A gene which produces an enzyme that appears to be involved in the craving for and sensitivity to alcohol in mice, has been identified by Researchers at the University of San Francisco. Results of the study will appear in Nature Neuroscience
next month. Dr Clyde Hodge and colleagues genetically engineered mice that were lacking a particular gene. These mice were 75 per cent less likely to consume alcohol than normal mice because the enzyme increases the mice's sensitivity to alcohol, thus decreasing the animals' craving for alcohol. The discovery could lead to the development of drugs that would inhibit the enzyme, providing a potential treatment for alcoholism.