Vulnerability genes or plasticity genes?
- PMID: 19455150
- PMCID: PMC2834322
- DOI: 10.1038/mp.2009.44
Vulnerability genes or plasticity genes?
Abstract
The classic diathesis-stress framework, which views some individuals as particularly vulnerable to adversity, informs virtually all psychiatric research on behavior-gene-environment (G x E) interaction. An alternative framework of 'differential susceptibility' is proposed, one which regards those most susceptible to adversity because of their genetic make up as simultaneously most likely to benefit from supportive or enriching experiences-or even just the absence of adversity. Recent G x E findings consistent with this perspective and involving monoamine oxidase-A, 5-HTTLPR (5-hydroxytryptamine-linked polymorphic region polymorphism) and dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) are reviewed for illustrative purposes. Results considered suggest that putative 'vulnerability genes' or 'risk alleles' might, at times, be more appropriately conceptualized as 'plasticity genes', because they seem to make individuals more susceptible to environmental influences-for better and for worse.
Figures
![Figure 1](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/2834322/bin/mp200944f1.gif)
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Comment in
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The reaction norm in gene x environment interaction.Mol Psychiatry. 2010 Sep;15(9):881-2. doi: 10.1038/mp.2009.139. Epub 2009 Dec 15. Mol Psychiatry. 2010. PMID: 20010890 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
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