Another challenge for AUD genetics is that AUD is a dynamic phenotype, even more so than other psychiatric conditions, and therefore may necessitate yet larger sample sizes. Ever-larger studies, particularly those extending mere alcohol consumption phenotypes, are required to find the genetic variants that contribute towards the transition from normative alcohol use to misuse, and development of AUD. Furthermore, genetic risk unfolds across development, particularly during adolescence, when drug experimentation is more prominent and when the brain is most vulnerable to the deleterious effects of alcohol (69). The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD), with neuroimaging, genotyping and extensive longitudinal phenotypic information including alcohol use behaviors (70), offers new avenues for research, namely to understand how genetic risk interacts with the environment across critical developmental windows. Population biobanks aligning genotype data from thousands of individuals to electronic health records are also promising emerging platforms to accelerate AUD genetic research (71).
