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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2023 Oct;31(5):933-941.
doi: 10.1037/pha0000630. Epub 2022 Dec 8.

Polygenic risk for alcohol consumption and multisite chronic pain: Associations with ad lib drinking behavior

Kyle M White  1 , Jonathan L Hess  2 , Stephen J Glatt  2 , Stephen A Maisto  1 , Michael J Zvolensky  3 , Joseph W Ditre  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Polygenic risk for alcohol consumption and multisite chronic pain: Associations with ad lib drinking behavior

Kyle M White et al. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2023 Oct.

Abstract

Interrelations between alcohol use disorder and chronic pain have received increasing empirical attention, and several lines of evidence support the possibility of shared genetic liability. However, research on the genetic contributions to the component processes of these complex and potentially overlapping phenotypes remains scarce. The goal of the present study was to test polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for alcohol consumption and multisite chronic pain as predictors of ad lib drinking behavior during an experimental taste test. PRSs were calculated for 209 pain-free, moderate-to-heavy drinkers (57.9% male; 63.6% White). Among White participants, the alcohol and chronic pain PRSs showed nominally significant (ps < .05) positive associations with the volume of alcohol consumed and peak blood alcohol concentration (BAC), respectively. However, associations did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. When stratifying results by experimental condition (between-subjects design: no-pain vs. pain), the alcohol PRS was significantly and negatively associated with the volume of alcohol poured, consumed, and peak BAC among Black participants randomized to the no-pain condition (all false discovery rate [FDR]p < .05). Conversely, the chronic pain PRS was significantly and positively associated with study outcomes among White participants in both the no-pain (alcohol consumed; FDRp = .037) and pain conditions (peak BAC; FDRp = .017). These findings lend partial support to the assertion that alcohol consumption in the laboratory is reflective of drinking behavior in naturalistic settings. This was also the first study to use a pain-related PRS to predict alcohol outcomes, which may be indicative of shared etiology between base and target traits. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

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Conflict of interest statement

We have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Association of drinks-per-week PRS with study outcomes, stratified by self-reported race. Note. Regressions covaried for gender, body mass index, average beer pleasantness, QFV classification, and experimental condition; * p < .05.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Association of chronic pain PRS with study outcomes, stratified by self-reported race. Note. Regressions covaried for gender, body mass index, average beer pleasantness, QFV classification, and experimental condition; * p < .05.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Association of drinks-per-week PRS with study outcomes, stratified by self-reported race and experimental condition. Note. Regressions covaried for gender, body mass index, average beer pleasantness, and QFV classification; * p < .05; # FDRp < .05.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Association of chronic pain PRS with study outcomes, stratified by self-reported race and experimental condition. Note. Regressions covaried for gender, body mass index, average beer pleasantness, and QFV classification; * p < .05; # FDRp < .05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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