title: The Association Between Peer and own Aggression is Moderated by theBDNFVal-met Polymorphism.
abstract: Peer antisocial behavior robustly predicts adolescents' own behavior but not all adolescents are equally vulnerable to their peers' influence and genetic factors may confer vulnerability. This study used data ofn= 3081 adolescents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) to examine whetherBDNF, a polymorphism that affects psychological functioning, moderates the association between affiliation with aggressive peers at age 10 and own aggression at age 15. A significant gene-environment interaction was found, where those who affiliated with aggressive peers in childhood showed increased risk for being aggressive in adolescence if they carried theBDNFmet-met variant compared to val-val carriers. Our findings underline the importance of both biological and social factors for adolescent development.
authors: University of Groningen, The Netherlands (1), King's College, London, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK (2), Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, Grote Rozenstraat 31, 9712 TG Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors: Tina
authors: T
authors: Kretschmer
authors: University of Montréal, Canada, 3050 boul. Édouard-Montpetit, local B-234, Montréal, QC H3T 1J7, Canada.
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Vitaro
authors: Birkbeck, University of London, UK, Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom.
authors: Edward D
authors: ED
authors: Barker
keywords: ALSPAC; BDNF; adolescence; aggression; peers