Abstract
Our aim was to study the association of hostility with the DRD4, DAT, MAOA genes in an open male population of 25–64 years old. A representative sample of men aged 25–64 years (n = 657 men, average age 44.3 ± 0.4 years) was examined in 1994–1995 and 45–64 years old (n = 781 men, average age - 56.48 ± 0.2 years) in 2003–2005 using the methods proposed by the WHO international program “MONICA-psychosocial” and “HAPIEE”. All respondents completed the hostility questionnaire on their own. Genotyping of the DRD4, DAT and MAOA gene polymorphisms was carried out. It was established that the level of hostility in the male population was 76.9% in the group of 25–64 years old and 60.3% in the group of 45–64 years old. Genotypes 4/6, 4/7 of the DRD4 gene are reliably associated with a high level of hostility; the genotype 4/4 of the DRD4 gene is associated with an average and lower level of hostility. There was no association of individual genotypes and VNTR alleles of DAT gene polymorphism with different levels of hostility. It was found that among individuals with low-active alleles of the MAOA-L gene (alleles 2 and 3), a high level of hostility was more common - 50.9%. The results of constructing a logistic regression model showed that the presence of low-active alleles (2; 3) of the MAOA gene increases the likelihood of hostility OR = 2.103 (95% CI 1.137–3.889, p = 0.018). Based on the received data we can assume that the long alleles of the DRD4 gene and the low-level allele of the MAOA-L gene are associated with hostility.
Highlights
Hostility is a personality trait that includes cynicism /distrusting others, anger, overt or repressed aggression [1]
All respondents independently completed the hostility questionnaire, which was proposed and tested in the WHO program ‘MONICA-psychosocial.’. They singled out a high level of hostility (HH), average level of hostility (AH), no hostility (NH), and the respondents completed the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) [21]
Carriers of longer alleles of the DRD4 gene - genotype 4/6 more often had a high level of hostility (7.1%): the lower level of hostility (2.7%) in comparison with carriers of the 4/4 genotype (χ2 = 4.866 υ = 1 p < 0.05); they had the lack of hostility (1.8%) in comparison with carriers of genotype 2/2 (χ2 = 3.844 df = 1 p < 0.05); carriers of the genotype 2/4 gene (χ2 = 4.014 υ = 1 p = 0.045); carriers of the 4/4 genotype (χ2 = 5.192 υ = 1 p < 0.05)
Summary
Hostility is a personality trait that includes cynicism /distrusting others, anger, overt or repressed aggression [1]. From the standpoint of the psychobiological model of personality Cloninger C.R. antisocial behavior (hostility) is determined by a high ‘novelty seeking’ [4] and Evolutionary Psychology Meets Social Neuroscience is due to the genes function of the dopaminergic brain system [5, 6]. The human dopamine D4 receptor contains polymorphism within the third cytoplasmic loop of the protein. One hypothesis to account for this would be that different size cytoplasmic loops affect the conformation of one or more transmembrane domains, altering the ligand binding site. Another possible hypothesis argues that the polymorphism affects signal transduction by altering interactions with G-proteins or other intracellular effectors [8]. It is believed that individuals with longer DRD4 (R7) alleles have higher scores for ‘novelty seeking,’ the attempts to confirm this relationship have yielded conflicting results [9]
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