Convergent findings suggest that the current analyses were successful in identifying chromosomal regions containing genes contributing to variation in alcohol consumption traits. However, the study had insufficient power to identify significant linkage. This problem is exacerbated by the issue of multiple testing. A further limitation is the not inconsiderable number of previously reported linkage results, covering virtually all chromosomes, which would increase the likelihood of chance convergence. Accordingly, the results require confirmation by demonstration of genetic association for plausible genes under the suggestive linkage peaks. Confirmation by demonstration of genetic association is also necessary as linkage and GWAS employ different methods, which usually produce different results. Nonetheless, the results of the current study are encouraging for the use of datasets collected for other purposes in ongoing GWAS to identify genes that may contribute to individual differences in alcohol consumption behaviors. Further, the growing trend for large meta-analyses may hold the key to positive findings in the future.
