title: Association of Oxytocin Receptor Gene (OXTR) rs53576 Polymorphism with Sociality: A Meta-Analysis.
abstract: A common variant in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR), rs53576, has been broadly linked to socially related personality traits and behaviors. However, the pattern of published results is inconsistent. Here, we performed a meta-analysis to comprehensively evaluate the association. The literature was searched for relevant studies and effect sizes between individuals homozygous for the G allele (GG) and individuals with A allele carriers (AA/AG). Specifically, two indices of sociality were evaluated independently: i) general sociality (24 samples, n = 4955), i.e., how an individual responds to other people in general; and ii) close relationships (15 samples, n = 5262), i.e., how an individual responds to individuals with closed connections (parent-child or romantic relationship). We found positive association between the rs53576 polymorphism and general sociality (Cohen's d = 0.11, p = .02); G allele homozygotes had higher general sociality than the A allele carriers. However, the meta-analyses did not detect significant genetic association between rs53576 and close relationships (Cohen's d = 0.01, p = .64). In conclusion, genetic variation in the rs53576 influences general sociality, which further implies that it is worthy to systematically examine whether the rs53576 is a valid genetic marker for socially related psychiatric disorders.
authors.affiliation: College of Education, Dali University, Dali, China.
authors.forename: Jingguang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Sociology and Psychology, Southwest University for Nationalities, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Yajun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Center for Hormone Advanced Science and Education, Roskamp Institute, Sarasota, Florida, United States of America; Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Rena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, United States of America.
authors.forename: Lucas S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Broster
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Chenglin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Suyong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D010551:Personality / Q000235:genetics; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin