Among the genes that were downregulated in both dorsal striatal regions, HLA-DOB displayed the highest fold change. HLAs of the Major Histocompatibility Class II are an essential part of the acquired immune system presenting antigens to T-lymphocytes (for review: Howell, Carter [46]). The most significantly downregulated gene in the VS is CLPB, a mitochondrial chaperone, which has been associated with progressive brain atrophy [47] and with the cellular response to alcohol-induced stress [48]. In a recent GWAS, CLPB was associated with the amount of alcohol consumed on a typical day (p = 9.67 × 10−5, N = 116,163) [49].
