SAGE is a case-control study that analyzed genetic data on over 3,800 phenotyped subjects funded as part of the Gene Environment Association Studies (GENEVA) initiative supported by the National Human Genome Research Institute (Bierut et al., 2010). Alcohol-dependent cases and controls were selected from three large datasets: the Collaborative Study on the Genetic of Alcoholism (COGA), the Family Study of Cocaine dependence (FSCD) and the Collaborative Genetic Study of Nicotine Dependence (COGEND). Cases are required to have a lifetime history of DSM-IV alcohol dependence. Controls are required to have been exposed to alcohol because alcohol use is necessary to develop dependence, but not to have met lifetime diagnosis criteria for alcohol dependence or dependence for illicit drugs. A common assessment was performed for all cases and controls in the three studies that was based on the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism (SSAGA) (Bucholz et al., 1994). The common methodology of interview administration, question format and queried domains enabled phenotypic standardization across the three studies (Bierut et al., 2010). Characteristics of the cases and controls in the SAGE dataset
