Anxiety disorders (ADs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) are common psychiatric conditions which often co-occur but causes of the comorbidity are not well known. This project will systematically test potential mechanisms underlying the comorbidity: shared liabilities due to genetic and environmental influences and direct mutual links between the disorders. Twin and sibling analyses, within-individual analyses, and Mendelian randomization will be applied in Swedish nationwide register data and in Finnish and Swedish longitudinal twin data in order to estimate and/or rule out the influence of common liabilities for the AD-SUD association. Additionally, an experimental animal model with alcohol-preferring rats will be applied to study the effect of long-term heavy alcohol use on anxiety-related behaviors. ADs and SUDs are significant societal and public health problems. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these disorders is crucial for successful treatment and intervention efforts.

2017

2022