followed by MET [102]. In another psychosocial treatment study, researchers in Poland examined genetic moderators of relapse following inpatient alcohol treatment [103]. Results showed that polymorphisms in BDNF (Val66Met) and COMT (Val158Met) significantly predicted relapse probability. Overall, evidence for genetic moderation effects in psychosocial trials are consistent with the notion that variants with broad implications for neurotransmitter function, cognitive function, and/or externalizing traits can potentially influence relapse proneness. In the absence of a plausible biological mechanism for differential response to specific psychosocial treatments (e.g., MET vs. CBT) as a function of genotype, the most parsimonious interpretation of these findings is that some variants will impose greater risk for relapse following any quit attempt, regardless of treatment availability or modality.
