The Genetics of Being a Daredevil

     Were you ever scared to take off the training wheels? How about go down the big hill? Were you scared to jump out of an airplane? Apparently there could be a genetic reason for why some people are adrenaline junkies and can mindlessly do life-threatening tasks with ease. It was believed that a gene called DRD4 is believed to be involved in developing dopamine receptors, which may lead to the increase in risky behavior. Cynthia Thomson, a graduate student at the University of British Columbia wanted to investigate this further. She wanted to investigate the behaviors of skiing and snowboarding, across the range of different levels of difficulty and thrill in the slope sports. She had volunteers fill out questionnaires, and then swapped their cheeks for DNA to test their DRD4 genes.

     What was found was that there was about a 3 percent difference in the behavior of risk takers and the more mellow people, but it was still statistically significant. Variables controlled were gender and sports exercise. Overall, this could lead to more research about the effects of the DRD4 gene on these activities, perhaps you can predict if your children will be giving you a heart attack every time they go outside and play. 

     Personally I thought this article was interesting because I myself am a risk-taker and don't really think of the consequences of doing something that a normal "ahead of time" thinker would do. I like extreme sports and I enjoy the rush of doing such. I do like the point the article made which was that, "Given no healthy outlet for their sensation seeking, such individuals might turn to more problematic behaviors, like gambling or drugs". Its important that to know that people have to control their behaviors and fill voids when necessary, and predicting if they have an overexcited DRD4 gene may be useful in saving their future. 

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