Genetic background of extreme violent behavior

• Published in: Molecular psychiatry Vol. 20; no. 6; pp. 786 - 792
• Main Authors: Tiihonen, J, Rautiainen, M-R, Ollila, H M, Repo-Tiihonen, E, Virkkunen, M, Palotie, A, Pietiläinen, O, Kristiansson, K, Joukamaa, M, Lauerma, H, Saarela, J, Tyni, S, Vartiainen, H, Paananen, J, Goldman, D, Paunio, T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01-06-2015; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Adult; Aggressive behavior; Amine oxidase (flavin-containing); Analysis; Antisocial personality disorder; Antisocial Personality Disorder - genetics; Batteries; Behavioral Sciences; Biological Psychology; Cadherins - genetics; Care and treatment; Child abuse & neglect; Cohort Studies; Developed countries; Diagnosis; Dopamine; Drug abuse; Etiology; Female; Finland; Genes; Genetic Association Studies; Genetic polymorphisms; Genetics; Genomes; Genotype; Genotype & phenotype; Genotypes; Homicide; Hospitals; Humans; Male; Manslaughter; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Membrane proteins; Mental disorders; Metabolism; Middle Aged; Monoamine Oxidase - genetics; Murders & murder attempts; Neural coding; Neurosciences; Nonviolence; original-article; Personality disorders; Pharmacotherapy; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide - genetics; Prisoners; Prisons; Psychiatry; Psychological aspects; Quality of life; Social behavior; Turnover rate; Violence; Violent crime; Violent crimes; Finland; Sweden; United States > US; Massachusetts
• ISSN: 1359-4184; 1476-5578; 1476-5578
• DOI: 10.1038/mp.2014.130

In developed countries, the majority of all violent crime is committed by a small group of antisocial recidivistic offenders, but no genes have been shown to contribute to recidivistic violent offending or severe violent behavior, such as homicide. Our results, from two independent cohorts of Finnish prisoners, revealed that a monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) low-activity genotype (contributing to low dopamine turnover rate) as well as the CDH13 gene (coding for neuronal membrane adhesion protein) are associated with extremely violent behavior (at least 10 committed homicides, attempted homicides or batteries). No substantial signal was observed for either MAOA or CDH13 among non-violent offenders, indicating that findings were specific for violent offending, and not largely attributable to substance abuse or antisocial personality disorder. These results indicate both low monoamine metabolism and neuronal membrane dysfunction as plausible factors in the etiology of extreme criminal violent behavior, and imply that at least about 5–10% of all severe violent crime in Finland is attributable to the aforementioned MAOA and CDH13 genotypes.