Alcohol abuse has broad negative effects on human health (Dhhs, 2000). Despite these health consequences, few effective treatments are available and currently there are few genes with established roles in human alcohol abuse (Bierut et al., 2010, Edenberg et al., 2010, Johnson et al., 2006, Kendler et al., 2011, Kumar et al., 2009, Lind et al., 2010, Treutlein et al., 2009). A more comprehensive understanding of the genes that influence behavioral responses to alcohol is critical for meaningfully predicting the potential of an individual to abuse the drug and for developing new therapeutic strategies aimed at novel molecular targets.
