American Indians have historically experienced numerous problems with alcohol since its introduction into their culture by European settlers. Although tribes differ with regard to the use of alcohol Native Americans, as a group, have the highest alcohol-related death rates of all ethnic groups in the United States. However, how and why alcoholism is more prevalent in some Native American communities remains unclear. The overall objective of this research plan is to enhance understanding of the biological risk and protective factors related to alcohol dependence and alcohol-related problems in reservation dwelling Indians indigenous to San Diego county (collectively called Mission Indians). The studies proposed in this application include cross-sectional studies in Mission Indian adults and adolescents, as well as longitudinal studies in Native American children and adolescents. This design allows for the investigation of specific genetic and environmental risk factors existing both prior to alcohol exposure and during the development of drinking patterns. The four aims of the study are: 1) To find identifiable neurobiological factors in Native American youth who progress from alcohol use to abuse, and to dependence. 2) To document whether exposure to high levels of alcohol in adolescence lead to specific and detrimental medical and psychological outcomes. 3)To investigate whether Mission Indians have a unique clinical course of alcoholism or a specific pattern of co-morbidity with other psychiatric disorders. 4) To determine why Native American Mission Indian adults are at such high risk for alcoholism through the identification of genetic and environmental variables. These studies have the potential to verify whether Native Americans have any specific biological/genetic, psychosocial or behavioral factors that may help to explain the high risk for alcoholism within the tribes evaluated. The identification of such variables may potentially be useful in the development of specific prevention and treatment programs for this population as well as other Native American tribes.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) Award (R37)
Project #
5R37AA010201-15
Application #
7869233
Study Section
Behavioral Genetics and Epidemiology Study Section (BGES)
Program Officer
Matochik, John A
Project Start
1994-09-26
Project End
2011-07-31
Budget Start
2010-07-01
Budget End
2011-07-31
Support Year
15
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$701,725
Indirect Cost
Name
Scripps Research Institute
Department
Type
DUNS #
781613492
City
La Jolla
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92037
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Melroy-Greif, Whitney E; Gizer, Ian R; Wilhelmsen, Kirk C et al. (2017) Genetic Influences on Evening Preference Overlap with Those for Bipolar Disorder in a Sample of Mexican Americans and American Indians. Twin Res Hum Genet 20:499-510
Criado, José R; Gilder, David A; Kalafut, Mary A et al. (2016) Cardiovascular disease risks in adult Native and Mexican Americans with a history of alcohol use disorders: association with cardiovascular autonomic control. Clin Auton Res 26:87-95
Ehlers, C L; Gizer, I R; Bizon, C et al. (2016) Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the REG-CTNNA2 region of chromosome 2 and NEIL3 associated with impulsivity in a Native American sample. Genes Brain Behav 15:568-77
Otto, Jacqueline M; Gizer, Ian R; Bizon, Chris et al. (2016) Polygenic risk scores for cigarettes smoked per day do not generalize to a Native American population. Drug Alcohol Depend 167:95-102

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