title: Looking for reward in all the wrong places: dopamine receptor gene polymorphisms indirectly affect aggression through sensation-seeking.
abstract: Individuals with genotypes that code for reduced dopaminergic brain activity often exhibit a predisposition toward aggression. However, it remains largely unknown how dopaminergic genotypes may increase aggression. Lower-functioning dopamine systems motivate individuals to seek reward from external sources such as illicit drugs and other risky experiences. Based on emerging evidence that aggression is a rewarding experience, we predicted that the effect of lower-functioning dopaminergic functioning on aggression would be mediated by tendencies to seek the environment for rewards. Caucasian female and male undergraduates (N = 277) were genotyped for five polymorphisms of the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) gene; they reported their previous history of aggression and their dispositional reward-seeking. Lower-functioning DRD2 profiles were associated with greater sensation-seeking, which then predicted greater aggression. Our findings suggest that lower-functioning dopaminergic activity puts individuals at risk for violence because it motivates them to experience aggression's hedonically rewarding qualities.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of Kentucky , Lexington , KY , USA.
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Chester
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of Kentucky , Lexington , KY , USA.
authors.forename: C Nathan
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: DeWall
authors.affiliation: b Department of Preventive Medicine , University of Tennessee Health Science Center , Memphis , TN , USA.
authors.forename: Karen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Derefinko
authors.affiliation: c Department of Physiology , University of Kentucky , Lexington , KY , USA.|d Sanders-Brown Center on Aging , University of Kentucky , Lexington , KY , USA.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Estus
authors.affiliation: e Department of Psychological Sciences , Purdue University , West Lafayette , IN , USA.
authors.forename: Donald R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Lynam
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of Kentucky , Lexington , KY , USA.|f Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior , Alpert Medical School of Brown University , Providence , RI , USA.
authors.forename: Jessica R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: d Sanders-Brown Center on Aging , University of Kentucky , Lexington , KY , USA.|g Department of Behavioral Science , University of Kentucky , Lexington , KY , USA.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D060005:Genotyping Techniques; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008960:Models, Psychological; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011581:Psychological Tests; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000235:genetics*; D012201:Reward; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C581293:DRD2 protein, human; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2
keywords: DRD2; Dopamine; aggression; reward; sensation-seeking