Aggression and anger-related traits associated with a polymorphism of the tryptophan hydroxylase gene (original) (raw)
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Neuropsychobiology, 2010
Background/Aims: It has been suggested that the serotonergic systems are associated with anger and aggressive behaviors. We investigated the association between several single nucleotide polymorphisms in the serotonergic genes and anger-related personality traits. Methods: A total of 228 healthy female Korean women participated in this study. All subjects were assessed with the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) and were genotyped for 3 polymorphisms: serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR), tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) A218C, and TPH2 G-703T. Results: The Anger Expression-Out (AX-Out) subscale scores of the STAXI differed significantly between the genotypes for the TPH2 G-703T polymorphism (F = 4.825, p = 0.009). G/G homozygous subjects scored significantly higher on the AX-Out subscale than those with the G/T genotype. However, no significant differences were observed in the relationships between the STAXI subscale scores of subjects with other polymorphisms. Conclusions: This study suggests that the TPH2 G-703T polymorphism might contribute to anger-related traits, especially to the expression of anger.
PLOS ONE, 2015
Aggressive manifestations and their consequences are a major issue of mankind, highlighting the need for understanding the contributory factors. Still, aggression-related genetic analyses have so far mainly been conducted on small population subsets such as individuals suffering from a certain psychiatric disorder or a narrow-range age cohort, but no data on the general population is yet available. In the present study, our aim was to identify polymorphisms in genes affecting neurobiological processes that might explain some of the inter-individual variation between aggression levels in the non-clinical Caucasian adult population. 55 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were simultaneously determined in 887 subjects who also filled out the self-report Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ). Single marker association analyses between genotypes and aggression scores indicated a significant role of rs7322347 located in the HTR2A gene encoding serotonin receptor 2a following Bonferroni correction for multiple testing (p = 0.0007) both for males and females. Taking the four BPAQ subscales individually, scores for Hostility, Anger and Physical Aggression showed significant association with rs7322347 T allele in themselves, while no association was found with Verbal Aggression. Of the subscales, relationship with rs7322347 was strongest in the case of Hostility, where statistical significance virtually equaled that observed with the whole BPAQ. In conclusion, this is the first study to our knowledge analyzing SNPs in a wide variety of genes in terms of aggression in a large sample-size non-clinical adult population, also describing a novel candidate polymorphism as predisposal to aggressive traits.
Journal of physiological anthropology, 2018
Current knowledge on genetic basis of aggressive behavior is still contradictory. This may be due to the fact that the majority of studies targeting associations between candidate genes and aggression are conducted on industrial societies and mainly dealing with various types of psychopathology and disorders. Because of that, our study was carried on healthy adult individuals of both sex (n = 853). Three populations were examined: two traditional (Hadza and Datoga) and one industrial (Russians), and the association of aggression with the following polymorphisms 5-HTTLPR, rs6295 (5HTR1A gene), and rs6311 (5HTR2A gene) were tested. Aggression was measured as total self-ratings on Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Distributions of allelic frequencies of 5-HTTLPR and 5HTR1A polymorphisms were significantly different among the three populations. Consequently, the association analyses for these two candidate genes were carried out separately for each population, while for the 5HTR2A po...
Genetic and neurobiological aspects of anger and aggressiveness
To date, research on anger and human aggression is one of the most challenging fields for genetics and neurobiology. Nevertheless, its objects continue to be inconsistently defined and to generate incomplete theoretical models. Moreover, most studies on anger and its related constructs, such as aggression, impulsivity and violence, are generally based on specific samples (e.g. patients with personality disorders or violent offenders) rather than on non-clinical subjects. Notwithstanding, twin and family studies suggest that some forms of human aggression, particularly irritable/impulsive aggression, may have substantial heritability. Gene-environment interactions are supposed to play a major role in the development of aggression and antisocial behaviors, in the sense that individuals with a biological risk for aggression may be particularly vulnerable to the effect of psychosocial adversity. For example, genes for the serotonin transporter and monoamine oxidase type A (MAO-A) may in...
Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 2006
Background: Dysregulation of central nervous system serotonergic (5-HT) activity is implicated in behavioral states and psychological traits associated with depression and aggression, with some studies suggesting possible gender-related differences. Purpose: This study examined the relation of free plasma tryptophan (TRP) to aggression and depression in a sample of 138 nonsmoking adults recruited from the general community. It was hypothesized that TRP would be associated with anger, hostility, and aggression. Methods: To minimize effects of diurnal variation and menstrual cycle, fasting blood samples were collected in the morning, and, for women, during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Participants were administered questionnaires following blood draw. Plasma TRP was determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Results: In women, but not men, higher levels of TRP were associated with trait hostility, propensity for anger, a tendency to express anger outwardly, and an antagonistic interpersonal style. For men and women, greater severity of depressive symptoms, anger, and the verbal expression of anger were associated with higher TRP. These associations were independent of age, body mass index, fasting albumin, and race and ethnicity. Conclusions: These data suggest that in women, but not men, higher plasma levels of TRP, the precursor to 5-HT, are associated with anger-hostility-aggression and that these associations are independent of various potential confounds. Implications of these observations to studies employing acute TRP depletion studies are discussed.
Genetics of human aggressive behaviour
Human Genetics, 2009
A consideration of the evolutionary, physiological and anthropological aspects of aggression suggests that individual diVerences in such behaviour will have important genetic as well as environmental underpinning. Surveys of the likely pathways controlling the physiological and neuronal processes involved highlight, as obvious targets to investigate, genes implicated in sexual diVerentiation, anxiety, stress response and the serotonin neurotransmitter pathway. To date, however, association studies on single candidates have provided little evidence for any such loci with a major eVect size. This may be because genes do not operate independently, but function against a background in which other genetic and environmental factors are crucial. Indeed, a series of recent studies, particularly concentrating on the serotonin and norepinephrine metabolising enzyme, monoamine oxidase A, has emphasised the necessity of examining gene by environmental interactions if the contributions of individual loci are to be understood. These Wndings will have major signiWcance for the interpretation and analysis of data from detailed whole genome association studies. Functional imaging studies of genetic variants aVecting serotonin pathways have also provided valuable insights into potential links between genes, brain and aggressive behaviour.
Yonsei Medical Journal, 2010
Purpose: We investigated the association between the tryptohan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) gene and aggression in schizophrenia in a Korean population. Materials and Methods: The sample included 61 aggressive patients as well as 104 non-aggressive patients from psychiatric hospitals and 335 healthy volunteers in Korea. Blood samples were collected from all participants for TPH1 A218C genotyping. The patients were administered standard psychiatric interviews as well as a self-report questionnaire for anger-related traits. Results: In the case-control phenotypic comparisons, there was no significant association between the aggressive patients and the TPH1 A218C polymorphism. There was no significant effect of the TPH1 genotype on the anger-related traits, or no significant interaction between the genotype and group (aggressive and non-aggressive patients). Conclusion: These findings suggest that TPH1 does not play a major role in aggressive behavior via anger in schizophrenic patients.