Background
Although research indicates a relationship between the monoamine oxidase-A (MAOA)
gene and aggression, the intervening neural and psychological mechanisms are unknown.
Individuals with the low expression allele (MAOA-L) of a functional polymorphism in
the MAOA gene might be prone to aggression because they are socially or emotionally
hyposensitive and thus care less about harming others or because they are socially
or emotionally hypersensitive and thus respond to negative social experiences with
defensively aggressive behavior.
Methods
We investigated the relationships between the MAOA polymorphism, trait aggression,
trait interpersonal hypersensitivity, and neural responses to social exclusion in
32 healthy men and women.
Results
The MAOA-L individuals (men and women) reported higher trait aggression than individuals
with the high expression allele (MAOA-H). The MAOA-L individuals reported higher trait
interpersonal hypersensitivity and showed greater dorsal anterior cingulate cortex
(dACC) activity (associated with rejection-related distress) to social exclusion compared
with MAOA-H individuals, consistent with a social hypersensitivity hypothesis. Moreover,
the MAOA–aggression relationship was mediated by greater dACC reactivity to social
exclusion, suggesting that MAOA might relate to aggression through socioemotional
hypersensitivity.
Conclusions
These data suggest that the relationship between MAOA and aggression might be due
to a heightened rather than a reduced sensitivity to negative socioemotional experiences
like social rejection.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 30, 2006
Accepted:
August 10,
2006
Received in revised form:
August 9,
2006
Received:
June 29,
2006
Identification
Copyright
© 2007 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
