TY - JOUR A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Treutlein, Jens A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Schumann, Gunter A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Interaction between CRHR1 gene and stressful life events predicts adolescent heavy alcohol use N2 - Background: Recent animal research suggests that alterations in the corticotropin releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) may lead to heavy alcohol use following repeated stress. The aim of this study was to examine interactions between two haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering the CRHR1 gene and adverse life events on heavy drinking in adolescents. Methods: Data were available from the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk, an ongoing cohort study of the long-term outcome of early risk factors followed since birth. At age 15 years, 280 participants (135 males, 145 females) completed a self-report questionnaire measuring alcohol use and were genotyped for two SNPs (rs242938, rs1876831) of CRHR1. Assessment of negative life events over the past three years was obtained by a standardized interview with the parents. Results: Adolescents homozygous for the C allele of rs1876831 drank higher maximum amounts of alcohol per occasion and had greater lifetime rates of heavy drinking in relation to negative life events than individuals carrying the T allele. No gene X environment interactions were found for regular drinking and between rs242938 and stressful life events. Conclusions: These findings provide first evidence in humans that the CRHR1 gene interacts with exposure to stressful life events to predict heavy alcohol use in adolescents. Y1 - 2007 UR - https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/30387 SN - 0006-3223 ER -