title: The interactive effect of the MAOA-VNTR genotype and childhood abuse on aggressive behaviors in Chinese male adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Gene-environment interactions that moderate aggressive behavior have been identified in association with the MAOA (monoamine oxidase A) gene. The present study examined the moderating effect of MAOA-VNTR (variable number of tandem repeats) on aggression behavior relating to child abuse among Chinese adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 507 healthy Chinese male adolescents completed the Child Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) and Youth Self-report of the Child Behavior Checklist. The participants' buccal cells were sampled and subjected to DNA analysis. The effects of childhood abuse (CTQ-SF scores), MAOA-VNTR [high-activity allele (H) versus low-activity allele (L)], and their interaction in aggressive behaviors were analyzed by linear regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Child maltreatment was found to be a significant independent factor in the manifestation of aggressive behavior, whereas MAOA activity was not. There was a significant interaction between MAOA-VNTR and childhood maltreatment in the exhibition of aggressive behaviors. In the context of physical or emotional abuse, boys in the MAOA-L group showed a greater tendency toward aggression than those in the MAOA-H group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aggressive behavior arising from childhood maltreatment is moderated by MAOA-VNTR, which may be differentially sensitive to the subtype of childhood maltreatment experienced, among Chinese adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Medical Psychological Institute, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qingsen
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ming
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shuqiao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000374:Aggression; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002649:Child Abuse; D002681:China; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D008995:Monoamine Oxidase