ARTICLE
Effects of variation in dopaminergic genes on the level of aggression and emotional intelligence in adolescents with conduct disorder
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1
Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Pasteura 10 Street, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland
2
Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, The National Academy of Sciences, Rudolfa Weigla 12 Street, 53-114 Wrocław, Poland
3
Department of Genetics, Wroclaw Medical University, Marcinkowskiego 1 Street, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland
Submission date: 2020-03-29
Final revision date: 2020-10-04
Acceptance date: 2020-10-13
Online publication date: 2021-06-27
Publication date: 2021-06-27
Corresponding author
Joanna Halicka
Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Pasteura 10 Street, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland
Arch Psych Psych 2021;23(2):15-23
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ABSTRACT
It has been reported that altered dopaminergic neurotransmission may contribute to the development of aggressive behaviors and emotional intelligence (EI) impairment. However, less is known about the impact of polymorphisms in dopaminergic genes on the level of aggression and EI. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) rs6277 gene polymorphism and the dopamine 2 receptor (DRD2) rs4680 gene polymorphism as well as the level of aggression and EI in adolescents with conduct disorder. Participants were 144 adolescents with conduct disorder recruited at the youth sociotherapy centre. The Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) was administered to record the level of aggression while the Popular Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (PEIQ) and the Schutte Self-Report Inventory (SSRI) were used to assess EI. We found no significant associations between selected polymorphisms and the scores of BPAQ, PEIQ and SSRI. Our findings do not support the role of the COMT and the DRD2 gene polymorphisms in shaping aggressive behaviors and EI in adolescents with conduct disorder. Longitudinal studies on larger populations are needed to confirm these results.