The Association Between DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA Polymorphism and Impulsivity in Patients With Opioid Dependence Disorder

Background: Substance abuse is a multifactorial disorder. Scientists have found that an individual's inherited traits or temperament contributes to the disorder by shaping a personality strongly linked with the risk of substance abuse. DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA polymorphism is believed to be associated with impulsive behaviors that lead to substance abuse. Methods: We assessed 80 opioid dependent patients using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) and the Urgency-lack of Perseverance-lack of premeditation-Sensation seeking (UPPS) Impulsive Behavior Scale. We extracted DNA from the subjects' whole blood and genotyped it for DRD2 allelic variants. Results: Genotype analysis showed that 33.8% of the subjects had TaqIA polymorphism versus 66.3% had normal genotype. The mean value of Urgency subscale of the UPPS in patients with normal genotype is (35.8 +/- 9.0) versus (40 +/- 8.4) in patients with polymorphism. Conclusions: Patients with TaqIA polymorphism shows statistically significant higher levels of urgency on UPPS than patients with wild genotype.