More recently, additional studies have been initiated that specifically seek to identify genes contributing to various forms of illicit drug dependence as well as general drug use problems (for more information, see http://www.nida.nih.gov/about/organization/Genetics/consortium/index.html). Through these combined approaches, researchers should be able to identify both genes with drug-specific effects and genes with more general effects on drug use. The following sections focus on several groups of genes that have been identified by these research efforts and which have been implicated in affecting risk for dependence on both alcohol and illicit drugs.
