A UCLA researcher has developed a low-cost test for a genetic marker for addiction, the New York Daily News reported Feb. 11.

Ernest Noble, professor of psychiatry and director of the UCLA Alcohol Research Center, developed the test for the A1 allele, which researchers have identified as signaling elevated risk of addiction. The gene is found in people who have lower levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine; most addictive drugs work by increasing dopamine production.

Users swab the inside of their mouth and send a sample to a lab for analysis. "With the test, we can get parents to concentrate and educate children on the problems of drugs and alcoholism when they're younger and more amenable to prevention," said Noble. "It's like any other disease, and if you identify it early, like diabetes, you've got a better chance of defeating it."

The test, now under development, will cost about $35; Noble's research was funded by the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation. "The test is going to be very meaningful for education and prevention of alcoholism and drug addiction," said foundation president Adele Smithers-Fornaci. "Once you've had this terrible disease strike your family you don't want to see it repeated, and this test is a terrific diagnostic tool."