Jamie Vaske

A gene × gene interaction between DRD2 and DRD4 is associated with conduct disorder and antisocial behavior in males

BackgroundAntisocial behaviors are complex polygenic phenotypes that are due to a multifactorial arrangement of genetic polymorphisms. Little empirical research, however, has been undertaken that examines gene × gene interactions in the etiology of conduct disorder and antisocial behavior. This study examined whether adolescent conduct disorder and adult antisocial behavior were related to the dopamine D2 receptor polymorphism (DRD2) and the dopamine D4 receptor polymorphism (DRD4).MethodsA sample of 872 male participants from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) completed self-report questionnaires that tapped adolescent conduct disorder and adult antisocial behavior. DNA was genotyped for DRD2 and DRD4.ResultsMultivariate regression analysis revealed that neither DRD2 nor DRD4 had significant independent effects on conduct disorder or antisocial behavior. However, DRD2 interacted with DRD4 to predict variation in adolescent conduct disorder and in adult antisocial behavior.ConclusionThe results suggest that a gene × gene interaction between DRD2 and DRD4 is associated with the development of conduct disorder and adult antisocial behavior in males.

Lombroso's Legacy: The Miseducation of Criminologists

This study examines the extent to which criminal justice and criminology Ph.D. students are exposed to contemporary biological and genetic findings associated with aggression and violence. Drawing on multiple sources of information, we find little evidence showing that Ph.D. students are exposed to any biological research on crime and offending. We examine the consequences for this “trained incompetence” and offer suggestions for remedying this deficiency. If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind. (John Stuart Mill)

The interaction of DRD2 and violent victimization on depression: An analysis by gender and race

BACKGROUND Recent research has shown that a polymorphism in the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) moderates the association between stressful life events and depression. The present study builds off this literature and examines whether DRD2 moderates the effect of violent victimization on depression. Furthermore, the current analyses investigate whether the effects of DRD2 and violent victimization vary by gender and by race for females. METHODS Respondents from waves II and III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) completed questionnaires regarding their depressive symptoms and violent victimization experiences (n = 2380). RESULTS Multivariate regression results reveal that violent victimization has a strong independent effect on depressive symptoms for Caucasian females. In contrast, violent victimization is only associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms among African American females when they carry at least one A1 allele of DRD2. Results also show that DRD2 has a significant independent effect on depressive symptoms for males and African American females. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that African American females who carry the A1 allele of DRD2 may be more vulnerable to the negative effects of violent victimization than African American females who do not carry at least one copy of the A1 allele. LIMITATIONS The current studys findings may not generalize to clinical populations, adults, and individuals residing in other countries. In addition, the effects of DRD2 may reflect other polymorphisms that are in linkage with DRD2.

An interaction between DAT1 and having an alcoholic father predicts serious alcohol problems in a sample of males

The current study examines whether the dopamine transporter (DAT1) VNTR polymorphism and paternal alcoholism are related to serious alcohol problems. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we found that the DAT1 polymorphism interacted with paternal alcoholism to predict serious alcohol problems among males. Specifically, the 10-repeat allele conferred an increase of alcohol problems only among males who also had an alcoholic father; the 10-repeat allele was unrelated to alcohol problems for males without an alcoholic father. Coefficient tests revealed that this interaction effect was stronger among African-American males. Females who possessed the 9-repeat allele were more likely to report serious alcohol problems, but this effect was not moderated by paternal alcoholism. These analyses suggest that additive and interactive effects of DAT1 and paternal alcoholism may operate differently across genders and races.

