(10):1161-72