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PubMedDate not supplied

The heritability of life history strategy: the K-factor, covitality, and personality.

Archival data from the MIDUS survey (Brim et al., 2000), a nationally representative sample, on 309 MZ and 333 DZ twin pairs aged 25-74 years were used to test the psychometrics and behavioral genetics of life history strategy. We organized 253 of the originally administered 2,000 questions into 30 scales measuring life history traits (e.g., quality of family relationships and altruism towards kin), medical symptoms (e.g., thyroid problems), personality traits (e.g., neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness), and social background (e.g., financial security). A single higher-order factor, indicating a general life history strategy, composed of three lower-order factors, was replicated. Factor analyses were then performed on the genetic variance-covariance matrices. We found that (a) a single higher-order factor explained the preponderance of the genetic correlations among the scales and (b) this higher-order factor was itself 68 percent heritable and accounted for 82 percent of the genetic variance among the three component lower-order factors.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Gender differences in learned helplessness behavior are influenced by genetic background.

Learned helplessness behavior was examined in female and male C57BL/6J (B6), 129/J (129) and (B6 x 129)F1 mice, common genetic backgrounds for the generation of knockout models, as well as in mice of a mixed genetic background (outbred mice). Both genotype and gender differences were observed in learned helplessness. Outbred males showed increased shuttle escape latencies following 60, 120, or 360 inescapable shocks compared to nonshocked controls, but outbred females showed no increase in escape latencies following inescapable shock pretreatment. B6 females showed increased escape latencies following 60, 120, or 360 inescapable shocks, whereas B6 males showed increased latencies only after 360 shocks. Female and male 129 and B6129F1 mice did not show an increase in escape latencies following inescapable shock, but this was most likely due to poor escape performance in nonshocked control mice. Differences in escape performance could not be explained by differences in pain thresholds between genotypes. These results support the idea that genetic background and gender are important to consider when using the learned helplessness model in genetically manipulated mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Single-gene influences on brain and behavior.

As traditional behavioral genetics analysis merges with neurogenetics, the field of neurobehavioral genetics, focusing on single-gene effects, comes into being. New biotechnology has greatly accelerated gene discovery and the study of gene function in relation to brain and behavior. More than 7,000 genes in mice and 10,000 in humans have now been documented, and extensive information about the genetics of several species is readily available on the World Wide Web. Based on knowledge of the DNA sequence of a gene, a targeted mutation with the capacity to disable it can be created. These knockouts--also called null mutants--are employed in the study of a wide range of phenotypes, including learning and memory, appetite and obesity, and circadian rhythms. The era of examining single-gene effects from a reductionistic perspective is waning, and research with interacting arrays of genes in various environmental contexts is demonstrating a need for systems-oriented theory.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

An overview of the genetics of psychopathology.

The suggestion that psychopathologies are in part mediated by aberrant catecholamine metabolism has resulted in one of the more rapidly growing areas of pharmacogenetics. Collectively, the studies conducted to date indicate that psychopathological conditions have multiple causes which cannot be related to single genetic or biochemical deficits. However, through multidisciplinary research integrating behavioral, genetic, and biochemical approaches, a great deal of insight may be gained concerning the causes of psychopathological disorders and the use of drug therapy to modify the course of these illnesses.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

[Genetic aspects of opportunistic fungi].

The etiologic agents of human mycoses are discussed in taxonomic order. Some fungal genera are used as examples to describe the general genetical behavior of the various groups. Special features of probable genetical and etiological relevance are mentioned.

Ascomycota↗
PubMed2006

Common and specific genetic influences on aggressive and nonaggressive conduct disorder domains.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic and environmental influences on DSM-IV conduct disorder (CD) aggressive and nonaggressive subscales, taking into account age and sex differences. METHOD: A community sample of 1,100 twin pairs (ages 11-18) was interviewed using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children. Bivariate analyses, using variable threshold models accounting for age and sex differences, were used to determine the extent to which the genetic and environmental influences on aggressive and nonaggressive CD domains are shared or unique. RESULTS: The phenotypic correlation between aggressive and nonaggressive CD domains was 0.32. The most parsimonious bivariate model included additive genetic effects and nonshared environmental effects only (AE model). CONCLUSIONS: The results of behavior genetic model fitting suggest that the DSM-IV CD domains are influenced by unique genetic and environmental factors, but also share some common genetic and environmental influences. A large percentage of the covariation (61%) is caused by genetic factors. These results are consistent with a previous report on the bivariate heritability of aggressive and nonaggressive antisocial behavior, but extend the findings to DSM-IV domains.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A multivariate discriminate analysis of behavioral measures in genetically nervous dogs.

For some years we have studied a strain of genetically nervous dogs in the Neuropsychiatric Research Laboratory, Veterans Administration Hospital, North Little Rock, Arkansas. In the manner of Pavlov and Gantt and later Scott and Fuller we have characterized these dogs in such descriptive terms as timid, human aversive, and catatonic-like. Behavioral tests have been administered on nearly all dogs in this longitudinal study, and we are using these data to try to develop statistical procedures to maximize the discriminatory power of the behavioral assay and to more accurately characterize the behavioral deficit. A multivariate discriminate analysis of 13 variables on 91 healthy and 63 nervous dogs assayed at 3 months of age shows: (1) that much of our present behavioral testing procedures is redundant, and (2) that simple "friendliness to humans" in the dog is as effective for discriminating between the two groups as any of the 13 measures, taken either singly or collectively.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Developmental genetic analysis of seed size in soybean (Glycine max).

