samvaknin
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“Warrior gene” reported rife among young thugs
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/090605-maoa
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“Warrior gene” reported rife among young thugs
June 5, 2009
Courtesy Florida State University
and World Science staff
Boys carrying a particular variant of a gene are unusually likely to join gangs—and to be among their most violent, highly armed members, a new study has found. The research linked a gene called monoamine oxidase A, or MAOA, to gangs and guns.
The findings apply only to males; girls with the same genetic peculiarity seem resistant to its potentially violent effects, the researchers said.
Kevin M. Beaver of the Florida State University’s College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, who led the study, said it probes the interplay of genetics and environment that produces some of society’s most serious offenders.
“While gangs typically have been regarded as a sociological phenomenon, our investigation shows that variants of a specific MAOA gene, known as a ‘low-activity 3-repeat allele,’ play a significant role,” said Beaver.
“Previous research has linked low-activity MAOA variants to a wide range of antisocial, even violent, behavior, but our study confirms that these variants can predict gang membership,” he said. “Moreover, we found that variants of this gene could distinguish gang members who were markedly more likely to behave violently and use weapons” than other members.
The gene variant has sometimes been called the “warrior gene,” said Beaver.
The gene has been found to affect levels of mood- and behavior-related signaling molecules in the brain, called neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin. Variants related to violence have been found to be hereditary, researchers said. Some previous studies have found the “warrior gene” to be more prevalent in cultures typified by warfare and aggression.
“What’s interesting about the MAOA gene is its location on the X-chromosome,” Beaver said. “As a result, males, who have one X-chromosome and one Y-chromosome, possess only one copy of this gene, while females, who have two X-chromosomes, carry two. Thus, if a male has an allele [variant] for the MAOA gene that is linked to violence, there isn’t another copy to counteract it. Females, in contrast, have two copies, so even if they have one risk allele, they have another that could compensate for it.”
The study examined DNA data and lifestyle information drawn from more than 2,500 respondents to the U.S. National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a University of North Carolina survey of U.S. adolescents in grades 7-12 during the 1994-95 school year. Beaver and colleagues detailed their findings in a paper to be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry.
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Jun/15/2009, 11:08 am
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