LOD (Logarithm of the Odds) score

It is now possible to tell whether two bits of human DNA are linked (relatively close together on a chromosome) by reference to the map of the human genome. It was not possible to do this before the genome map was published, and the LOD score (LOD being an abbreviation for Logarithm of the Odds) was the most commonly used means of quantifying linkage. Based on analysis of data from pedigrees it provides a statistical measure of the chance that one bit of DNA (the putative gene for a disease trait in this instance) is linked to another (the known genetic locus).