psychotherapy
No Result
View All Result
Friday, July 11, 2025
  • Login
  • PUBLICATIONS/NEWS
Subscribe
psychotherapy
  • PUBLICATIONS/NEWS
No Result
View All Result
psychotherapy
No Result
View All Result
Home Uncategorized

Almost 600 Genetic Locations Linked to Antisocial Behavior, Addiction, and More Identified

by Mozhgan Jamshidi Eyni
August 29, 2021
in Uncategorized
0
Almost 600 Genetic Locations Linked to Antisocial Behavior, Addiction, and More Identified
153
SHARES
1.9k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Summary: Researchers have identified 579 genetic loci associated with increased risk of disorders associated with self-regulation disorders including addiction, ADHD, and anti-social behavior.

Source: Virginia Commonwealth University

An analysis of data from 1.5 million people has identified 579 locations in the genome associated with a predisposition to different behaviors and disorders related to self-regulation, including addiction and child behavioral problems.

With these findings, researchers have constructed a genetic risk score — a number reflecting a person’s overall genetic propensity based on how many risk variants they carry — that predicts a range of behavioral, medical and social outcomes, including education levels, obesity, opioid use disorder, suicide, HIV infections, criminal convictions and unemployment.

“[This study] illustrates that genes don’t code for a particular disorder or outcome; there are no genes ‘for’ substance use disorder, or ‘for’ behavior problems,” said joint senior author Danielle Dick, Ph.D., Commonwealth Professor of Psychology and Human and Molecular Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University. “Instead, genes influence the way our brains are wired, which can make us more at risk for certain outcomes. In this case, we find that there are genes that broadly influence self-control or impulsivity, and that this predisposition then confers risk for a variety of life outcomes.”

The study, “Multivariate analysis of 1.5 million people identifies genetic associations with traits related to self-regulation and addiction,” was published today in the journal Nature Neuroscience and was conducted by a consortium of 26 researchers at 17 institutions in the United States and the Netherlands.


It was led by Dick; Philipp Koellinger, Ph.D., professor of social science genetics at the University of Wisconsin Madison and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; Kathryn Paige Harden, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin; and Abraham A. Palmer, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego.

The study is one of the largest genome-wide association studies ever conducted, pooling data from an effective sample size of 1.5 million people of European descent. The researchers’ genetic risk score has one of the largest effect sizes — a measurement of the prediction power — of any genetic risk score for a behavioral outcome to date.

“It demonstrates the far-reaching effects of carrying a genetic liability toward lower self-control, impacting many important life outcomes,” said Dick, a professor in the Department of Psychology in the College of Humanities and Sciences and the Department Human and Molecular Genetics in the School of Medicine at VCU. “We hope that a greater understanding of how individual genetic differences contribute to vulnerability can reduce stigma and blame surrounding many of these behaviors, such as behavior problems in children and substance use disorders.”

The identification of the more than 500 genetic loci is important, the researchers said, because it provides new insight into our understanding of behaviors and disorders related to self-regulation, collectively referred to as “externalizing” and that have a shared genetic liability.

“We know that regulating behavior is a critical component of many important life outcomes — from substance use and behavioral disorders, like ADHD, to medical outcomes ranging from suicide to obesity, to educational outcomes like college completion,” Dick said.

Characterizing the genetic contributions to self-regulation can be helpful in myriad ways, she said.

“It allows us to better understand the biology behind why some people are more at risk, which can assist with medication development, and it can allow us to know who is more at risk, so we can put early intervention and prevention programs in place,” she said. “Identifying genetic risk factors is a critical component of precision medicine, which has the goal of using information about an individual’s genetic and environmental risk factors to deliver more tailored, effective intervention specific to that individual’s risk profile.”

The researchers noted, however, that having a higher risk profile isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“For example, CEOs, entrepreneurs and fighter pilots are often higher on risk taking,” Dick said. “DNA is not destiny. We all have unique genetic codes, and we’re all at risk for something; but understanding one’s predisposition can be empowering — it can help individuals understand their strengths, and their potential challenges, and act accordingly.”

