Wilhelmsen, principal investigator of the Family Alcoholism Study at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at UCSF and assistant professor in the department of neurology, admits that it is a challenge trying to study something he can barely define. On a clinical level, alcoholism is hard to define.
Alcoholism presents differently in different people.
Furthermore, studies of twins show that a sibling given up for adoption will exhibit the alcohol pattern of their biological family rather than their adopted family. Unlike the study of some diseases, Wilhelmsen and his team are expecting that the cause of alcoholism will be found in genetic variations common throughout the human population, rather than in one mutated gene. The Family Alcoholism Study, which started a year ago, is collecting data from 1,000 sibling pairs and expects to have results in 2-5 years. The study may get a boost in support if the UCSF Neurology Program on Alcohol Research obtains funding to expand its studies, Wilhelmsen said. The UCSF Family Alcoholism Study is still recruiting participants.