Genome-wide screen for heavy alcohol consumption
Author Information
Author(s): Wyszynski Diego F, Panhuysen Carolien I, Ma Qianli, Yip Agustin G, Wilcox Marsha, Erlich Porat, Farrer Lindsay A
Primary Institution: Boston University School of Medicine
Hypothesis
To find specific genes predisposing to heavy alcohol consumption.
Conclusion
Our study did not reveal significant evidence of linkage to heavy alcohol use; however, we found weak confirmation of studies carried out in other populations.
Supporting Evidence
- 330 families were studied to find genes related to heavy alcohol consumption.
- Linkage analysis methods were used to analyze the data.
- We found weak signals in several chromosomal regions related to alcohol consumption.
Takeaway
The researchers looked at families to find genes that might make people drink a lot of alcohol, but they didn't find strong evidence for any specific genes.
Methodology
Linkage analysis using parametric and nonparametric methods on data from the Framingham Heart Study.
Potential Biases
Self-reported data on alcohol consumption may lead to misclassification bias.
Limitations
The phenotype chosen was extreme, yielding a low sample size of informative affected sib pairs, and self-reported data on alcohol consumption may have introduced misclassification bias.
Participant Demographics
330 families from the Framingham Heart Study, including original and offspring cohorts.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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