Childhood trauma, family functioning, and the BDNF gene may affect the development of alcohol use disorder

Childhood trauma and family dysfunction substantially increase the risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD) among individuals with genetic susceptibility. Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) plays a crucial role in neuronal neuroplasticity.

The cross-sectional case-control study examines the associations between the BDNF gene, childhood trauma, and family functioning in relation to vulnerability to AUD. A total of 1085 participants were recruited from the Han Chinese population. The final analysis included data from 518 patients with AUD and 548 healthy controls, and 19 were excluded due to DNA issues. Three psychometric instruments-the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ), the adverse childhood experiences questionnaire (ACEs), and the family APGAR questionnaires were used to assess environmental risk factors contributing to AUD. An independent t-test was used to examine differences between controls, AUD, and its subgroups for each psychometric score. ANCOVA was performed to assess the effects of BDNF variants on CTQ, ACE, and APGAR scores in patients with AUD after adjusting for age and gender.

The CTG haplotype in the rs6265-rs6484320-rs7934165 block of the BDNF gene was associated with the late-onset AUD (p = 9.9 ×10^-5). Higher CTQ and ACEs scores were observed in AUD patients, particularly in those with early-onset AUD. Total CTQ score and ACEs score were negatively correlated with the onset age of AUD, although these scores were not influenced by BDNF genotype.

Childhood trauma and impaired family functioning may serve as predictive factors in the development of AUD. BDNF gene variants, childhood trauma, and family functioning appear to influence AUD risk.