Abstract

Multivariate analysis of 1.5 million people identifies genetic associations with traits related to self-regulation and addiction

Behaviors and disorders related to self-regulation, such as substance use, antisocial behavior and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, are collectively referred to as externalizing and have shared genetic liability.

We applied a multivariate approach that leverages genetic correlations among externalizing traits for genome-wide association analyses. By pooling data from ~1.5 million people, our approach is statistically more powerful than single-trait analyses and identifies more than 500 genetic loci. The loci were enriched for genes expressed in the brain and related to nervous system development.

A polygenic score constructed from our results predicts a range of behavioral and medical outcomes that were not part of genome-wide analyses, including traits that until now lacked well-performing polygenic scores, such as opioid use disorder, suicide, HIV infections, criminal convictions and unemployment.

Our findings are consistent with the idea that persistent difficulties in self-regulation can be conceptualized as a neurodevelopmental trait with complex and far-reaching social and health correlates.

Source: Virginia Commonwealth University

Original Research: Closed access.
“Multivariate analysis of 1.5 million people identifies genetic associations with traits related to self-regulation and addiction” by Richard Karlsson Linnér, Travis T. Mallard, Peter B. Barr, Sandra Sanchez-Roige, James W. Madole, Morgan N. Driver, Holly E. Poore, Ronald de Vlaming, Andrew D. Grotzinger, Jorim J. Tielbeek, Emma C. Johnson, Mengzhen Liu, Sara Brin Rosenthal, Trey Ideker, Hang Zhou, Rachel L. Kember, Joëlle A. Pasman, Karin J. H. Verweij, Dajiang J. Liu, Scott Vrieze, Bernice Porjesz, Victor Hesselbrock, Tatiana M. Foroud, Arpana Agrawal, Howard J. Edenberg, John I. Nurnberger Jr, Yunlong Liu, Samuel Kuperman, John Kramer, Jacquelyn L. Meyer, Chella Kamarajan, Ashwini K. Pandey, Laura Bierut, John Rice, Kathleen K. Bucholz, Marc A. Schuckit, Jay Tischfield, Andrew Brooks, Ronald P. Hart, Laura Almasy, Danielle M. Dick, Jessica E. Salvatore, Allison Goate, Manav Kapoor, Paul Slesinger, Denise M. Scott, Lance Bauer, Leah Wetherill, Xiaoling Xuei, Dongbing Lai, Sean J. O’Connor, Martin H. Plawecki, Spencer Lourens, Laura Acion, Grace Chan, David B. Chorlian, Jian Zhang, Sivan Kinreich, Gayathri Pandey, Michael J. Chao, Andrey P. Anokhin, Vivia V. McCutcheon, Scott Saccone, Fazil Aliev, Peter B. Barr, Hemin Chin, Abbas Parsian, Henry R. Kranzler, Joel Gelernter, Kathleen Mullan Harris, Elliot M. Tucker-Drob, Irwin D. Waldman, Abraham A. Palmer, K. Paige Harden, Philipp D. Koellinger, Danielle M. Dick. Nature Neuroscience

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Hans Eysenck’s Trait Theory of Personality

Hans Eysenck’s Trait Theory of Personality

August 12, 2021
Uninvolved Parenting – Why It’s The Worst Parenting Style

Uninvolved Parenting – Why It’s The Worst Parenting Style

July 25, 2021
The Müller-Lyer illusion in Psychology

The Müller-Lyer illusion in Psychology

August 12, 2021
Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

October 10, 2021
Thyroid Hormones and Blood Sugar Linked to Major Depressive Disorder Severity

Thyroid Hormones and Blood Sugar Linked to Major Depressive Disorder Severity

0
Anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa

0
Bulimia nervosa

Bulimia nervosa

0
Binge-eating Disorder

Binge-eating Disorder

0
Thyroid Hormones and Blood Sugar Linked to Major Depressive Disorder Severity

Thyroid Hormones and Blood Sugar Linked to Major Depressive Disorder Severity

June 20, 2023
Alterations in Alcohol Consumption Echo Depression Symptom Changes

Alterations in Alcohol Consumption Echo Depression Symptom Changes

June 18, 2023
Is Cannabis Use Disorder A Stepping Stone to Mental Health Disorders?

