Monoamine oxidase A regulates antisocial personality in whites with no history of physical abuse

Compr Psychiatry. 2011 Mar-Apr;52(2):188-94. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2010.05.005. Epub 2010 Jul 8.

Abstract

Objective: Preclinical and human family studies clearly link monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) to aggression and antisocial personality (ASP). The 30-base pair variable number tandem repeat in the MAOA promoter regulates MAOA levels, but its effects on ASP in humans are unclear.

Methods: We evaluated the association of the variable number tandem repeat of the MAOA promoter with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, ASP disorder (ASPD) traits in a community sample of 435 participants from the Hopkins Epidemiology of Personality Disorders Study.

Results: We did not find an association between the activity of the MAOA allele and ASPD traits; however, among whites, when subjects with a history of childhood physical abuse were excluded, the remaining subjects with low-activity alleles had ASPD trait counts that were 41% greater than those with high-activity alleles (P < .05).

Conclusion: The high-activity MAOA allele is protective against ASP among whites with no history of physical abuse, lending support to a link between MAOA expression and antisocial behavior.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
  • Alleles
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder / enzymology
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder / genetics*
  • Female
  • Genetic Association Studies
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Minisatellite Repeats
  • Monoamine Oxidase / genetics*
  • Monoamine Oxidase / metabolism
  • Personality Tests
  • Polymorphism, Genetic
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • White People / genetics
  • White People / psychology

Substances

  • Monoamine Oxidase