1. Continuity of Genetic Risk for Aggressive Behavior Across the Life-Course.
- Author
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van der Laan, Camiel M., Morosoli-García, José J., van de Weijer, Steve G. A., Colodro-Conde, Lucía, the ACTION Consortium, Ip, Hill F., Krapohl, Eva M. L., Brikell, Isabell, Sánchez-Mora, Cristina, Nolte, Ilja M., Pourcain, Beate St, Bolhuis, Koen, Palviainen, Teemu, Zafarmand, Hadi, Gordon, Scott, Zayats, Tetyana, Aliev, Fazil, Jiang, Chang, Wang, Carol A., and Saunders, Gretchen
- Subjects
AGGRESSION (Psychology) ,AT-risk behavior ,MOLECULAR genetics ,INDIVIDUAL differences ,CONTINUITY - Abstract
We test whether genetic influences that explain individual differences in aggression in early life also explain individual differences across the life-course. In two cohorts from The Netherlands (N = 13,471) and Australia (N = 5628), polygenic scores (PGSs) were computed based on a genome-wide meta-analysis of childhood/adolescence aggression. In a novel analytic approach, we ran a mixed effects model for each age (Netherlands: 12–70 years, Australia: 16–73 years), with observations at the focus age weighted as 1, and decaying weights for ages further away. We call this approach a 'rolling weights' model. In The Netherlands, the estimated effect of the PGS was relatively similar from age 12 to age 41, and decreased from age 41–70. In Australia, there was a peak in the effect of the PGS around age 40 years. These results are a first indication from a molecular genetics perspective that genetic influences on aggressive behavior that are expressed in childhood continue to play a role later in life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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