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Monoamine oxidase A and childhood adversity as risk factors for conduct disorder in females

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 August 2008

E. C. Prom-Wormley ,
L. J. Eaves ,
D. L. Foley ,
C. O. Gardner ,
K. J. Archer ,
B. K. Wormley ,
H. H. Maes ,
B. P. Riley  and
J. L. Silberg
E. C. Prom-Wormley*
Affiliation:
Department of Integrative Life Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
L. J. Eaves
Affiliation:
Department of Human Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
D. L. Foley
Affiliation:
Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Australia
C. O. Gardner
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
K. J. Archer
Affiliation:
Virginia Institute for Biostatistics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
B. K. Wormley
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
H. H. Maes
Affiliation:
Department of Human Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA Massey Cancer Center of Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
B. P. Riley
Affiliation:
Department of Human Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
J. L. Silberg
Affiliation:
Department of Human Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr E. C. Prom-Wormley, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, PO Box 980126, Richmond, VA 23298-0126, USA. (Email: ecprom@vcu.edu)
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Abstract

Background

Recent studies among males have reported a genotype–environment interaction (G×E) in which low-activity alleles at the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) locus conferred greater sensitivity to the effects of childhood adversity on risk for conduct disorder (CD). So far, few studies of females have controlled for gene–environment correlation or used females heterozygous for this X-linked gene.

Method

Logistic regression analysis of a sample of 721 females ages 8–17 years from the longitudinal Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent Behavioral Development (VTSABD) assessed the additive effects of MAOA genotypes on risk for CD, together with the main effect of childhood adversity and parental antisocial personality disorder (ASP), as well as the interaction of MAOA with childhood adversity on risk for CD.

Results

A significant main effect of genotype on risk for CD was detected, where low-activity MAOA imparted the greatest risk to CD in girls while controlling for the significant effects of maternal ASP and childhood adversity. Significant G×E with weak effect was detected when environmental exposure was untransformed, indicating a higher sensitivity to childhood adversity in the presence of the high-activity MAOA allele. The interaction was no longer statistically significant after applying a ridit transformation to reflect the sample sizes exposed at each level of childhood adversity.

Conclusions

The main effect of MAOA on risk for CD in females, its absence in males and directional difference of interaction is suggestive of genotype–sex interaction. As the effect of G×E on risk for CD was weak, its inclusion is not justified.

Keywords

Childhood adversityconduct disordergender differencesgene–environment interactionMAOA
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 39 , Issue 4 , April 2009 , pp. 579 - 590
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Cambridge University Press

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