Genetics of child aggression, a systematic review.

Excessive and persistent aggressiveness is the most common behavioral problem that leads to psychiatric referrals among children. While half of the variance in childhood aggression is attributed to genetic factors, the biological mechanism and the interplay between genes and environment that results in aggression remains elusive. The purpose of this systematic review is to provide an overview of studies examining the genetics of childhood aggression irrespective of psychiatric diagnosis.

Val/Met, stressful life events and externalizing behaviors in youth: A longitudinal study from the ABCD sample.

Early adolescence is a crucial time for understanding and detecting the risk factors that may influence youth externalizing/disruptive behaviors and disorders. Previous literature reported evidence that risk factors for disruptive behaviors include ( Val158Met (rs4680) polymorphism and environmental influences. An unanswered question is whether there is a change in these risk factors over stages of youth development.

Val/Met and Psychopathic Traits in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and New Evidence of a Developmental Trajectory toward Psychopathy.

Psychopathic traits in youth may lead to adult criminal behaviors/psychopathy. The Val158Met polymorphism of catechol-O-methyltransferase () may influence the risk for psychopathy-related behaviors, while acting as a biomarker for predicting treatment response to dopaminergic medications. The literature shows inconsistent findings, making the interpretation of 's role difficult.

Association of the MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism with psychopathic traits may change from childhood to adolescence.

Psychopathic traits can lead to violence, making it a serious public health concern. Genetic factors contribute to the aetiology of psychopathy. We examined whether monoamine oxidase A (MAOA-uVNTR) was associated with psychopathic traits measured quantitatively from controls through clinically aggressive youth (n = 336).