[Analytical estimation of the power of linkage in large pedigrees]

Different approaches to calculation of the power in linkage analysis whose efficiencies have been demonstrated in small pedigrees are described. The possibility of applying them to large pedigrees has been estimated. Equivalence of the analytical estimates of power obtained using different approaches based on analysis of individual pairs of relatives has been shown. The accuracy of the resultant analytical estimation of the power has been analyzed for three large pedigrees and a wide range of inheritance models; the accuracy has been demonstrated to be sufficiently high and equal to the accuracy in the case of small pedigrees.