Federal researchers conducting animal studies found that a gene called "Grm7" appears to influence alcohol consumption among mice, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

The Grm7 gene is involved in communication between brain cells in mice; researchers found that mice that possess a certain subtype of the gene that reduces messenger RNA tended to drink more alcohol.

"Our findings support emerging evidence of the critical role that the brain's glutamate pathways play in addiction," said lead researcher Csaba Vadasz, Ph.D., of the New York University School of Medicine. "While dopamine has traditionally been cast as a central actor in the neurochemistry of substance use and abuse, recent studies indicate that glutamate systems play an important role in reinforcement and addiction."

Researchers are unsure whether a similar gene variant exists in humans. If one exists, however, it theoretically could be targeted by drugs with the intent of treating alcohol dependence, Vadasz said.

The study was reported in the December 2007 issue of the journal Genomics.