This study should be interpreted in light of its strengths and limitations. Study strengths include the well-ascertained and large sample of Caucasian individuals from a publically available database. Study limitations include the reliance on tag SNPs from the Illumina Human 1M beadchip to capture genetic variation in the CRHR1 gene. Moreover, the lack of detailed information on the timing, type, and intensity of the traumatic stress exposure and lack of data on childhood trauma precludes fine grained analyses of the specific stress conditions that may interact with CRHR1 genotype to determine alcoholism susceptibility. Specifically, studies have shown that alcohol use itself increases the risk of exposure to traumatic events (e.g., Harris et al., 2012) such that the relationship between alcohol use and trauma is likely bi-directional. As such, studies that can properly capture the temporal nature of the traumatic exposure in relation to the onset of alcohol problems are needed to more fully elucidate these complex relationship and its genetic determinants.
