Translating some of the promising endophenotypes for alcoholism, such as subjective response to alcohol, into constructs that are measurable outside of the laboratory may help scientists capture the full picture. For example, using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) technology is a promising alternative to capturing subjective response to alcohol, as well as other important environmental and psychological variables, outside of the laboratory setting (e.g., Miranda et al., 2008; Tidey et al., 2008). Likewise, the combination of laboratory, functional imaging (i.e., fMRI), and genetics may be especially helpful in “connecting the dots” by understanding how functional polymorphisms affect brain structure and function, and ultimately behavior (e.g., McClernon et al., 2007; Filbey, Ray et al., in press). Finally, the field would benefit from the development of novel intermediate phenotypes, and the refinement of existing phenotypes, to further identify intervening processes/mechanisms by which specific genes exert their influences.