Is Cannabis Use Disorder A Stepping Stone to Mental Health Disorders?

June 16, 2023
Mapping Emotion Recognition in Children

Mapping Emotion Recognition in Children

June 10, 2023

Recent News

Thyroid Hormones and Blood Sugar Linked to Major Depressive Disorder Severity

Thyroid Hormones and Blood Sugar Linked to Major Depressive Disorder Severity

June 20, 2023
Alterations in Alcohol Consumption Echo Depression Symptom Changes

Alterations in Alcohol Consumption Echo Depression Symptom Changes

June 18, 2023

Categories

  • Abnormal Psychology
  • Addiction
  • ADHD, Adult
  • ADHD, Childhood
  • Alcohol Use
  • Anorexia
  • Anxiety
  • APA Format
  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Binge Drinking
  • Binge Eating
  • Biological Psychology
  • Biopsychology
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Blog
  • Borderline Personality Disorder
  • Borderline Personality Disorder(BPD)
  • Brain Health
  • Brain Health
  • Caffeine Addiction
  • Cannabis Use
  • Child Development
  • Classical Conditioning
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Cognitive Development
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Color Psychology
  • Counseling Psychology
  • Cross-Cultural Psychology
  • Debates in Psychology
  • Depression
  • Depression, Childhood
  • Development Psychology
  • Dreaming
  • Drug Use
  • DSM-5 E
  • Eating Disorders
  • Educational Psychology
  • Emotional Abuse
  • Emotions
  • Experimental Psychology
  • Extroversion
  • Forensic Psychology
  • Goal Setting
  • Grief & Loss
  • Happiness
  • Happiness
  • Health Psychology
  • Healthy Aging
  • Hierarchy of Needs
  • History
  • Holistic Health
  • Household Stress
  • Inspiration
  • Intelligence
  • Introversion
  • IQ Scores
  • Job Stress
  • Kleptomania
  • Learning Styles
  • LGBTQ
  • Loneliness
  • Mania and Hypomania
  • Marital Issues
  • Meditation
  • Meditation
  • Memory
  • Mental Exercises
  • Mental Health A-Z
  • Mental Health Technology
  • Mindfulness
  • Mood Disorders
  • Motivation
  • Nature vs. Nurture
  • Nicotine Use
  • Nonverbal Communication
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder(OCD)
  • Online Therapy
  • Operant Conditioning
  • Opioid Use
  • Panic Disorder
  • Parenting Styles
  • Passive Aggression
  • Personal Growth
  • personality disorder
  • Personality Disorders
  • Personality Psychology
  • Personality Types
  • Positive Psychology
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Psychologist Biographies
  • Psychology 101
  • Psychology Careers
  • Psychology Theories
  • Psychosexual Development
  • Psychosocial Development
  • Psychosocial Psychology
  • Psychotherapy
  • PTSD
  • PUBLICATIONS/NEWS
  • Quit Smoking
  • Race and Identity
  • Recovery
  • Relationship Stress
  • Relationships
  • Relationships
  • Schizoid Personality Disorder
  • Schizophrenia
  • Schizotypal Personality Disorder(SPD)
  • School Psychology
  • Selective mutism (SM)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Self-Improvement
  • Separation anxiety disorder
  • Sex Addiction
  • Sexuality
  • Shopping Addiction
  • Situational Stress
  • Sleep
  • Social Anxiety Disorder
  • Social Learning Theory
  • Social Psychology
  • Sports Psychology
  • Stress Management
  • Stress Management
  • Suicide
  • Technology Addiction
  • Theories
  • therapy
  • Therapy Types
  • Uncategorized
  • Violence and Abuse
  • Workplace Bullying

Site Navigation

  • Home
  • Advertisement
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Other Links
psychotherapy

We bring you the best Premium WordPress Themes that perfect for news, magazine, personal blog, etc. Check our landing page for details.

© 2025 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • PUBLICATIONS/NEWS

© 2025 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
-
00:00
00:00

Queue

Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00