About this Research Topic
This Research Topic addresses alcoholism – or Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) – in humans and animals. We emphasize the discovery of genetic and environmental factors through genomic/epigenomic approaches.
Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) – or alcoholism in common language - affects over 200 millions of humans worldwide, and leads to severe health and societal problems. AUD is a complex trait impacted by both genetic and environmental factors. Recent findings based on genome analyses in human or animal models suggest that AUD is associated with single-nucleotide polymorphisms and insertion-deletions, which potentially affect transcription levels, alternative splicing, and allele specific expression. Since genetic inheritance only accounts for about 50% of AUD, environmental factors may reinforce or trigger alcohol drinking behavior via epigenetic alterations - involving DNA methylation mechanisms, the histone code, or microRNAs - regulating gene transcription. Since fermentation alcohol abundant produced in the nature, the drinking issue probably existed long before human over evolution. The abnormal genes involved in AUD if inheritable can be accumulated in genomic and epigenomic levels. Thus, AUD is likely to be a polygenic trait – meaning that many genes in multiple pathways may contribute to addictive drinking behaviors. Emerging candidate genes are identified in pathways known to forge neuroadaptation and neuroimmune functions, which can lead to alcohol drinking behavior. Understanding these mechanisms in animal models could aid in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of AUD.
This Research Topic aims at identifying the cause of alcoholism in genetic and environmental prospects and their interaction at the genomic and epigenomic levels in human and animal models. We welcome manuscripts addressing the following topics:
- identification of genetic causes and genes that involve in alcoholism
- genomic analyses of alcohol drinking behaviors including SNP, indels, alternative splicing, monoallele expression
- genetic and genomic analyses which address alcohol related preference, impulsivity, habituation, withdraw, and vulnerability, etc.
- address how environmental factors may, through epigenetics, contribute to alcoholism including stress, life style, peer influence, adverse childhood experience, etc.
- epigenomic analysis of development and progression of alcohol addiction
- genomics and epigenomics bases of onset, gender and ethnic difference on alcoholism
- cross generational epigenetic effect on alcoholism
- interactions of genetic and epigenetics at single gene and genomic levels
- diagnosis and prediction of alcoholism through genomic and epigenomic markers
We welcome the following article types: Original Research, Review, Hypothesis & Theory, Clinical Trial
Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) – or alcoholism in common language - affects over 200 millions of humans worldwide, and leads to severe health and societal problems. AUD is a complex trait impacted by both genetic and environmental factors. Recent findings based on genome analyses in human or animal models suggest that AUD is associated with single-nucleotide polymorphisms and insertion-deletions, which potentially affect transcription levels, alternative splicing, and allele specific expression. Since genetic inheritance only accounts for about 50% of AUD, environmental factors may reinforce or trigger alcohol drinking behavior via epigenetic alterations - involving DNA methylation mechanisms, the histone code, or microRNAs - regulating gene transcription. Since fermentation alcohol abundant produced in the nature, the drinking issue probably existed long before human over evolution. The abnormal genes involved in AUD if inheritable can be accumulated in genomic and epigenomic levels. Thus, AUD is likely to be a polygenic trait – meaning that many genes in multiple pathways may contribute to addictive drinking behaviors. Emerging candidate genes are identified in pathways known to forge neuroadaptation and neuroimmune functions, which can lead to alcohol drinking behavior. Understanding these mechanisms in animal models could aid in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of AUD.
This Research Topic aims at identifying the cause of alcoholism in genetic and environmental prospects and their interaction at the genomic and epigenomic levels in human and animal models. We welcome manuscripts addressing the following topics:
- identification of genetic causes and genes that involve in alcoholism
- genomic analyses of alcohol drinking behaviors including SNP, indels, alternative splicing, monoallele expression
- genetic and genomic analyses which address alcohol related preference, impulsivity, habituation, withdraw, and vulnerability, etc.
- address how environmental factors may, through epigenetics, contribute to alcoholism including stress, life style, peer influence, adverse childhood experience, etc.
- epigenomic analysis of development and progression of alcohol addiction
- genomics and epigenomics bases of onset, gender and ethnic difference on alcoholism
- cross generational epigenetic effect on alcoholism
- interactions of genetic and epigenetics at single gene and genomic levels
- diagnosis and prediction of alcoholism through genomic and epigenomic markers
We welcome the following article types: Original Research, Review, Hypothesis & Theory, Clinical Trial
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
