To date, genetic mechanisms of risk in the offspring of alcoholic parents or families with high density of alcoholism remain relatively unknown. Alcohol dependence has been linked to regions on chromosome 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8 (Foroud et al. 2000; Hill et al. 2004; Reich et al. 1998; Williams et al. 1999). A recent review from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA; Edenberg and Foroud 2006) have identified variations associated with alcohol dependence in a number of genes including ADH1B and ALDH2 (alcohol metabolism genes), GABRA2 and GABRG3 (GABA receptor genes), and CHRM2 (muscarinic acetylcholine receptor gene). However, several of these finding have not been confirmed, and the processes by which these genetic risk factors influence the development of AUD have yet to be determined.
