Positive association between −1021TT genotype of dopamine beta hydroxylase gene and progressive behavior of injection heroin users

By balancing the ratios of dopamine and norepinephrine, dopamine beta hydroxylase (DBH) plays an important role in brain reward circuit that is involved with behavioral effects of heroin addiction. DBH −1021C/T (rs1611115) is a functional variant with strong correlation with plasma DBH activity and several nerval and psychic disorders. In the present study, we have collected 333 male cases with heroin addiction and 200 male healthy controls to explore the role of −1021C/T in heroin addiction. There is no evidence of association between −1021C/T and heroin addiction on both genotype and allele levels (P > 0.05). In the injection subgroup of cases, −1021TT carriers have longer heroin addiction time (P < 0.001) and higher dosage of self-administered heroin (P = 0.045) than carriers with −1021CC or −1021CT, suggesting that patients with TT genotype are likely to have more progressive style of heroin users with injection route. In conclusion, our results support −1021TT genotype may be implicated with a more progressive nature of heroin addiction, although DBH −1021C/T is unlikely to be involved in the risk of heroin addiction.