The identification of articles began with selecting the published studies analyzed by Feinn et al. (2005). To capture studies published since that time, the search engines PubMed, PsychInfo, and the Cochrane library were examined through March 2009 using the following search terms in combination: serotonin transporter gene, 5HTTLPR, SCL6A4, alcohol dependence, alcohol use disorders, and alcoholism. Finally, the reference section of each of the relevant publications identified through these literature searches was reviewed to identify any additional studies that would be informative to the review.
