Welcome to the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA)
COGA is a national, multi-site, inter-disciplinary project focused on discovering genetic and environmental factor that increase the risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD). COGA focuses on multi-generational families and follows them over the lifespan (ages 7-97 years). With data on 17,800 Americans, COGA is learning how AUD may evolve and change across the lifespan, and how risk and protective factors also affect use and abuse of other drug use, and other psychiatric conditions. Participants come from across the US, both urban and rural settings, different socio-economic backgrounds, and include families with a variety of backgrounds and cultures. COGA findings have shaped our understanding of how alcohol affects the health of Americans, and we are continuing to learn more as the participants pass through key life stages. COGA’s discoveries continue to illuminate a path towards prevention and development of personalized treatment plans for achieving remission and recovery.
Explore COGA publications and discoveries, including the genes, environments and brain markers that we have identified, via the interactive COGA Knowledge Base.
Exciting New COGA Discoveries
COGA Special Issue
In the Special Issue
COGA Overview: Learn about our study design, how we share our data and what we are working on here.
Sample Characteristics and Clinical/Behavior Data: find detailed information about our sample, the “SSAGA” interview we developed, and the self-reported data we have collected here.
Brain function Data in COGA: As the largest ever systematic study of noninvasively collected EEG data for AUD, COGA has led discoveries of how the brain functions before, during and after AUD. Read about the brain function data that we have collected and analyzed here.
Genome-wide Genetic Data in COGA: COGA has led the field in outlining how genes influence AUD. You can read about our genetic data and discoveries here.
How we move genetic discoveries to function and mechanism: We use cutting-edge molecular and cellular methods to understand the functions of the genes that we discover, pathways they participate in, and to suggest potential drug targets. Read more about these pioneering methods here.
Looking to use COGA data for your own research?
dbGaP Genome-Wide Association Datasets
Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) Datasets
See our data access page for more information.
News
Learn more about new findings surrounding genetics and alcohol.
Alcohol Use Across Time
Different things impact alcohol use.
Click the title to learn more about alcohol use across time.
Alcohol & Genetics
Intensity of response to alcohol is one genetically influenced pathway to problems.
Click the title to learn more about alcohol and genetics.
Nature & Nurture
Genes and environment are important for AUD development.
Click the title to learn more about these factors play a role in AUD.
