To make this discovery, Anholt and colleagues first measured the amount of time it took for the fruit flies to lose postural control after exposure to alcohol. At the same time, changes in the expression of all the flies' genes were recorded. Using statistical methods to identify genes that work together, the scientists were able to pinpoint specific genes that played a crucial role in adaptation relating to alcohol exposure. Armed with this information about fruit flies, the scientists set out to determine if the same genes contribute to alcohol drinking habits in humans. Indeed they do: expression of the human counterpart of a critical gene in fruit flies could be directly tied to alcohol consumption in humans.

"From a scientific point-of-view, research like this is almost intoxicating," said Mark Johnston, Editor-in-Chief of the journal GENETICS. "We've known for a while now that genetics played a role in alcohol consumption, but now, we actually know some of the genes that are involved. As a result of this work, we have a potential drug target for curing this insidious condition."

Source: Genetics Society of America