Lack of association between SNPs in the NEUROD2 gene and alcohol dependence in a German patient sample

Results of a human post mortem study performed by our own group have suggested that the transcription factor NEUROD2, which plays a role in neuronal development, as well as in the development of anxiety and risk behavior in mice, might be a susceptibility factor for addictive disorders. Therefore the aim of the present study was to analyze a possible relation between genetic variants in the NEUROD2 gene and alcohol dependence in a sample of the Munich Gene Bank of Alcoholism (MGBA). We performed single SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) and haplotype studies in 430 alcohol-dependent patients and 365 healthy controls with four SNPs covering the gene region of NEUROD2. Neither single SNP nor haplotype analysis could detect significant associations with alcohol dependence. Additionally we could not detect any relation of the analyzed genetic variants to Cloninger's Type 1/2 or Babor's Type A/B classification, to the age of onset or to the amount of alcohol intake. Our results do not provide evidence for an involvement of NEUROD2 polymorphisms in the pathophysiology of alcohol dependence. Further association studies are needed to confirm our findings.