Genetic variants implicated in personality: a review of the more promising candidates.
Alleles of the serotonin transporter gene (SERT) and the dopamine 4 receptor gene (DRD4) were first associated with anxiety-related and novelty-seeking personality traits, respectively, in 1996. These early successes precipitated a flood of research into the genetic basis of personality; a quest that has yet to yield decisive answers. Here, both the theoretical and the empirical evidence implicating specific loci-in particular SERT and DRD4-in the development of personality is evaluated. Despite a paucity of statistically significant results following post-hoc analysis, and an excess of positive results derived from studies with small sample sizes, the existence of a genuine effect is argued for: a gene-personality relationship rendered periodically latent through genetic epistasis, gene-environment interactions, variation in genetic background, and the presence of other confounding variables.[1]References
- Genetic variants implicated in personality: a review of the more promising candidates. Savitz, J.B., Ramesar, R.S. Am. J. Med. Genet. B Neuropsychiatr. Genet. (2004) [Pubmed]
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