This article offers an overview of the methodologies offered in collecting data for the COGA study and also dives into the characteristics of the study sample and clinical information. This is a second installment of a 5 paper series.
The Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) is a comprehensive multidisciplinary research initiative aimed at unraveling the genetic foundation of alcohol use disorder and its associated outcomes. This project also seeks to understand how genetic susceptibility evolves across the lifespan, influenced by environmental factors and brain function. Over a span of more than 30 years, the study has gathered data from nearly 18,000 individuals representing more than 2,200 families. The data collection process involves a of assessments, including semi-structured psychiatric interviews, questionnaires, DNA collection, and measurements in a significant subset of participants, which were obtained form alcohol treatment centers. The age range of participants spans from 7 to 97, and many of them have been assessed over multiple time points, providing a unique opportunity to investigate alcohol use and related issues across the entire lifespan.
This research highlights key research findings that have arisen from analyzing the COGA dataset. Importantly, the COGA dataset is made available to researchers at large, with the hope of fostering further collaboration and advancing the field’s understanding of alcohol-related genetics.
Dick, D.M., Balcke, E., McCutcheon, V., Francis, M., Kuo, S. Salvatore, J., Meyers, J., Bierut, L.J., Schuckit, M., Hesselbrock, V., Edenberg, H.J., Porjesz, B., COGA Collaborators , Kuperman, S., Kramer, J., & Bucholz K., The collaborative study on the genetics of alcoholism: Sample and clinical data. Genes, Brain and Behavior. 2023; 22(5):e12860. doi:10.1111/gbb.12860
