Luana Martins de Carvalho1,2, Corinde E Wiers3, Peter Manza3, Hui Sun3, Melanie Schwandt3, Gene-Jack Wang3, Rodrigo Grassi-Oliveira4, Ana Lúcia Brunialti Godard5, Nora D Volkow6. 1. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA. luana.decarvalho@nih.gov. 2. Laboratório de Genética Animal e Humana, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. luana.decarvalho@nih.gov. 3. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA. 4. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab (DCNL), Brain Institute (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil. 5. Laboratório de Genética Animal e Humana, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 6. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Abstract
RATIONALE: Human telomeres consist of tandem repeats at chromosome ends which protect chromosomal DNA from degradation. Telomere shortening occurs as part of natural aging; however, life stressors, smoking, drug use, BMI, and psychiatric disorders could disrupt cell aging and affect telomere length (TL). In this context, studies have evaluated the effects of alcohol consumption on TL; however, results have been inconsistent, which may reflect diverse drinking cut-offs and categorizations. OBJECTIVES: To help clarify this, the present study addresses the association of TL with alcohol use disorder (AUD), drinking behaviors, lifetime stress, and chronological age. METHODS: TL was quantified as the telomere to albumin ratio (T/S ratio) obtained from peripheral blood DNA using the quantitative PCR assay, from 260 participants with AUD and 449 non-dependent healthy controls (HC) from an existing National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) database. RESULTS: AUD participants showed shorter TL compared to HC with both, age, and AUD, as independent predictors as well as a significant AUD with age interaction effect on TL. TL was also associated with impulsiveness in AUD participants. We did not observe an association between TL and chronicity of alcohol use, alcohol doses ingested, or childhood trauma exposures in either AUD or HC, although very few HC reported a history of childhood trauma. CONCLUSION: Our results support previous findings of telomere shortening with chronic alcohol exposures and show both an effect of AUD on TL that is independent of age as well as a significant AUD by age interaction on TL. These findings are consistent with accelerated cellular aging in AUD.
RATIONALE: Human telomeres consist of tandem repeats at chromosome ends which protect chromosomal DNA from degradation. Telomere shortening occurs as part of natural aging; however, life stressors, smoking, drug use, BMI, and psychiatric disorders could disrupt cell aging and affect telomere length (TL). In this context, studies have evaluated the effects of alcohol consumption on TL; however, results have been inconsistent, which may reflect diverse drinking cut-offs and categorizations. OBJECTIVES: To help clarify this, the present study addresses the association of TL with alcohol use disorder (AUD), drinking behaviors, lifetime stress, and chronological age. METHODS: TL was quantified as the telomere to albumin ratio (T/S ratio) obtained from peripheral blood DNA using the quantitative PCR assay, from 260 participants with AUD and 449 non-dependent healthy controls (HC) from an existing National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) database. RESULTS: AUD participants showed shorter TL compared to HC with both, age, and AUD, as independent predictors as well as a significant AUD with age interaction effect on TL. TL was also associated with impulsiveness in AUD participants. We did not observe an association between TL and chronicity of alcohol use, alcohol doses ingested, or childhood trauma exposures in either AUD or HC, although very few HC reported a history of childhood trauma. CONCLUSION: Our results support previous findings of telomere shortening with chronic alcohol exposures and show both an effect of AUD on TL that is independent of age as well as a significant AUD by age interaction on TL. These findings are consistent with accelerated cellular aging in AUD.
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