The data presented here are from the Phase IV Prospective Study of the subjects in the Collaborative Study of the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) sample. As approved by IRBs at each participating center, COGA is a large family study with the goal of identifying genes affecting alcohol dependence and related phenotypes; the Prospective Study is focused on understanding how genetic risk unfolds across adolescence into young adulthood. COGA families were identified through probands in inpatient or outpatient alcohol treatment programs at six sites across the United States. Additional “community comparison” families were obtained through a variety of sources such as driver’s license registries and dental clinics; alcohol dependence and other psychiatric disorders were not exclusionary criteria for the comparison families. More details about the basic COGA study have been published previously (Begleiter, Reich et al. 1995; Foroud, Edenberg et al. 2000).
