et al., 2004; Porjesz et al., 2002, 2004). In addition, medications that target the GABAA receptor system, including benzodiazepines, are often used in the detoxification and treatment of patients who are prone to withdrawal after alcohol binge drinking (Kosten and O’Connor, 2003). The interaction with the GABAergic system may in part explain the mechanisms by which the CRHR1 receptor or the HPA system regulates the brain electrophysiology associated with alcohol dependence (P3 for example). Based on this evidence, we theorized that polymorphisms in the CRHR1 gene that alter the receptor’s actions on GABAergic neurons in response to alcohol contribute to the variation of the endophenotype P3 amplitude of the ERP and to the vulnerability to development of alcohol dependence.
