In summary, finding gene variants that contribute to complex genetically influenced phenotypes is challenging, and alcohol sensitivity is no exception. The genes associated with such characteristics might vary depending on the population studied and test paradigms used, and such across-study differences might contribute to divergent results. This review highlighted results of studies to date, suggested options for standardizing research paradigms, and discussed issues that should be considered before combining results across studies when searching for genes that might contribute to how a person reacts to alcohol.
