Definition for Lod score
From Biology Forums Dictionary
1) In genetics, the LOD score compares the likelihood of obtaining the test data if the two loci are indeed linked, to the likelihood of observing the same data purely by chance. Positive LOD scores favor the presence of linkage, whereas negative LOD scores indicate that linkage is less likely. Computerized LOD score analysis is a simple way to analyze complex family pedigrees in order to determine the linkage between Mendelian traits (or between a trait and a marker, or two markers).
2) The ratio of these two likelihoods gives the "odds" of genetic linkage, and the Logarithm of the odds ratio generates the Lod score, a statistical value representing the probability of genetic linkage between two genes. A Lod score is a statistic that can attain significance favoring genetic linkage if the probability of genetic linkage is sufficiently greater than the probability of independent assortment, or significance against genetic linkage if the probability of independent assortment is sufficiently greater than the linkage probability. Lod scores can be interpreted for individual families, or they can be added together for as many families as are analyzed.