studies have not been consistent, and this discrepancy has been primarily attributed to the confounding effect of tobacco use.80,86 Snell et al87 examined the relationship between differences in platelet MAOB activity associated with alcohol dependence, cigarette smoking, and gender. The findings suggested that lower platelet MAO activity is attributed to cigarette smoking and may reflect reduced substrate accessibility to the MAO catalytic site in smokers. Prospective studies on platelet MAO activity are necessary to further evaluate its validity as an endophenotype for alcoholism.
