Alcoholism At Large

Researchers at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis reported that genetic predisposition to impulsivity is a trait predictive of alcoholism. The researchers used selective breeding for 30 generations to produce mice who were high-volume alcohol drinkers and others who avoided consuming alcohol. The genetically different mice were presented with a choice between a small, immediate reward and a large, delayed reward. The task allowed researchers to test the rodents' impulsivity. Mice with high alcohol preferring genes were more impulsive than their low drinking counterparts, demonstrating that predisposition to impulsivity is predictive of alcoholism. Researchers said the data could be extrapolated to humans and suggests that impulsivity contributes to high alcohol drinking.