The Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism: Overview

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Alcohol use disorders (AUD) are common, heritable, and polygenic, influenced by brain and environmental factors.
• Psychiatric comorbidities frequently co-occur with AUD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the causes and consequences of alcohol-related milestones, including AUD and psychiatric comorbidities.
• To establish the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) as a gene-brain-behavior research resource.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a diverse, family-based sample of 17,878 individuals (ages 7-97) across 2246 families.
• Collected data via questionnaires, the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism (SSAGA), electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings, and genome-wide association study (GWAS) arrays.
• Conducted functional genomics studies to explore cellular and molecular mechanisms of AUD.

Main Results:

• COGA has amassed extensive behavioral, clinical, brain function, genetic, and functional genomics data over three decades.
• The study has facilitated discoveries in the gene-brain-behavioral aspects of AUD.
• Data sharing policies and community outreach have broadened research impact.

Conclusions:

• COGA serves as a vital scientific resource for understanding the genetic and environmental underpinnings of AUD.
• The study's framework supports ongoing research into AUD and related conditions.
• COGA fosters collaboration and advances gene-brain-behavior research.