as a general transition from impulsive to compulsive use (Koob & Kreek, 2007). One prior GWAS noted that the genetic correlation between alcohol consumption and dependence was modest and variable (Walters et al., 2018). Another recent study that draws on the UK Biobank data suggests that indices of recent problem drinking (e.g., failed to do what was expected because of drinking) were genetically correlated with psychopathology, while indices of more moderate alcohol consumption were not (and in some instances were negatively correlated) (Sanchez-Roige et al., 2018). The present study provides evidence that the aggregated genetic effects related to typical alcohol consumption in an older volunteer cohort do predict significant (albeit very modest) proportions of variance in various indices of drinking, including problem drinking, over and above the effects of rs1229984. However, in the current analyses the strongest associations occurred with a broad measure of alcohol use. This is not entirely surprising, since the alcohol consumption PRS is based on typical weekly intake, which itself is partly derived from frequency of drinking.
