A few studies have examined the Asn40Asp SNP using neuroimaging methods. A study by Filbey and colleagues (2008a) employed a novel functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-based alcohol taste-cue paradigm to elicit alcohol craving and to activate the mesocorticolimbic circuitry underlying the phenotypic expression of craving using a sample of heavy drinkers. This study compared Asp40 carriers to Asn40 homozygotes on hemodynamic response to the alcohol taste-cue task and found that Asp40 carriers had greater fMRI BOLD response in the mesocorticolimbic areas (i.e., ventral striatum, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex) before and after a priming dose of alcohol, relative to control cues, and as compared to Asn40 homozygotes (Filbey et al., 2008b). This study supported the association between the Asn40Asp SNP and the neural basis of alcohol-induced reward.
