MAOA Gene Linked To Violent Behavior
A specific mutation in the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene has been linked to violent behavior. All men belonging to a family in the Netherlands harboring this mutation were arsonists and rapists. And, mice without an MAOA gene have been found to be excessively aggressive. Low-expression of the MAOA gene is linked to violent tendencies.
Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DNA analysis, 142 healthy men and women, who had no history of violence, were shown pictures of angry and fearful faces. Researchers found:
- Those with the low-expressing version of MAOA were more impulsive.
- People with low-expressing MAOA had different brain size and activity.
- Activity of those parts of the brain in males with low-expression MAOA differed more greatly than their female counterparts.
I can imagine findings like this could lead to therapy for the toughest members of our criminal society. Ethically speaking, it could be almost as bad as eugenics. There’s a fine line to walk between safety and freedom.
ABC News Online, March 21, 2006
This is HUGE. I so love genetic research!
Deb: You crack me up! I swear you say this every time.
I understand how this finding can help to identify people with possible violent tendencies, but how it can help with therapy for such people? How knowing a gene can help to develop medicine to treat condition that depends on it?
And, indeed, this brings up a lot of ethical questions.
Paul: Thanks for the comment. Although we’re not at that stage now, the hope is that gene therapy or perhaps pharmaceuticals will one day be developed which target specific genes and help to ramp up and dampen their action.
Even without gene-specific therapy, we could use general pharmaceuticals to control people labeled violent. Anyone who has the requisite profile of “violent genes” could be given a dose of something to keep them in a mental strait jacket.
Dear Sir, I am doing a project for my genetics class and my topic is how Violence can be genetic. I must Write a ten page paper by the end of this year. And I was wondering if you had any advice of follow up information to give me. I never knew how exciting genetics can be untill I took this class. I hope you can show me more.
Um, I would like to apologise for calling you sir. After doing alittle bit more research I discovered that you are in fact Female like me! ^_^ SO, I was wondering if you had anymore interesting tidbits of infomation I could use in my research paper.