Genetic risk, parent–child relations, and antisocial phenotypes in a sample of African-American males

Gene x environment interactions have been found to be associated with the development of antisocial behaviors. The extant gene x environment research, however, has failed to measure directly the ways in which global measures of genetic risk may interact with a putative environmental risk factor. The current study addresses this gap in the literature and examines the interrelationships among a global measure of genetic risk based on five genetic polymorphisms, a measure of parent-child relations, and eight antisocial phenotypes. Analysis of African-American males (N = 145 to 159) drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) revealed two broad findings. First, the genetic risk and parent-child relations scales were inconsistently related to the outcome variables. Second, genetic risk and parent-child relations interacted to predict variation in all of the eight antisocial phenotype measures. These findings point to the possibility that measures of genetic risk that are based on multiple polymorphisms can be employed to examine the gene x environmental basis to antisocial behavioral phenotypes.

Mechanisms Linking Depression to Delinquency for Males and Females

The current study examines whether the mechanisms underlying the relationship between depression and delinquency vary between male and female adolescents. Four potential mechanisms are considered in the analyses: weakened internal controls, weakened social controls, peer rejection, and substance use. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth—Child and Young Adult data reveal that depression increases the odds of peer rejection for males, which subsequently increases males’ involvement in delinquency. Results suggest that substance abuse mediates the relationship between depression and delinquency for female adolescents.Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Genetic and Environmental Contributions to the Relationship Between Violent Victimization and Criminal Behavior

Studies have shown that there is a significant association between violent victimization and criminal behavior. One potential explanation for this association is that genetically mediated processes contribute to both violent victimization and criminal behavior. The current study uses data from the twin sample of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 2,568) to examine whether genetic and/or environmental factors explain the correlation between violent victimization and criminal behavior in adolescence and early adulthood. Results from the bivariate genetic analyses reveal that genetic factors explain 39% of the covariance between violent victimization and delinquency in adolescence and 20% of the correlation between violent victimization and criminal behavior in early adulthood. The remaining covariance between violent victimization and criminal behaviors is attributed to the same nonshared environmental factors operating on both. The implications of these findings in relation to the victimization literature are discussed.

Gender, genetic risk, and criminal behavior.

The threshold hypothesis asserts that the prevalence of offending is lower among females because females have a higher threshold for risk than males. As a result, females who do offend should exhibit greater concentrations of genetic and environmental risk than male offenders. In light of these statements, the current study examines the role of genetic factors in the etiology of female offending using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The results reveal that the genetic risk threshold is higher for females than for males. However, contrary to the threshold hypothesis, female offenders exhibit fewer genetic risks than male offenders.

Blood Lead Levels in Early Childhood Predict Adulthood Psychopathy

Using data from the Cincinnati Lead Study, this study examines the effects of postnatal blood lead concentrations in early childhood (78 months) on adult psychopathy and six subscales of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory. Results reveal that higher blood lead concentrations in early childhood are associated with higher levels of psychopathic symptoms in adulthood, controlling for the effects of gender, race, mothers IQ, childs intellectual achievement, and the quality of the home environment. Childhood lead levels predicted variation in Machiavellian Egocentricity, Social Potency, Impulsive Nonconformity, and Blame Externalization. Overall, these results implicate lead exposure in the etiology of psychopathy.

The Effects of Differential Parenting on Sibling Differences in Self-Control and Delinquency Among Brother–Sister Pairs

Gottfredson and Hirschi acknowledge that there are sex differences in levels of self-control, with males exhibiting lower levels of self-control compared to females. There remains a gap in the empirical literature, however, as to whether differential parental treatment can explain differences in levels of self-control across the sexes. Using siblings of opposite sex from the Add Health study (N = 356, brother–sister pairs) and following a within-family research design, the current study examines whether differences in parenting behaviors within the home are associated with sex differences in self-control between siblings and whether these differences in self-control explained sex differences in delinquency. The results revealed that differential maternal attachment and differential maternal rejection were significantly related to sex differences in self-control. Sex differences in self-control, in turn, were significantly associated with sex differences in delinquency. The findings also showed that sex differences in self-control mediated the association between differential maternal rejection and delinquency, but that differential maternal attachment was indirectly associated with higher levels of delinquency for boys via lower levels of self-control. The impact of nonshared environmental factors on behavioral differences in opposite-sex siblings within the home is discussed.