Substantial evidence has emerged to suggest that brain oscillations represent neurophysiological correlates of human information processing and cognitive function (Basar et al., 1999; Karakas et al., 2000). More recently, emphasis has been placed on understanding their genetic basis and their potential regulatory role on neural function. As a result, brain oscillations have been proposed to be endophenotypes for complex genetic disorders, including drug addiction and psychiatric disorders (for reviews, see Begleiter and Porjesz, 2006). The Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) has employed brain oscillations as endophenotypes to search for genes involved in alcohol dependence. Findings from their studies have identified several genes that increase the susceptibility for risk of alcohol dependence. Those studies have also achieved significant progress in identifying EROs associated with generating the P3 component and several genes potentially involved in their regulation (for reviews, see Porjesz et al., 2005; Begleiter and Porjesz, 2006; Rangaswamy and Porjesz, 2008).
