Not all individuals manifesting these potential markers will necessarily develop alcohol problems or the disease of alcoholism. Longitudinal family studies are underway as part of the Consortium on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) project to examine alcoholic and nonalcoholic family members over time. It is hoped that this approach will elucidate the link between measures of risk and the development of alcoholism. As these ERP measures are genetically determined, the data imply that a predisposition or vulnerability to alcoholism is inherited. The role of the gene-environment interaction is not to be minimized in determining whether an individual manifesting this predisposition goes on to abuse alcohol.
