Citation

Van der Laan CM, Morosoli-García JJ, van de Weijer SGA, Colodro-Conde L, Lupton MK, Mitchell BL, McAloney K, Parker R, Burns JM, Hickie IB, Pool R, Hottenga JJ, Martin NG, Medland SE, Nivard MG, Boomsma DI. Behav. Genet. 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10519-021-10076-6

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

We test whether genetic influences that explain individual differences in aggression in early life also explain individual differences across the life-course. In two cohorts from The Netherlands (N = 13,471) and Australia (N = 5628), polygenic scores (PGSs) were computed based on a genome-wide meta-analysis of childhood/adolescence aggression. In a novel analytic approach, we ran a mixed effects model for each age (Netherlands: 12-70 years, Australia: 16-73 years), with observations at the focus age weighted as 1, and decaying weights for ages further away. We call this approach a 'rolling weights' model. In The Netherlands, the estimated effect of the PGS was relatively similar from age 12 to age 41, and decreased from age 41-70. In Australia, there was a peak in the effect of the PGS around age 40 years. These results are a first indication from a molecular genetics perspective that genetic influences on aggressive behavior that are expressed in childhood continue to play a role later in life.

Language: en

Keywords

Aggression; Development; Aggressive behavior; Life-course; Polygenic score; Rolling weights