CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 621Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorGenetic Associations and EpidemiologyGambling Behavior and Treatments

Reward deficiency syndrome: genetic aspects of behavioral disorders

Comings, David E., Blum, Kenneth·2000·Progress in Brain Research
DOI 10.1016/s0079-6123(00)26022-6
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

The dopaminergic and opioidergic reward pathways of the brain are critical for survival since they provide the pleasure drives for eating, love and reproduction; these are called 'natural rewards' and involve the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens and frontal lobes. However, the same release of dopamine and production of sensations of pleasure can be produced by 'unnatural rewards' such as alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, nicotine, marijuana, and other drugs, and by compulsive activities such as gambling, eating, and sex, and by risk taking behaviors. Since only a minority of individuals become addicted to these compounds or behaviors, it is reasonable to ask what factors distinguish those who do become addicted from those who do not. It has usually been assumed that these behaviors are entirely voluntary and that environmental factors play the major role; however, since all of these behaviors have a significant genetic component, the presence of one or more variant genes presumably act as risk factors for these behaviors. Since the primary neurotransmitter of the reward pathway is dopamine, genes for dopamine synthesis, degradation, receptors, and transporters are reasonable candidates. However, serotonin, norepinephrine, GABA, opioid, and cannabinoid neurons all modify dopamine metabolism and dopamine neurons. We have proposed that defects in various combinations of the genes for these neurotransmitters result in a Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) and that such individuals are at risk for abuse of the unnatural rewards. Because of its importance, the gene for the [figure: see text] dopamine D2 receptor was a major candidate gene. Studies in the past decade have shown that in various subject groups the Taq I A1 allele of the DRD2 gene is associated with alcoholism, drug abuse, smoking, obesity, compulsive gambling, and several personality traits. A range of other dopamine, opioid, cannabinoid, norepinephrine, and related genes have since been added to the list. Like other behavioral disorders, these are polygenically inherited and each gene accounts for only a small per cent of the variance. Techniques such as the Multivariate Analysis of Associations, which simultaneously examine the contribution of multiple genes, hold promise for understanding the genetic make up of polygenic disorders.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/s0079-6123(00)26022-6

Cites

152 of 152 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Comings, D. E., & Blum, K.
Affiliations
  • City Of Hope National Medical Center (US)
  • University of North Texas (US)
Corresponding author
Comings, David E.
ORCID
Blum, Kenneth
Venue
Progress in Brain Research
Publisher
Elsevier
Published
2000
Volume
126
Pages
325-341
ISSN
0079-6123 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s0079-6123(00)26022-6
OpenAlex
W1563873975
Cited by
621
References
152
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 40 · 2014: 38 · 2013: 41 · 2012: 41
FWCI
9.70
Type
book chapter
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Progress in brain research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Gambling Behavior and Treatments
Keywords
reward deficiency syndrome, genetic susceptibility to addiction, dopamine D2 receptor, polygenic inheritance, natural reward, substance abuse, gambling addiction, alcoholism, smoking, obesity
MeSH terms
Central Nervous System Stimulants, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Carrier Proteins, Compulsive Behavior, Dangerous Behavior, Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase, Exploratory Behavior, Tourette Syndrome, Humans, Impulsive Behavior, Models, Neurological, Monoamine Oxidase, Nucleus Accumbens, Receptors, Adrenergic, Receptors, Drug, Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length, Reward, Satiation, Self Stimulation, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Behavior, Addictive, Prefrontal Cortex, Receptors, Dopamine D2, Receptors, Neurotransmitter, Neurotransmitter Agents, Genetic Heterogeneity, Opioid Peptides, Substance-Related Disorders, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Receptors, Cannabinoid, Receptors, Dopamine D4

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review