[The development of antisocial behavior: psychobiological and environmental factors and gene-environment interactions].
BACKGROUND
Antisocial behavior is a complex phenomenon with strong implications in neurology and psychiatry. In order to study the ontogenetic development of antisocial behavior, we must check for the existence of physiological mechanisms related to it, and to understand its environmentally-modulated functioning.


OBJECTIVE
To review the state-of-the-art of the development of antisocial behavior, and especially, of the interaction between environmental and genetic factors.


METHODS
Recent research has highlighted certain brain alterations linked to violent behavior, either at structural, or functional or biochemical levels. Genetic research has also made some advances in this field, discovering some genes--i.e. monoamineoxidase A (MAOA)--related to antisocial behavior. However, the importance of environmental factors in its development must not be left behind. Recent studies have shown that individuals carrying a low transcriptional activity allele of the MAOA gene, and that also suffered severe maltreatment are more prone to antisocial behavior. This interaction is biologically relevant, as there are underlying biological mechanisms that may be able to explain the ethiopathogeny of antisocial behavior.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the works herein presented pioneered the field, they are limited by the fact that all the reviewed variables are associated to antisocial behavior, but they lack direct causal evidence of their effects on antisocial behavior. Undoubtedly, future research on psychobiological mechanisms and the understanding of their environmental modulation will help finding therapeutic targets and preventive strategies for antisocial behavior.
Gallardo-Pujol
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Departamento de Personalidad, Evaluación y Tratamiento Psicológico, Facultad de Psicología, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, España. david.gallardo@ub.edu
Forero
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CG
Maydeu-Olivares
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Andrés-Pueyo
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D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D004777:Environment; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008032:Limbic System / Q000503:physiopathology; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000235:genetics; D012931:Social Environment
D008995:Monoamine Oxidase