1. GABA receptors, alcohol dependence and criminal behavior.
- Author
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Terranova C, Tucci M, Sartore D, Cavarzeran F, Di Pietra L, Barzon L, Palù G, and Ferrara SD
- Subjects
- Adult, Aged, Antisocial Personality Disorder epidemiology, Case-Control Studies, Exons, Forensic Psychiatry, Gene Frequency, Genotype, Humans, Introns, Italy, Logistic Models, Male, Middle Aged, Risk Factors, Social Environment, Alcoholism epidemiology, Criminals statistics & numerical data, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Receptors, GABA-B genetics
- Abstract
The aim of this study was to analyze the connection between alcohol dependence and criminal behavior by an integrated genetic-environmental approach. The research, structured as a case-control study, examined 186 alcohol-dependent males; group 1 (N = 47 convicted subjects) was compared with group 2 (N = 139 no previous criminal records). Genetic results were innovative, highlighting differences in genotype distribution (p = 0.0067) in group 1 for single-nucleotide polymorphism rs 3780428, located in the intronic region of subunit 2 of the GABA B receptor gene (GABBR2). Some environmental factors (e.g., grade repetition) were associated with criminal behavior; others (e.g., attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous) were inversely related to convictions. The concomitant presence of the genetic and environmental factors found to be associated with the condition of alcohol-dependent inmate showed a 4-fold increase in the risk of antisocial behavior. The results need to be replicated on a larger population to develop new preventive and therapeutic proposals., (© 2013 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.)
- Published
- 2013
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