Two dopamine receptor genes (DRD2 and DRD4) predict psychopathic personality traits in a sample of American adults

AbstractPurpose pathy is often defined as a personality disorder that manifests as a constellation of characteristics including a lack of affective emotions, manipulative and irresponsible interpersonal reactions, and impulsive and sometimes violent behaviors. Prior studies have shown that genetic factors may have some influence on the etiology of psychopathy, but there is little evidence on which specific genes may play a role. s tudy examines the correlation between three dopamine genes—DAT1, DRD2, and DRD4—and psychopathic personality traits. s sults of this study demonstrate that two of the examined genes predict psychopathic personality traits in the hypothesized direction (DRD2: b = .69 p < .05; DRD4: b = 1.02 p < .05). sions findings emphasize the importance of the dopaminergic system in the etiology of psychopathic personality traits, providing guidance for future researchers.