Citation

Young SE, Smolen A, Hewitt JK, Haberstick BC, Stallings MC, Corley RP, Crowley TJ. Am. J. Psychiatry 2006; 163(6): 1019-1025.

Affiliation

Institute for Behavioral Genetics, UCB 447, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80301, USA.

Comment In:

Am J Psychiatry 2006;163(6):951-3

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, American Psychiatric Association)

DOI

10.1176/appi.ajp.163.6.1019

PMID

16741202

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Childhood maltreatment is a potent risk factor for subsequent aggressive and criminal behavior. A recent study suggested that the relationship between maltreatment and antisocial behavior may be moderated by a genetic vulnerability conferred by a functional polymorphism in the MAO-A gene. The authors investigated whether these findings would generalize to a clinical cohort of adolescents, examining whether there was a stronger association between maltreatment and conduct disorder severity in patients carrying the low MAO-A activity allele. METHOD: Male adolescent patients (N=247) entering residential or intensive day treatment for persistent conduct and substance use problems were examined. Conduct disorder severity was indexed by a lifetime count of DSM-IV criteria obtained through structured psychiatric interviews. Maltreatment scores were derived from summing neglect and abuse events reported to have occurred before age 11. RESULTS: Neglect, verbal/psychological abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse were prevalent among patients. Although level of maltreatment and lifetime conduct disorder symptoms were significantly correlated, no genetic-environmental interaction with genotype for maltreatment was found. CONCLUSION: The results of the current study do not support the hypothesis that a polymorphism in the gene encoding MAO-A contributes to the genetic risk for conduct disorder.

Language: en