COGA- the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism

Description:
Based on substantial evidence that genes influence the vulnerability to alcoholism, the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) was initiated. Funded initially by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), over 2200 families have been recruited from 6 sites across the United States . In addition to the UCONN Health Center, other sites are located in Brooklyn, NY, Indianapolis, IN, St. Louis, MO, Iowa City, IO and San Diego, CA. In total, about 15,000 people ages 7-102 have participated in COGA to date.

COGA's primary goal is to identify genes that influence susceptibility to alcohol dependence and it's related phenotypes as well as to identify genetic factors that may contribute to the risk for developing alcohol dependence. Consequently, COGA is pursuing a multidimentional approach to assess the subjects phenotypes and to ensure a careful dissection of various clinical aspects of the disease. They seek to measure a variety of variables that have been correlated with familial or genetic risk factors for alcoholism. These include, neuropsychoogical measures, DNA extraction and a comprehensive psychiatric assessment using the SSAGA (the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism