STUDY TITLE: Genome-wide Association Study of a Quantitative Disordered Gambling Trait
SUMMARY: Discovery of 6 genetic variants associated with the development of gambling disorders.
OVERVIEW: When most people think of gambling, they typically think of casinos or lottery tickets. But, gambling comes in many more forms. Even activities such as playing bingo can be considered forms of gambling. While gambling is common, gambling disorders can affect an individual’s life and well-being. Signs of gambling disorders include needing to bet increasing amounts of money to feel excited, being unable to quit, and jeopardizing work or relationships because of gambling. Overall, the heritability of gambling disorders may be well over 50%. To identify genetic variants associated with gambling disorders, this study analyzed genetic data of over 1300 Caucasian individuals. The researchers found 6 variants across 4 unique regions of the genome. One of the discovered variants was in the MT1X gene, which has previously been linked to alcohol and opioid addiction.
DID YOU KNOW? A 2004 study found that individuals living within 10 miles of a casino had a rate of gambling disorders nearly double the rate of individuals living further away. [SOURCE]
SAMPLE RESULTS: Learn more about the Nebula Research Library.
DISORDERED GAMBLING-ASSOCIATED VARIANTS: rs8064100, rs12237653, rs11060738, rs10812227, rs9383153, rs12305135
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
What is a gambling disorder?
The chemistry of addiction (Video)
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:
Alcohol consumption (Jorgenson, 2017)
Risky behavior (Linner, 2019)
Opioid use (Polimanti, 2020)
WEEKLY UPDATE: July 21, 2020
