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Genetics May 1974Methods are described for the isolation, complementation and mapping of mutants of Caenorhabditis elegans, a small free-living nematode worm. About 300 EMS-induced...
Methods are described for the isolation, complementation and mapping of mutants of Caenorhabditis elegans, a small free-living nematode worm. About 300 EMS-induced mutants affecting behavior and morphology have been characterized and about one hundred genes have been defined. Mutations in 77 of these alter the movement of the animal. Estimates of the induced mutation frequency of both the visible mutants and X chromosome lethals suggests that, just as in Drosophila, the genetic units in C. elegans are large.
Topics: Animals; Chromosome Mapping; Crosses, Genetic; Female; Genes, Lethal; Genetic Complementation Test; Genetic Linkage; Genetics, Behavioral; Male; Mesylates; Movement; Mutation; Nematoda; Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; Phenotype; Recombination, Genetic; Reproduction; Sex Chromosomes
PubMed: 4366476
DOI: 10.1093/genetics/77.1.71 -
Genetics Oct 2020' behavioral states, like those of other animals, are shaped by its immediate environment, its past experiences, and by internal factors. We here review the literature... (Review)
Review
' behavioral states, like those of other animals, are shaped by its immediate environment, its past experiences, and by internal factors. We here review the literature on behavioral states and their regulation. We discuss dwelling and roaming, local and global search, mate finding, sleep, and the interaction between internal metabolic states and behavior.
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Caenorhabditis elegans; Energy Metabolism; Genetics, Behavioral; Sleep
PubMed: 33023930
DOI: 10.1534/genetics.120.303539 -
PLoS Genetics Feb 2019
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Female; Genetics, Behavioral; Humans; Male; Neurosciences; Research Design
PubMed: 30817793
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008014 -
Harvard Review of Psychiatry 2017Although emerging findings in psychiatric and behavioral genetics create hope for improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders, the introduction of such... (Review)
Review
Although emerging findings in psychiatric and behavioral genetics create hope for improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders, the introduction of such data as evidence in criminal and civil proceedings raises a host of ethical, legal, and social issues. Should behavioral and psychiatric genetic data be admissible in judicial proceedings? If so, what are the various means for obtaining such evidence, and for what purposes should its admission be sought and permitted? How could-and should-such evidence affect judicial outcomes in criminal and civil proceedings? And what are the potential implications of using behavioral and psychiatric genetic evidence for individuals and communities, and for societal values of equality and justice? This article provides an overview of the historical and current developments in behavioral genetics. We then explore the extent to which behavioral genetic evidence has-and should-affect determinations of criminal responsibility and sentencing, as well as the possible ramifications of introducing such evidence in civil courts, with a focus on tort litigation and child custody disputes. We also consider two ways in which behavioral genetic evidence may come to court in the future-through genetic theft or the subpoena of a litigant's biospecimen data that was previously obtained for clinical or research purposes-and the concerns that these possibilities raise. Finally, we highlight the need for caution and for approaches to prevent the misuse of behavioral genetic evidence in courts.
Topics: Crime; Genetics, Behavioral; Humans; Jurisprudence
PubMed: 29117024
DOI: 10.1097/HRP.0000000000000141 -
Genes, Brain, and Behavior Mar 2018What was once expensive and revolutionary-full-genome sequence-is now affordable and routine. Costs will continue to drop, opening up new frontiers in behavioral... (Review)
Review
UNLABELLED
What was once expensive and revolutionary-full-genome sequence-is now affordable and routine. Costs will continue to drop, opening up new frontiers in behavioral genetics. This shift in costs from the genome to the phenome is most notable in large clinical studies of behavior and associated diseases in cohorts that exceed hundreds of thousands of subjects. Examples include the Women's Health Initiative (www.whi.org), the Million Veterans Program (www.
RESEARCH
va.gov/MVP), the 100 000 Genomes Project (genomicsengland.co.uk) and commercial efforts such as those by deCode (www.decode.com) and 23andme (www.23andme.com). The same transition is happening in experimental neuro- and behavioral genetics, and sample sizes of many hundreds of cases are becoming routine (www.genenetwork.org, www.mousephenotyping.org). There are two major consequences of this new affordability of massive omics datasets: (1) it is now far more practical to explore genetic modulation of behavioral differences and the key role of gene-by-environment interactions. Researchers are already doing the hard part-the quantitative analysis of behavior. Adding the omics component can provide powerful links to molecules, cells, circuits and even better treatment. (2) There is an acute need to highlight and train behavioral scientists in how best to exploit new omics approaches. This review addresses this second issue and highlights several new trends and opportunities that will be of interest to experts in animal and human behaviors.
Topics: Animals; Chromosome Mapping; Genetics, Behavioral; Genomics; Genotype; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Humans; Phenotype; Quantitative Trait Loci
PubMed: 29193773
DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12441 -
Behavior Genetics May 2016We introduce and discuss a special issue on prenatal factors in genetics research, that includes 14 papers ranging from studies on chorionicity, smoking during...