Seed size is one of the important factors of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] yield. There have been lots of reports about genetic effects and physiology--ecological researches on seed size, but the genetic behaviors of genes during seeds development were rarely discussed. Analysis of main genetic effects for fresh seed size (FSS) and dry seed size (DSS) of soybean was conducted with diallel cross data by using a seed genetic model. Analyses of unconditional and conditional variances and correlations were used to evaluate the developmental behavior of soybean. The phenotypic means of FSS and DSS in soybean at eight stages among three generations reached the highest value at 9/6 and 9/13, respectively. The means of FSS decreased dramatically after 9/6, but the means of DSS maintained relatively stable tendency at corresponding periods. The unconditional variance analysis showed that FSS and DSS were controlled by embryo, cytoplasmic and maternal effects in the whole growth period. Genetic effects due to cytoplasmic and maternal effects were relatively important for FSS and DSS at most of the growth periods. Conditional variance analysis showed that genes from different genetic system expressed discontinuously in the whole growth period. The net genetic effects due to cytoplasmic and maternal plant on FSS and DSS were larger than those of embryo effects at most of the growth periods. Different genetic system can affect the relationship of various stages to mature solely or simultaneously. Embryo additive effects at 8/16, embryo dominance effects at 8/9 and 8/16, maternal plant dominance effects at 8/2 and 8/16 could ultimately affect the performance of FSS at maturing stage. Embryo additive effects at 8/2 and 9/13, cytoplasm effects at 8/9, maternal plant dominance effects at 8/2 could ultimately affect the performance of DSS.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1987

[Genetics of human behavior: problems, results and prospects].

In this paper, the main problems of modern behaviour genetics of man are formulated and methods for their study proposed. As a result of the Mendelian analysis of some psychometric scales of personality inventories, a major-gene mode of inheritance is found for 20% of scales of three questionnaires: MMPI, 16 PF and the Pathocharacterologic Diagnostic Inventory (PDI). Perspectives of further studies in the field of human behaviour genetics are outlined.

Genetics, Behavioral↗
PubMed2006

Genes and developmental stabiltiy of aggressive behavior problems at home and school in a community sample of twins aged 7-12.

Though behavioral genetic studies of aggression have implicated heritable and environmental factors, there is limited understanding of how these factors influence aggression across different settings and over time. Ratings for 732 twins were collected from parents and teachers during middle childhood and early adolescence. Total aggression scores on the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) and Teacher Report Form (TRF) were examined at each age, across both settings, and developmentally. In this sample, aggressive behavior was moderately to largely heritable at each age within the home (.76-.84) and school (.42-.61). Across each age, ratings by parents and teachers were moderately correlated (.19-.36). Genetic and environmental effects that were limited to a particular setting were important etiological factors for aggressive behavior consistently within each setting, while only genetic factors influenced levels of aggression across both settings. Stability during these ages was due to genetic effects common to each age and the persistence of child-specific environmental experiences within each setting. These results suggest that genetic and environmental influences on children's aggressive behavior are largely setting specific. Levels of aggression seen consistently across both settings are due to genetic influences. Developmentally stable levels of aggressive behavior result from genetic influences common to all ages and individual environmental influences whose effects persist across ages.

Aggression↗
PubMed1997

Genetic study of behavioral and pituitary-adrenocortical reactivity in response to an environmental challenge in pigs.

The adaptive response to environmental challenges involves both behavioral and neuroendocrine adjustments, and genetic factors have been shown to partly determine the intra- and interspecific variability observed in stress responses. To gain access to the biological and genetic basis of this variability, differences in neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to a 10-min novel environment exposure were studied in Meishan (MS) and Large White (LW) pig breeds, as well as in their F1 (MS x LW), F1R (LW x MS), and F2 (F1 x F1) crossings. Different behavioral scores were recorded and blood was taken by venipuncture, before and after the test, to measure levels of stress hormones (adrenocorticotropic hormone: ACTH and cortisol). MS pigs exhibited low vocalization, locomotion, and defecation scores when compared to LW. F1s showed intermediate locomotion scores. The vocalization scores of F1s were not significantly different from the respective scores of their parental MS and LW breeds. The defecation scores in F1s showed that there was some degree of dominance in the MS direction. Basal and poststress cortisol levels were higher in MS, F1s, and F2 than in LW, suggesting the dominance of this trait. Basal ACTH levels did not differ between the genetic types, whereas LW displayed higher poststress ACTH levels than MS. Phenotypic correlations were analyzed in the F2 segregating cross to study a possible link between behavioral and neuroendocrine traits. All behavioral variables were intercorrelated with 3 levels of association. The correlations between vocalization and locomotion scores and poststress ACTH levels suggest that these measures reflect the level of reactivity to the environmental challenge, and that they may share a common genetic control.

Adrenal Cortex↗
PubMed1994

The role of sex and genotype on antiorthostatic suspension effects on the mouse peripheral skeleton.

Previous antiorthostatic suspension studies have used a single sex and strain of rat or mouse. Nonetheless, broadly similar effects of suspension on the two species indicates a generalized effect of suspension not attributed to specific genetic, behavioral, or sex-linked etiology. In order to directly test genetic and sex-linked factors, the effects of suspension on the appendicular bone of male and female BALB-CJ, C57BL-6J, and DBA-2J mice were compared. These genotypes were selected based on their widely different developmental and behavioral characteristics as well as on past research involving a heterogeneous strain derived from these strains. The effects of suspension on the geometric, mechanical, and material properties of the femora, humeri, and tibiae were determined. Among the bone types, the femora were most significantly affected by suspension. The effects of suspension were similar in nature in male and female mice aged 1.7 months. Strain-dependent suspension effects may be indicative of bone developmental differences in the strains at the age chosen.

Animals↗