Interestingly, the ALK marker rs1881421 in humans, which appears to be associated with body sway in response to an alcohol challenge (Table 1), is also associated with schizophrenia in a Japanese population [17], implicating ALK in other neuropsychiatric diseases beyond AUDs. In addition, we have discovered that Alk regulates behavioral responses to cocaine in mice (Lasek et al., submitted); Alk may therefore regulate behavioral responses to multiple drugs of abuse. Future studies will focus on the neural and molecular mechanisms of Alk function in order to gain a greater understanding of its role in AUDs and other neuropsychiatric disorders.
