We found that SNPs reported to be significant in adults were significant in adolescents in this sample, particularly for those in the youngest age ranges, and for those who had ever used an illicit drug. However, in our results, the major allele was the risk allele, while in the results of Wang et al. (2004) and consequently of Dick et al. (2007), the minor allele was the risk allele. Our results do not contradict those of Wang et al. (2004) and Dick et al. (2007); the results are mutually consistent. Instead, they reveal a novel age-specific risk factor undetectable by solely examining the condition of alcohol dependence rather than its age of onset.
