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What is COGA?
COGA, the Collaborative
Study On The Genetics of Alcoholism, is the most comprehensive research
project ever to be conducted on the inherited aspects of alcoholism. This large-scale family study is designed to identify genes that
affect the risk for alcoholism and alcohol-related characteristics and behaviors.
Sponsored by the National Institue on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism,
COGA is studying a large number of families at nice sites across the United States and has enlisted the
support of some of our country's most experienced researchers.
(see also COGA: An Update)
Alcoholism and the promise of new research.
Alcoholism has troubled
men and women for thousands of years. For too long, people have thought
of alcoholism as a sign of "personal weakness"; they blamed alcoholics
for their illness and offered them no real hope or relief.
Due to tremendous progress in scientific research, investigators can now study biological influences on alcoholism, some forms of which are most likely inborn and passed from generation to generation.
Due to tremendous progress in scientific research, investigators can now study biological influences on alcoholism, some forms of which are most likely inborn and passed from generation to generation.
Facts about the genetics of alcoholism.
Alcoholism
runs in families! Dozens
of studies confirm that alcoholism runs in families. For instance, if
you are the child of an alcoholic parent, particularly the son of an
alcoholic father, you are much more likely to develop problems with
alcohol than are your peers. In fact, if you are a child of an
alcoholic, you are four to nine times more likely to become an
alcoholic than someone whose family history is completely free of
alcoholism.
Alcoholism may run in families, but how do we know that its cause is partly inborn? How do we know that developing alcoholism in not simply the result of learning from one's family?
Studies of adopted children strongly indicate that some people have an inborn vulnerability which increases their chances of developing alcoholism.
Alcoholism may run in families, but how do we know that its cause is partly inborn? How do we know that developing alcoholism in not simply the result of learning from one's family?
Studies of adopted children strongly indicate that some people have an inborn vulnerability which increases their chances of developing alcoholism.
| Fact: Children who are born to parents with alcohol problems but are adopted and raised by non-alcoholics still run a very high risk of developing alcoholism. |
| Fact: Children who are born to non-alcoholic parents but are adopted and raised by individuals with alcohol problems are not at high risk. |
Can anything be done for an illness which is influenced by genetics.
There is much which can be done both by those at high risk for genetic illnesses, including alcoholics and their relatives, as well as by medical researchers!| Individuals at high risk for alcoholism
can join researchers in helping their own and future generations.
Alcoholics and their relatived can work with COGA researchers to
identify the genetic basis of alcoholism. |
| Individuals who know they and their
relatives are at high risk for alcoholism may use this knowledge
to protect themselves and their families. High risk individuals may be
able to avoid drinking or can carefully monitor their intake of
alcohol. It is very important to remember that not all relatived of
alcoholics do develop problems with alcohol. |
| Medical Researchers may begin to
develop preventice strategies, more effective diagnostic tests, and
medications once genes are discovered. |
| COGA staff | |||
| name | room # | (718) 270- | [at}downstate.edu |
| Cacciola, Ellie | 5-94 | 6331 | ellie.cacciola |
| Coloka, Rozalia | 5-94 | 3860 | rozalia.coloka |
| Foley, Megan | 5-94 | 6330 | megan.foley |
| Mui, Susan | 5-94 | 6329 | susan.mui |
| Goldstein, Susan S. | 5-94 | 3860 | susan.goldstein |
| Makris, Kelly | 5-94 | 3861 | kelly.makris |
| Gayathri, Pandey | 5-94 | 6332 | gayathri.pandey |
| COGA FAX: (718) 270-3867 | |||
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Co-Principal Investigators:
B. Porjesz, SUNY Downstate Medical Center
V. Hesselbrock, University of Connecticut
H. Edenberg, Indiana University
L. Bierut, Washington University
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| This collaborative study includes nine different centers where data collection, analysis, and storage take place. The nine sites and Principal Investigators and Co‑Investigators are: | |
| University of Connecticut | V. Hesselbrock |
| Indiana University |
H. Edenberg, J. Nurnberger, Jr., P.M.
Conneally, T. Foroud |
| University of Iowa | S. Kuperman, R. Crowe |
| SUNY Downstate Medical Center | B. Porjesz |
| Washington University | L. Bierut, A. Goate, J. Rice |
| University of California (UCSD) | M. Schuckit |
| Howard University | R. Taylor |
| Rutgers University | J. Tischfield |
| Southwest Foundation | L. Almasy |
| Zhaoxia Ren, NIAAA Staff Collaborator | |
| This national collaborative study is supported by the NIH Grant U10AA008401 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). | |
| In memory of Henri Begleiter and Theodore Reich, Principal and Co-Principal Investigators of COGA since its inception; we are indebted to their leadership in the establishment and nurturing of COGA, and acknowledge with great admiration their seminal scientific contributions to the field. | |
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450 Clarkson Ave |
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