Are dopamine receptors related to risk of developing an alcohol use disorder?

The effect of using risky substances, such as alcohol, on the brain’s so-called “reward system” has received considerable attention, particularly in terms of what it signifies for the risk of developing a substance use disorder. A longitudinal study investigated the association between PET data and later self-report measures in healthy individuals.
The study conducted in Sweden measured receptor availability for dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is abundant throughout a part of the reward system called the ventral striatum, in people without a history of alcohol use disorder, and tested whether it predicted risk for harmful alcohol use 8 to 16 years later. There were 71 individuals (68 of whom had evaluable PET data, 5 females, 42.0 years mean age) from a series of previous PET studies.
The research found no relationship between dopamine receptor levels and future alcohol consumption, reward sensitivity, or family history, and only a modest-sized link to some impulsivity traits, all of which suggests that this brain marker may not be well-suited to predicting later hazardous drinking for those with no history of alcohol use disorder.
Source: Jangard S, Jayaram-Lindström N, Isacsson NH, Matheson GJ, Plavén-Sigray P, Franck J, Borg J, Farde L, Cervenka S. Striatal dopamine D2 receptor availability as a predictor of subsequent alcohol use in social drinkers. Addiction. 2023 Jun;118(6):1053-1061.