Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
Interesting

Unhealthy environment tunes kids' genes for anti-social behaviour

Darpan News Desk IANS, 15 Dec, 2014 10:15 AM
    Exposure to family conflict or sexual abuse could affect expression of certain genes and make your kids prone to delinquent behaviour, a new research has found.
     
    Both positive and negative experiences influence how genetic variants affect the brain and thereby behaviour, the findings showed.
     
    Thus, the same genetic variants were associated with high and low levels of juvenile delinquency depending on exposure to negative or positive environments.
     
    "We found that three genetic variants interacted with each other, with family conflict and sexual abuse to increase the likelihood of delinquency, and positive parent-child relationship to decrease the risk of delinquency," said Sheilagh Hodgins from the University of Montreal in Canada.
     
    The study involved 1,337 high school student aged 17 to 18 years in Sweden.
     
    They anonymously completed questionnaires reporting on delinquency, family conflict, experiences of sexual abuse, and the quality of their relationship with their parents.
     
    They also provided a sample of saliva from which the researchers extracted DNA and studied three gene variants - Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene and serotonin transporter 5-HTTLPR gene.
     
    "Among carriers of the low activity variants of all three genes, those exposed to family conflict or sexual abuse or both reported high levels of delinquency while those who reported a positive and warm relationship with their parents reported little or no delinquency," Hodgins added.
     
    The study was published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology.

    MORE Interesting ARTICLES

    Why fat people tend to overeat

    Why fat people tend to overeat
    Triggers such as the smell of popcorn at a movie theatre or a commercial for a snack may have a stronger pull for obese people due to differences...

    Why fat people tend to overeat

    Fish as clever as chimps at choosing partner for tasks

    Fish as clever as chimps at choosing partner for tasks
    Fish may have smaller brains than chimpanzees but they perform as well if not better than humankind's closest evolutionary relative...

    Fish as clever as chimps at choosing partner for tasks

    Two parents can better shield teenagers from alcohol use

    Two parents can better shield teenagers from alcohol use
    Teenagers who live with single parents are more likely to use alcohol and marijuana than those who live with two college-educated parents, says a study....

    Two parents can better shield teenagers from alcohol use

    Skipping school leads to unsafe sex among teenage girls?

    Skipping school leads to unsafe sex among teenage girls?
    After combing through 80,000 diary entries written by 387 teenage girls in the US, researchers at Indiana University examined the day-to-da...

    Skipping school leads to unsafe sex among teenage girls?

    Learn belly dance to explore your true self

    Learn belly dance to explore your true self
    If you want to be mentally and physically present "in the moment" and feel good about yourself, shun inhibitions and try belly dance for a change....

    Learn belly dance to explore your true self

    Shy people spend more time on Facebook but share less

    Shy people spend more time on Facebook but share less
    Shy and introvert people spend more time on Facebook but disclose little information with friends and acquaintances, says an interesting study...

    Shy people spend more time on Facebook but share less