Results of a study published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research have concluded that a specific gene, previously unidentified may also be responsible for alcohol addiction and other addictive behavior. Author of the study, Danielle Dick, has stated that the gene named ankyrin repeat and kinase domain containing 1 (ANKK1) is one of the genes responsible for making people vulnerable to addiction.

Previous research has centered around the neighboring gene, DRD2. The research on the DRD2 gene has had serious limitations, however, and the new research on the ANKK1 gene sheds light on these limitations. By implicating another gene is the same region, researchers now believe that several genes in the same phenotype are involved.