complementary biological information. While no animal paradigm can fully replicate the complexity of alcoholism, validated models enable the dissection of specific aspects of the syndrome with a tight control over experimental conditions and the possibility to use large numbers of isogenic subjects [18]. In contrast, the relevance of analyzing tissue from afflicted humans is unquestionable, but the genetic diversity of the subjects, the poor control over their history (and potential interference with co-morbid disorders), the limited availability of samples and variable integrity of RNA can potentially compromise the reliability and consistency of postmortem data [19].
