Associations between experimental substance use, FAAH-gene variations, impulsivity and sensation seeking

Abstract

Background: Experimental substance use among young people is related to individual factors including personality traits such as impulsivity and sensation seeking, and genetic variations such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) gene. The objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between these three sets of variables. Methods: Volunteer undergraduate students (N = 861, 76% female, M = 20.7 years) completed an ad hoc questionnaire on variables related to their consumption of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, synthetic drugs and cocaine. In addition, 591 of them completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11) and the Sensation Seeking Scale-V (SSS-V). All participants were genotyped in FAAH C385A SNP and its proxy variant rs12075550. Results: Consistent with previous data, both impulsivity and sensation seeking were associated with most of the variables related to experimental substance use. In addition, we found the first evidence of an association between the rs12075550 SNP and some of these consumption phenotypes. However, no significant association was found between either of the two SNPs and impulsivity or sensation seeking. Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of considering both personality and genetic differences, together with contextual factors, in the analysis of substance use

Antecedentes: el uso experimental de sustancias en los jóvenes está relacionada con factores individuales que incluyen rasgos de personalidad, como impulsividad o búsqueda de sensaciones, y variaciones genéticas, como polimorfismos de un solo nucleótido (SNPs) del gen amida hidrolasa de ácidos grasos (FAAH). El objetivo de este estudio es analizar la relación entre estos tres conjuntos de variables. Método: estudiantes universitarios voluntarios (N = 861, 76% mujeres, M = 20,7 años) rellenaron un cuestionario ad hoc de variables relacionadas con el consumo de alcohol, tabaco, cannabis, drogas sintéticas y cocaína. Además, 591 de ellos rellenaron las escalas BIS-11 y SSS-V. Se genotipó a todos ellos en SNP FAAH C385A y su variante proxy rs12075550. Resultados: como se esperaba, la impulsividad y la búsqueda de sensaciones estuvieron asociadas con la mayor parte de las variables relativas al uso experimental de sustancias. Además, encontramos por primera vez evidencia de una asociación entre rs12075550 y algunos de estos fenotipos de consumo. Sin embargo, no encontramos asociaciones significativas entre SNPs e impulsividad o búsqueda de sensaciones. Conclusiones: los resultados resaltan la importancia de tener en cuenta las diferencias genéticas y las de personalidad, junto con los factores contextuales, al analizar el uso de sustancias.