Feels So Good...Hurts so Bad: Put Down That Cigarette: Difficulties and Rewards
Two genetic indicators may influence whether or not people are successful in their attempts to quit smoking: dopamine and serotonin transporters. Because the process of withdrawal is difficult, counselors often recommend that patients try the patch ...
Behind Closed Doors: Environmental and Genetic Links to Violent Behavior
Both the environment in which a child matures and his or her genetic nature contribute to aggressive behavior. Researchers studying a family in which male siblings all committed violent criminal acts found that the brothers shared a certain gene abn...
Alcoholism and Genetics
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, observes that alcoholism, "...clearly has some genetic basis because, identical twins, even if they're raised apart, are very similar for this." Dr. Ham...
Behind Closed Doors: Risk Factors for Violence: Guns and Drugs
Guns--weapons of violence--contribute to the greater number of violent acts that occur in the United States. The cities of Seattle and Vancouver are virtually identical except for the fact that the murder rate in Seattle is ten times higher than it ...
Feels So Good...Hurts so Bad: Smoking: A Chronic Relapsing Disease
Addiction is a chronic relapsing disease. People who try to quit smoking may fail 7 to 10 times before succeeding. People contend it is more difficult to stop than heroin or cocaine use, perhaps because of the biology of nicotine addiction or simply...
The Code: The Genetic Blueprint
Every cell of the human body carries 23 pairs of chromosomes. The chemical substance within each chromosome--the DNA--contains hundreds, sometimes thousands of different genes, depending on the size of the chromosome. Genes direct the formation of t...
Violence and Genetics
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about a family in Holland that included multiple individuals who were violent criminals. This behavior prompted scientists to explore possible gen...
Weighing In: Factors that Contribute to Excess Weight
Why have so many people lost the battle to achieve and maintain a healthy weight? Some people blame metabolism for excess weight; others think it is a matter of willpower. Both factors are affected by a person's genes, perhaps a leftover survival me...
Web of Addiction: Biology of Drug Addiction
Experts have learned that addiction to drugs or alcohol is a disease that has genetic as well as environmental triggers. The gene involved in controlling dopamine, the brain's pleasure chemical, is one factor. Children of alcoholics are three times ...
Genetics of Personality, The
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about the link between the gene involved in dopamine metabolism and the personality of those who tend to be thrill seekers.