Article Summary (Essay Sample)

First and Last Name Course Instructor Institution Date Alcoholism is a chronic condition that is characterized by relapses and is characterized by a lack of deliberate control over using, pathological fixation with alcohol desire at the expense of healthy forms of activity, poor decision-making, and a compulsive urge to engage in risky drinking despite the significant effects that drinking has on the individual such as deteriorating health, family and job loss. Estimates of heritability for alcohol use disorders vary between 50 and 60 percent of the total phenotypic diversity. Genome-wide association studies have identified the genomic areas and genes responsible for alcohol consumption disorder vulnerability, which have also been used to characterize these regions and genes. This research has the potential to give novel ways that may be used to validate the functional significance of putative genes associated with alcoholism. This paper offers an overview of the genetic studies done on alcoholism, situating it within the context of the addiction cycle. Evidence from family, adoption, and twin research indicates that genetic factors are essential in the progress of alcoholism. However, it should be noted that these studies cannot conclusively identify specific genes that may be responsible for this increased risk. Many different genes, each with a small effect, might be involved. In addition, the environment is also thought to play a role in the development of alcoholism (Reilly et al., 2017). Environmental factors might include a person’s Friends, the availability of Alcohol, and a person’s social support network. The finding that alcoholism is often clustered among families has led to the hypothesis that a “genetic vulnerability may cause alcoholism.” However, it is not clear which specific genes are involved in this vulnerability. Research into the genetics of alcoholism is ongoing, and additional knowledge about the role of particular genes in alcohol dependence may help identify those at increased risk for developing this disorder. The identification of genetic variants associated with alcohol dependence requires the use of large, well-phenotype samples. In addition, it is essential to control the effects of population structure and stratification. The study states that various analytical approaches have been used to identify alcohol-related genes, including candidate gene association studies, linkage analyses, and, more recently, GWAS (Reilly et al., 2017). GWAS are mighty for identifying variants associated with complex traits, such as alcohol dependence because they allow the exploration of a much larger number of genetic markers than is possible with traditional linkage studies. However, it is essential to note that GWAS methods do not identify single gene mutations or changes in protein function; instead, they identify variants associated...