title: Role of genotype in the cycle of violence in maltreated children.
abstract: We studied a large sample of male children from birth to adulthood to determine why some children who are maltreated grow up to develop antisocial behavior, whereas others do not. A functional polymorphism in the gene encoding the neurotransmitter-metabolizing enzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) was found to moderate the effect of maltreatment. Maltreated children with a genotype conferring high levels of MAOA expression were less likely to develop antisocial problems. These findings may partly explain why not all victims of maltreatment grow up to victimize others, and they provide epidemiological evidence that genotypes can moderate children's sensitivity to environmental insults.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: Avshalom
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caspi
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McClay
authors.forename: Terrie E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Moffitt
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mill
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Ian W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Craig
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Richie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Poulton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004777:Environment; D005824:Genetics, Behavioral; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D008995:Monoamine Oxidase