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GENE RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
A study of adoptees by Susan Sprich et al. found that genes play a
powerful role in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Six
percent of adoptive parents of children with ADHD exhibited symptoms
of the disorder, compared to 18 percent of biological parents.
(see Crime Times, 2001, Vol. 7, No. 1, Page 2)
A related study by Joseph Biederman et al. found that 57
percent of the children of adults with ADHD exhibited ADHD
symptoms. The findings, the researchers said, "suggest that childhood
cases of ADHD that continue through adolescence and adulthood have
an especially strong familial component."
(see Crime Times, 1995, Vol. 1, No. 4, Page 5)
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James Hudziak and colleagues, studying nearly 500 twin pairs, found
that "estimates of genetic influences on attention problems (60 to 88
percent), aggression (70 to 77 percent), and anxious/depressed behaviors
(61 to 65 percent) were high for both sexes."
(Vol. 7, No. 1, 2001, page 7)
(see Crime Times, 2001, Vol. 7, No. 1, Page 7)
Similarly, Philip Vernon et al. studied 247 twin pairs and found that
"multiple measures of different dimensions of aggressive behavior have
moderate to quite large heritabilities."
(see Crime Times, 2000, Vol. 6, No. 4, Page 5)
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Conduct disorder is one of the most highly genetically influenced
behavior problems, with a hereditability estimate of 68 percent,
according to a twin study by Frederick Coolidge et al.
(see Crime Times, 2000, Vol. 6, No. 2, Page 5)
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Studying children in Sweden and Britain, Thalia Eley et al. reported that
genes play a significant role in aggressive bullying.
(see Crime Times, 1999, Vol. 5, No. 3, Page 1 & 6)
"Substantial genetic influences" on alcoholism were found in a large-
scale twin study by Carol Prescott and Kenneth Kendler, who concluded
that 50 percent or more of the variation in susceptibility to alcohol
related problems is due to genetic factors.
(see Crime Times, 1999, Vol. 5, No. 1, Page 1 & 6)
A variant of the serotonin 5-HT1B receptor gene was tentatively linked to
antisocial alcoholism, in research by Jaakko Lappalainen and colleagues.
(see Crime Times, 1999, Vol. 5, No. 2, Page 7)
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David Comings et al. found that half of pathological gamblers carry a
dopamine receptor gene variant tentatively linked to compulsive
behaviors ranging from overeating to alcoholism. Only about 25 percent
of the general population exhibit this variant.
(see Crime Times, 1997, Vol. 3, No. 2, Page 1)
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"A substantial genetic influence on risk for conduct disorder" was found
in a study by Wendy Slutske and colleagues
(see Crime Times, 2001, Vol. 7, No. 4, Page 5),
who reported "a point estimate of heritability of 71
percent."
(see Crime Times, 1997, Vol. 3, No. 3, Page 1)
Typical "bad" behaviors often
exhibited by adolescents also "have a substantially heritable component,"
according to a twin study by Peter McGuffin and Anita Thapar.
(see Crime Times, 1998, Vol. 4, No. 1, Page 6)
Edwin J.C.G. van den Oord compared biologically
related and unrelated adoptive children, and found that genetic influences
accounted for 70 percent of the variance in aggressive behavior and 39
percent of the variance for delinquency.
(see Crime Times, 1995, Vol. 1, No. 3, Page 6)
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A study by Matt McGue et al. of adopted and biological children found
"no statistically significant correlations between adolescent alcohol
involvement and [adoptive] parent problem drinking," while showing
that biological children tended to drink heavily if their parents did
(see Crime Times, 2001, Vol. 7, No. 4, Page 5 & 7 and related article, Crime Times, 1997, Vol. 3, No. 1, Page 1 & 3 & 7)
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Two separate research groups have linked thrill-seeking behavior to a
long form of the D4 dopamine receptor gene. Richard Ebstein and
colleagues in Jerusalem, and Jonathan Benjamin et al. at the National
Institute of Mental Health, found that individuals who seek out novelty
are more likely to carry this gene than are risk-avoiding individuals.
(see Crime Times, 1996, Vol. 2, No. 1, Page 6)
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H. G. Brunner and colleagues identified a large Dutch family whose
severe aggression appears to be linked to a defect in the gene that codes
for the enzyme monoamine oxidase A
(see Crime Times, 2001, Vol. 7, No. 4, Page 4 and related article, Crime Times, 1995, Vol. 1, No. 3, Page 1).
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