[Analysis of polymorphism rs1051730 of CHRNA3 in patients with dual pathology in a Mexican population]

Epidemiological studies have described a high comorbidity of substance use disorders with another psychiatric disorder, which has been called dual pathology. However, the aetiological mechanisms underlying this association are still not fully understood.

To carry out a preliminary study of the effect of polymorphism rs1051730 of the gene group CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 through a case-control study.

A total of 225 subjects were selected and divided into three groups: those diagnosed with bipolar disorder, those with nicotine dependence, and subjects without nicotine dependence or any other psychiatric disorder. Genotyping was performed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Genetic association analysis was performed using chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regressions.

On comparing allelic frequencies with the control group, we found that polymorphism rs1051730 was associated with nicotine dependence (p = 0.03), but not with bipolar disorder (p = 0.94).

Variant rs1051730 was associated with nicotine dependence in the Mexican population and showed the same effect in dual pathology. However, further studies are recommended to obtain conclusive results.