title: Genetic covariance between psychopathic traits and anticipatory skin conductance responses to threat: Evidence for a potential endophenotype.
abstract: The genetic architecture of the association between psychopathic traits and reduced skin conductance responses (SCRs) is poorly understood. By using 752 twins aged 9-10 years, this study investigated the heritability of two SCR measures (anticipatory SCRs to impending aversive stimuli and unconditioned SCRs to the aversive stimuli themselves) in a countdown task. The study also investigated the genetic and environmental sources of the covariance between these SCR measures and two psychopathic personality traits: impulsive/disinhibited (reflecting impulsive-antisocial tendencies) and manipulative/deceitful (reflecting the affective-interpersonal features). For anticipatory SCRs, 27%, 14%, and 59% of the variation was due to genetic, shared environmental, and nonshared environmental effects, respectively, while the percentages for unconditioned SCRs were 44%, 2%, and 54%. The manipulative/deceitful (not impulsive/disinhibited) traits were negatively associated with both anticipatory SCRs (r = -.14, p < .05) and unconditioned SCRs (r = -.17, p < .05) in males only, with the former association significantly accounted for by genetic influences (r g = -.72). Reduced anticipatory SCRs represent a candidate endophenotype for the affective-interpersonal facets of psychopathic traits in males.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California.
authors.forename: Pan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Brooklyn College of the City University of New York.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Isen
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tuvblad
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raine
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California.
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Baker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D058068:Endophenotypes; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000235:genetics*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors