Genetic variant and Binge drinking
A newly discovered addiction gene could be fuelling teenage binge-drinking, research suggests.
The mutant version of the RASGRF2 gene makes the brain more sensitive to habit-forming rewards such as alcohol, studies have shown.
In both mice and young teenage boys it was closely linked to alcohol-seeking behaviour.
A group of 16-year-olds with the genetic variant drank alcohol more frequently than boys who did not possess it.
Lead scientist Professor Gunter Schumann, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, said: "People seek out situations which fulfil their sense of reward and make them happy, so if your brain is wired to find alcohol rewarding, you will seek it out.