The use of animal models to study genes related to alcohol use and its consequences may provide important clues that will improve the efficiency of identifying genes underlying human alcohol-seeking behavior. For example, researchers can use animal lines that are well characterized with respect to alcohol-related behaviors to address genetic issues in populations that are genetically more homogeneous, because it is assumed that fewer genes are affecting the behavior of interest. Such an approach should make the isolation of candidate regions and genes faster and more efficient. Animal studies also allow breeding strategies that cannot be performed in humans. Another advantage of animal studies is the high degree of conservation of linked regions of genetic material across many species. This means that genes that are located close to each other on a given chromosome in humans are likely to be also located close to each other on one of the chromosomes in mice, rats, or other animals. As a result, researchers who identify a certain DNA region in mice as playing a role in alcohol-related behaviors can infer the approximate location of the corresponding DNA region on a human chromosome.
