Alcohol Dependence Genetics: Lessons Learned From Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and Post-GWAS Analyses.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Alcohol dependence (AD) is a complex psychiatric disorder and a significant public health problem. Twin and family-based studies have consistently estimated its heritability to be approximately 50%, and many studies have sought to identify specific genetic variants associated with susceptibility to AD. These studies have been primarily linkage or candidate gene based and have been mostly unsuccessful in identifying replicable risk loci. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have improved the detection of specific loci associated with complex traits, including AD. However, findings from GWAS explain only a small proportion of phenotypic variance, and alternative methods have been proposed to investigate the associations that do not meet strict genome-wide significance cr

SUBMITTER: Hart AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4515198 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature