Introduction: Special issue on genetic research of alcohol use disorder in diverse racial/ethnic populations

Abstract

This special issue of The American Journal on Addictions is an extension of a workshop held at the Research Society on Alcoholism (2015) highlighting several important issues related to studies of the genetic bases of alcohol use disorder among racially/ethnically diverse populations. While not exhaustive in their coverage, the papers in this special issue focus on three important topics: (1) the importance of considering the social and environmental context in genetic analyses; (2) social and cultural considerations for engaging diverse communities in genetic research; and (3) methodologies related to phenotype development for use with racially/ethnically diverse populations. A brief overview of each paper included in these three sections is presented. The issue concludes with additional considerations for genetic research with racially/ethnically diverse population groups along with a commentary.

Ancestry‐specific and sex‐specific risk alleles identified in a genome‐wide gene‐by‐alcohol dependence interaction study of risky sexual behaviors

“…To provide a deeper understanding of these findings, we investigated ancestry, sex, and ancestry-by-sex, because both ancestry and sex could contribute to specific risk mechanisms [Polimanti et al, 2015]. In particular, the investigation of cohorts including individuals of differing ancestry can provide better coverage of genetic factors associated with alcohol use behaviors in the greater general population, reducing the vexing ethnic disparity in human genetic research [Chartier et al, 2017a; Chartier et al, 2017b; Scott, 2017]. …”