Sunday, November 2, 2014

Violent Behaviour Related to Gene Mutaion


A team of Swedish investigators lead by Dr. Jari Tihonen, identified two gene mutations that appear to be linked to violent behavior.  Dr. Jari Tiihonen, is a professor in the department of clinical neuroscience with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. He said that their study suggests that 10% of the crimes being committed were due to the two gene mutations.

The two mutations identified by the team involved the versions of genes MAOA and CDH13. The genetic mutation that involved the version MAOA, short circuited the usual way the hormone dopamine was processed and controlled. A previous research conducted suggested that excess of dopamine could promote aggressive behavior, especially when mixed with alcohol or drugs consumption.

The other mutation involving the gene CDH13, impedes the development of normal neural connections and undermines the impulse control. This had previously been linked to the onset of ADHD too. Dr. Tihonen also added that, “I think that it is important to realize that there are probably many more genes that [also] contribute to violent behavior." He also added that simply carrying the mutation doesn’t mean that a person is destined to live a violent life. 
Violent Behavior triggered by a gene mutations

The study involved performing a genetic analysis on the DNA samples of 800 Finnish prisoners. Out of the 800, 215 were involved in “non-violent” crimes like property theft and drug dealings and the other 538 were involved in “extremely violent” and “violent” like murder and assault. These DNA samples were then compared with the DNA samples of 2000 non-incarcerated Finnish citizens.
Based on these genetic analyses, the researchers found that having the MAOA and CDH13 mutation was associated with a higher risk for being a violent offender. Neither of the mutation was found to be associated with the non-violent crime according to the study.

Tiihonen argued that the findings could be used to help some offenders break their cycle of repetitive violence. He said MAOA mutation carriers could be helped most certainly as their aggression is due to high levels of dopamine which is due to the consumption of alcohol and drugs. Tiihonen suggested that if the prisoners with the MAOA mutation should be given a shorter sentence if they agree to take dopamine depressant two to three times a week under strict supervision.

Kevin Beaver, a professor with the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University in Tallahassee, said that "much remains unknown about which genes are involved [in violent behavior], and how they ultimately may predispose to different types of criminal behaviors."

This research is in initial stages as stated by Professor Beaver but I think it is very interesting to know that characteristics like violent behavior could be genetic too. If this research is carried out more into depth it will definitely help reduce the number of prisoners in the prisons and also lower­­­­ the crime rates. 



Related Article: Dopamine functions - http://www.news-medical.net/health/Dopamine-Functions.aspx

1 comment:

  1. I'm now wondering what other behaviors and emotions have been linked to certain genes for certain people! I mean if prisoners with violent behavior have some correlation with certain genes, then do people with other traits have some genes that are linked? This kind of goes to show just how much genes can affect a persons behavior. One day it would be neat to see if a persons personality could be figured out just from a DNA test. Nice article.

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