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Journal of Neurogenetics 2019
Topics: Genetics, Behavioral; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Japan
PubMed: 31142179
DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2019.1616720 -
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 -
Twin Research and Human Genetics : the... Dec 2022The University of Minnesota has played an important role in the resurgence and eventual mainstreaming of human behavioral genetics in psychology and psychiatry. We...
The University of Minnesota has played an important role in the resurgence and eventual mainstreaming of human behavioral genetics in psychology and psychiatry. We describe this history in the context of three major movements in behavioral genetics: (1) radical eugenics in the early 20th century, (2) resurgence of human behavioral genetics in the 1960s, largely using twin and adoption designs to obtain more precise estimates of genetic and environmental influences on individual differences in behavior; and (3) use of measured genotypes to understand behavior. University of Minnesota scientists made significant contributions especially in (2) and (3) in the domains of cognitive ability, drug abuse and mental health, and endophenotypes. These contributions are illustrated through a historical perspective of major figures and events in behavioral genetics.
Topics: Humans; History, 20th Century; Genetics, Behavioral; Eugenics; Cognition; Twins; Psychiatry
PubMed: 36734056
DOI: 10.1017/thg.2023.1 -
Behavior Genetics May 2019The role of non-shared environment (NSE) in the development of psychological traits is usually comparable with that of the genotype. However, no specific factors of NSE... (Review)
Review
The role of non-shared environment (NSE) in the development of psychological traits is usually comparable with that of the genotype. However, no specific factors of NSE with significant impact on such traits have been discovered so far. We propose that the current failures in understanding the origin of NSE are at least partly due to the fact that behavioral genetics has left out one of the key sources of phenotypic variation. This source is the intrinsic stochasticity of molecular processes underlying individual development. At the critical stages of ontogeny, even minor fluctuations in gene expression or gene-product functioning can remarkably affect the phenotype; this role is experimentally proved in multiple model organisms. In the present paper, several mechanisms of molecular stochasticity, which could affect the development of psychological traits, are discussed. We propose to distinguish external NSE (any external differences) and internal NSE (intrinsic molecular stochasticity). Available data indicate that the impact of external NSE is likely to be low, which makes the presumptive role of internal NSE rather decisive. If our assumption is true, the paradigm of behavioral genetics should be revised, and comprehensive analysis of molecular stochasticity during individual development is strongly required.
Topics: Environment; Gene Expression; Gene-Environment Interaction; Genetics, Behavioral; Genotype; Humans; Mental Health; Phenotype
PubMed: 30725340
DOI: 10.1007/s10519-019-09950-1 -
Forensic Science International Apr 2014Several questions arise from the recent use of behavioral genetic research data in the courtroom. Ethical issues concerning the influence of biological factors on human... (Review)
Review
Several questions arise from the recent use of behavioral genetic research data in the courtroom. Ethical issues concerning the influence of biological factors on human free will, must be considered when specific gene patterns are advocated to constrain court's judgment, especially regarding violent crimes. Aggression genetics studies are both difficult to interpret and inconsistent, hence, in the absence of a psychiatric diagnosis, genetic data are currently difficult to prioritize in the courtroom. The judge's probabilistic considerations in formulating a sentence must take into account causality, and the latter cannot be currently ensured by genetic data.
Topics: Aggression; Crime; Genetic Determinism; Genetics, Behavioral; Humans; Impulsive Behavior
PubMed: 24561558
DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.01.011 -
Behavioral Medicine (Washington, D.C.) 1996Genetics has substantial relevance to behavioral medicine. A rapidly growing body of evidence indicates the influence of genetics on health and disease and on the... (Review)
Review
Genetics has substantial relevance to behavioral medicine. A rapidly growing body of evidence indicates the influence of genetics on health and disease and on the behavioral factors related to them. The model of quantitative genetics provides a general interpretational scheme for this burgeoning field. The model focuses on variability, and a major research objective is the decomposition of observed individual differences into portions attributable to various types of genetic and environmental sources of variability. This approach emphasizes the coaction of genes and environments and stands in sharp contrast to the archaic view that places nature and nurture in opposition. Some relevant examples are given in this first article to illustrate the general analytic process. A detailed application to cardiovascular health and disease is provided in the second article, and some policy implications are briefly considered in the third article.
Topics: Alleles; Behavioral Medicine; Cytogenetics; Environment; Genetics, Behavioral; Humans; Phenotype; Research
PubMed: 9116384
DOI: 10.1080/08964289.1996.9933770 -
BMC Neuroscience Sep 2007This review focuses on behavioral genetic studies of sweet, umami, bitter and salt taste responses in mammals. Studies involving mouse inbred strain comparisons and... (Review)
Review
This review focuses on behavioral genetic studies of sweet, umami, bitter and salt taste responses in mammals. Studies involving mouse inbred strain comparisons and genetic analyses, and their impact on elucidation of taste receptors and transduction mechanisms are discussed. Finally, the effect of genetic variation in taste responsiveness on complex traits such as drug intake is considered. Recent advances in development of genomic resources make behavioral genetics a powerful approach for understanding mechanisms of taste.
Topics: Animals; Genetics, Behavioral; Humans; Taste; Taste Buds; Taste Threshold
PubMed: 17903279
DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-8-S3-S3 -
Journal of Neurogenetics Sep 2021The pursuit of understanding behavior has led to investigations of how genes, the environment, and the nervous system all work together to produce and influence... (Review)
Review
The pursuit of understanding behavior has led to investigations of how genes, the environment, and the nervous system all work together to produce and influence behavior, giving rise to a field of research known as behavioral neurogenetics. This review focuses on the research journeys of two pioneers of aspects of behavioral neurogenetic research: Dr. Marla Sokolowski and Dr. Catharine Rankin as examples of how different approaches have been used to understand relationships between genes and behavior. Marla Sokolowski's research is centered around the discovery and analysis of , a gene responsible for the natural behavioral polymorphism of larvae foraging behavior. Catharine Rankin's work began with demonstrating the ability to learn in and then setting out to investigate the mechanisms underlying the "simplest" form of learning, habituation. Using these simple invertebrate organisms both investigators were able to perform in-depth dissections of behavior at genetic and molecular levels. By exploring their research and highlighting their findings we present ways their work has furthered our understanding of behavior and contributed to the field of behavioral neurogenetics.
Topics: Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans; Drosophila; Genetics, Behavioral; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Learning
PubMed: 34151727
DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2021.1928113 -
Behavior Genetics Mar 2019While considerable research has examined how genetic explanations for behavior impact assessments of moral responsibility, results across studies have been inconsistent....
While considerable research has examined how genetic explanations for behavior impact assessments of moral responsibility, results across studies have been inconsistent. Some studies suggest that genetic accounts diminish ascriptions of responsibility, but others show no effect. Nonetheless, conclusions from behavior genetics are increasingly mobilized on behalf of defendants in court, suggesting a widespread intuition that this sort of information is relevant to assessments of blameworthiness. In this paper, we consider two sorts of reasons why this kind of intuition, if it exists, is not consistently revealed in empirical studies. On the one hand, people may have complex and internally conflicting intuitions about the relationship between behavior genetics and moral responsibility. On the other hand, it may be that people are motivated to think about the role of genetics in behavior differently depending on the moral valence of the actions in question.
Topics: Cognition; Genetics, Behavioral; Humans; Intuition; Morals; Perception
PubMed: 30094665
DOI: 10.1007/s10519-018-9916-0