Polymorphisms of the DRD2 , ANKK1 , DAT1 , DBH , and DRD4 genes have been found to moderate the effects of pharmacotherapy  of alcohol , opioid , and cocaine use disorders .
The integration of genetic information with clinical data will inform health professionals of the most efficacious pharmacotherapeutic intervention for substance use disorders .
Substance use disorders have significant personal , familial , and societal consequences .
Despite the serious consequences of substance use , only a few therapies are effective in treating substance use disorders , thus highlighting a need for improved treatment practice s. Substance use treatment response depends on multiple factors such as genetic , biological , and social factors .
It is essential that each component is represented in treatment plans .
The dopaminergic system plays a critical role in the pharmacotherapy for addictions , and an underst and ing of the role of variation of genes involved in this system is essential for its success .
The influence of dopamine &bgr;-hydroxylase gene polymorphism rs1611115 on levodopa/carbidopa treatment for cocaine dependence: a preliminary study
Recent studies have suggested that heterogeneity in the level of dopamine activity and function might be useful for identifying a subgroup of cocaine-dependent patients responding better to dopamine-enhancement pharmacotherapy . Here we hypothesized that response to levodopa/carbidopa treatment would be greater in patients with genetically determined low levels of the dopamine metabolizing enzyme dopamine & bgr;-hydroxylase ( D&bgr;H ) . Seventy-one cocaine-dependent patients who participated in a 12-week r and omized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of levodopa/carbidopa  were genotyped for the D&bgr;H gene ( DBH ) polymorphism rs1611115 . Our results showed that for patients with the low D&bgr;H activity genotypes ( CT/TT ) who received levodopa , the odds of having cocaine-positive urine decreased significantly over treatment compared with placebo-treated patients with the CT/TT genotypes ( P=0.004 ) . Individuals with the normal D&bgr;H activity genotype ( CC ) showed no differential response to levodopa . These preliminary results need to be confirmed in a larger sample focusing on the DBH polymorphism
Polymorphisms of the DRD2 , ANKK1 , DAT1 , DBH , and DRD4 genes have been found to moderate the effects of pharmacotherapy  of alcohol , opioid , and cocaine use disorders .
The integration of genetic information with clinical data will inform health professionals of the most efficacious pharmacotherapeutic intervention for substance use disorders .
Substance use disorders have significant personal , familial , and societal consequences .
Despite the serious consequences of substance use , only a few therapies are effective in treating substance use disorders , thus highlighting a need for improved treatment practice s. Substance use treatment response depends on multiple factors such as genetic , biological , and social factors .
It is essential that each component is represented in treatment plans .
The dopaminergic system plays a critical role in the pharmacotherapy for addictions , and an underst and ing of the role of variation of genes involved in this system is essential for its success .