Neither single-marker nor haplotype analyses support an association between the dopamine transporter gene and heroin dependence in Han Chinese.

Much evidence suggests that dysfunction of dopamine transporter-mediated dopamine transmission may be involved in the pathophysiology of substance abuse and dependence. The aim of this study was to examine whether the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1; SLC6A3) is associated with the development of heroin dependence (HD) and whether DAT1 influences personality traits in patients with HD. Polymorphisms of DAT1 were analyzed in a case-control study of 1046 Han Chinese (615 patients and 431 controls). All participants were screened using a Chinese version of the modified Schedule of Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia-Lifetime and all patients met the criteria for HD. Furthermore, a Chinese version of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) was used to assess personality traits in the patient group and examine the association between their personality traits and DAT1 polymorphisms. Of the patient group, 271 completed the TPQ. No statistically significant differences in allele or genotype frequencies of all investigated variants between HD patients and controls were observed. In haplotype analyses, four haplotype blocks of DAT1 were not associated with the development of HD. These DAT1 polymorphisms did not influence novelty seeking and harm avoidance scores in HD patients. This study suggests that the DAT1 gene may not contribute to the risk of HD and specific personality traits in HD among the Han Chinese population.