Flies and worms are the main iMOs currently being used to investigate the genetics of alcohol-related behavior. Fundamental advantages of these 2 iMOs include relatively low costs, high-throughput genetic analyses, and suites of powerful tools to manipulate the functions of individual genes along with a host of molecular and bioinformatic resources that facilitate genomic analyses. Importantly, there is considerable conservation between gene products in the iMOs and humans. In particular, much of the major molecular machinery that supports nervous system function, including several neurotransmitter systems, is structurally and functionally similar in iMOs and humans (Heberlein et al., 2004; Kaletta and Hengartner, 2006; Rodan and Rothenfluh, 2010a; Scholz and Mustard, 2011).
