These findings provide preliminary evidence that allelic variation in DRD2 may influence impulsiveness by increasing the propensity for attentional lapses.
These results suggest that genetic variants at the DRD2 gene play a role in pathological gambling, and support the concept that variants of this gene are a risk factor for impulsive and addictive behaviours.
The relationship of the DRD2 TaqI-A1 allele to hyperactive/impulsive and inattentive symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents was examined in a sample of clinic-referred children and their siblings, and control children and their siblings (n = 236).
The possible mechanism of a genetic effect of the DRD2 locus in alcoholism remains open to speculation, but many involve personality characteristics such as impulsiveness or spontaneity.