Our study confirms the existence of a link between clock genes and increased risk of alcohol abuse/dependence in male patients and the accumulation of risk genes in patients with a positive family history.
Furthermore, the reciprocal interaction of clock genes with various HPA-axis components, as well as the evidence for an implication of clock genes in stress-induced alcohol abuse, have led to the idea that clock genes, and Period genes in particular, may represent key genetic factors to consider when examining gene × environment interaction in the etiology of addiction.