No association between oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene polymorphisms and experimentally elicited social preferences.
BACKGROUND
Oxytocin (OXT) has been implicated in a suite of complex social behaviors including observed choices in economic laboratory experiments. However, actual studies of associations between oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene variants and experimentally elicited social preferences are rare.


RESULTS
We test hypotheses of associations between social preferences, as measured by behavior in two economic games, and 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the OXTR gene in a sample of Swedish twins (n = 684). Two standard economic games, the dictator game and the trust game, both involving real monetary consequences, were used to elicit such preferences. After correction for multiple hypothesis testing, we found no significant associations between any of the 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and behavior in either of the games.


CONCLUSIONS
We were unable to replicate the most significant association reported in previous research between the amount donated in a dictator game and an OXTR genetic variant.
Apicella
Coren L
CL
Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America. apicella@fas.harvard.edu
Cesarini
David
D
Johannesson
Magnus
M
Dawes
Christopher T
CT
Lichtenstein
Paul
P
Wallace
Björn
B
Beauchamp
Jonathan
J
Westberg
Lars
L
D004467:Economics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin / Q000235:genetics*; D012919:Social Behavior
D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin