Adjacent to GABRA2 is the GABRG1 gene, which encodes the GABAA receptor γ1 subunit. Several studies have reported association of GABRG1 variants with the risk for alcohol dependence and drinking behaviors (39, 107). Haplotype analyses have suggested that markers in the GABRA2 gene associated with alcohol dependence are in linkage disequilibrium with markers in the GABRG1 gene in many populations, indicating that the association with GABRA2 may be driven by variants in GABRG1 (28, 71). Despite multiple studies implicating SNPs in GABRA2 and GABRG1 in the risk for alcohol-related behaviors, the specific functional alleles underlying these associations have yet to be identified.