We introduce and discuss a special issue on prenatal factors in genetics research, that includes 14 papers ranging from studies on chorionicity, smoking during pregnancy, and more general prenatal risks to papers about theory, methods and measurement. There are two review papers, one focused on chorioncity and the second on pre- and perinatal ischemia-hypoxia, that help to frame the state of research in these areas with a focus on the relevance across multiple fields of study. Taken together, these papers clearly demonstrate the importance of considering prenatal environment influences on functioning in offspring across the lifespan while also underscoring the importance of using genetically informed designs as a means to clarify causality.
Topics: Female; Genetics, Behavioral; Humans; Pregnancy; Smoking
PubMed: 27085879
DOI: 10.1007/s10519-016-9790-6 -
Behavior Genetics Mar 2023A century after the first twin and adoption studies of behavior in the 1920s, this review looks back on the journey and celebrates milestones in behavioral genetic... (Review)
Review
A century after the first twin and adoption studies of behavior in the 1920s, this review looks back on the journey and celebrates milestones in behavioral genetic research. After a whistle-stop tour of early quantitative genetic research and the parallel journey of molecular genetics, the travelogue focuses on the last fifty years. Just as quantitative genetic discoveries were beginning to slow down in the 1990s, molecular genetics made it possible to assess DNA variation directly. From a rocky start with candidate gene association research, by 2005 the technological advance of DNA microarrays enabled genome-wide association studies, which have successfully identified some of the DNA variants that contribute to the ubiquitous heritability of behavioral traits. The ability to aggregate the effects of thousands of DNA variants in polygenic scores has created a DNA revolution in the behavioral sciences by making it possible to use DNA to predict individual differences in behavior from early in life.
Topics: Genome-Wide Association Study; Genetics, Behavioral; Phenotype; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Multifactorial Inheritance
PubMed: 36662387
DOI: 10.1007/s10519-023-10132-3 -
Annual Review of Genomics and Human... 2013The field of behavioral genetics has engendered a host of moral and social concerns virtually since its inception. The policy implications of a genetic basis for... (Review)
Review
The field of behavioral genetics has engendered a host of moral and social concerns virtually since its inception. The policy implications of a genetic basis for behaviors are widespread and extend beyond the clinic to the socially important realms of education, criminal justice, childbearing, and child rearing. The development of new techniques and analytic approaches, including whole-genome sequencing, noninvasive prenatal genetic testing, and optogenetics, has clearly changed the study of behavioral genetics. However, the social context of biomedical research has also changed profoundly over the past few decades, and in ways that are especially relevant to behavioral genetics. The ever-widening scope of behavioral genetics raises ethical, legal, social, and policy issues in the potential new applications to criminal justice, education, the military, and reproduction. These issues are especially critical to address because of their potentially disproportionate effects on vulnerable populations such as children, the unborn, and the incarcerated.
Topics: Behavioral Symptoms; Crime; Genetic Testing; Genetics, Behavioral; Genomics; Humans
PubMed: 23452225
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genom-090711-163743 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Jul 2022The question of the heritability of behavior has been of long fascination to scientists and the broader public. It is now widely accepted that most behavioral variation...
The question of the heritability of behavior has been of long fascination to scientists and the broader public. It is now widely accepted that most behavioral variation has a genetic component, although the degree of genetic influence differs widely across behaviors. Starting with Mendel's remarkable discovery of "inheritance factors," it has become increasingly clear that specific genetic variants that influence behavior can be identified. This goal is not without its challenges: Unlike pea morphology, most natural behavioral variation has a complex genetic architecture. However, we can now apply powerful genome-wide approaches to connect variation in DNA to variation in behavior as well as analyses of behaviorally related variation in brain gene expression, which together have provided insights into both the genetic mechanisms underlying behavior and the dynamic relationship between genes and behavior, respectively, in a wide range of species and for a diversity of behaviors. Here, we focus on two systems to illustrate both of these approaches: the genetic basis of burrowing in deer mice and transcriptomic analyses of division of labor in honey bees. Finally, we discuss the troubled relationship between the field of behavioral genetics and eugenics, which reminds us that we must be cautious about how we discuss and contextualize the connections between genes and behavior, especially in humans.
Topics: Animals; Bees; Genetics, Behavioral; Genomics; Heredity; Humans; Inheritance Patterns; Mice; Pisum sativum
PubMed: 35858398
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2122154119 -
Genetics Apr 2018Sleep is crucial for survival and well-being. This behavioral and physiological state has been studied in all major genetically accessible model animals, including... (Review)
Review
Sleep is crucial for survival and well-being. This behavioral and physiological state has been studied in all major genetically accessible model animals, including rodents, fish, flies, and worms. Genetic and optogenetic studies have identified several neurons that control sleep, making it now possible to compare circuit mechanisms across species. The "motor" of sleep across animal species is formed by neurons that depolarize at the onset of sleep to actively induce this state by directly inhibiting wakefulness. These sleep-inducing neurons are themselves controlled by inhibitory or activating upstream pathways, which act as the "drivers" of the sleep motor: arousal inhibits "sleep-active" neurons whereas various sleep-promoting "tiredness" pathways converge onto sleep-active neurons to depolarize them. This review provides the first overview of sleep-active neurons across the major model animals. The occurrence of sleep-active neurons and their regulation by upstream pathways in both vertebrate and invertebrate species suggests that these neurons are general and ancient components that evolved early in the history of nervous systems.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Humans; Mammals; Models, Animal; Neurons; Sleep
PubMed: 29618588
DOI: 10.1534/genetics.117.300521