John Sundberg, Ph.D., DVM is doing genetics on the mouse animal model for alopecia areata some more related work. He's been studying the alopecia areata mouse model-a special inbred type of mouse with alopecia areata-and he has noted that even in this mouse it appears that there are many different genes responsible for causing the disease. The genetics in these inbred mice have not even been sorted out yet, and it's very likely that the situation in human beings is much more complicated because we are a very outbred type of mammal.