Several investigators have examined the role of GABRA2 in various subjective responses to alcohol, although most have not used the alcohol clamp or looked at acute adaptation. Pierucci-Lagha et al.(2005) found reduced stimulation in response to oral alcohol in subjects carrying one or two copies of the rs279858 alcohol dependence-associated risk allele, but no difference in sedative effects. Uhart et al.(2012), comparing oral alcohol to a placebo, found that subjects with 1 or 2 copies of the risk allele or a correlated allele for 6 GABRA2 SNPS, including the C allele for rs279858, were less likely than the alternate allele homozygotes to report negative effects of alcohol such as “Disliked”, felt “Bad”, or felt “Worst Ever”. However, these investigators also used two other subjective scales (the BAES (Biphasic Alcohol Response Scale), and items from Schuckit’s SHAS (Subjective High Assessment Scale), and found no genetic associations with negative or positive subjective effects of alcohol. Finally, Arias and colleagues (2014), also using oral alcohol administration, found that subjects with one or two copies of the rs279858 C risk allele reported greater stimulation
