Most QTL mapping in mice has employed the B6 x D2-derived (BXD) RI strains. A recently curated alcohol-related data base (http://www.ohsu.edu/parc/data/qtl/by_phen.shtml) was used and the search for mouse QTLs was restricted to these data. Of the many phenotypic domains relevant for rodent models, two have been targeted extensively in genetic studies. The first domain is related to alcohol dependence. Because the acknowledgement of many DSM dependence symptoms cannot be reported by nonhuman animals, the existence of physical dependence is often inferred from the appearance of withdrawal signs when the drug is discontinued (Heilig et al., 2010). Convulsions, seizures, or “running fits” are withdrawal symptoms seen in all species that have been investigated thus far (Metten and Crabbe, 1996). In mice, the handling-induced convulsion (HIC) is an easily quantified sign of withdrawal, characterized initially by Dora Goldstein (Goldstein and Pal, 1971). HIC severity waxes and wanes during the hours of withdrawal, and shows dose- and duration-dependent effects of alcohol exposure. Many studies have explored the genetic bases of withdrawal severity in mice using the HIC as the index of severity, e.g.
