Consistent with the hypothesis that rs3778150 would be associated with retrospective measures of alcohol sensitivity, individuals carrying the rs3778150-C allele reported lower sensitivity to alcohol, as demonstrated by higher SRE-Total scores, higher SRE-3month scores, and higher SRE-Heavy scores, compared to individuals homozygous for the rs3778150-T allele. In addition, rs3778150 was associated with higher ASQ-Total scores, and higher scores on the ASQ-Heavy subscale, such that carriers of the rs3778150-C allele reported lower overall subjective response to alcohol, as well as lower subjective response to the sedative effects associated with heavier doses of alcohol. The significant relation of rs3778150 with ASQ-Total and ASQ-Heavy is consistent with the robust effects observed for rs3778150 with the majority of SRE subscales, given that the range of effects assessed by the SRE mainly correspond to sedative effects associated with higher doses of alcohol, similar to the items included in the ASQ-Heavy subscale. Finally, the presence of at least one rs3778150-C allele was also associated with significantly higher levels of alcohol use. Thus, these findings suggest that rs3778150 is related to measures of alcohol sensitivity and higher levels of alcohol use.
