Skip to main content

MAOA, maltreatment, and gene-environment interaction predicting children's mental health: new evidence and a meta-analysis.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Kim-Cohen, J; Caspi, A; Taylor, A; Williams, B; Newcombe, R; Craig, IW; Moffitt, TE
Published in: Molecular psychiatry
October 2006

Previous research on adults has shown that a functional polymorphism in the promoter region of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene moderates the impact of childhood maltreatment on risk for developing antisocial behavior. Thus far, attempts to replicate this finding have been mixed. The current study (i) presents new data investigating this finding in a sample of 975 seven-year-old boys, and (ii) evaluates the extant data by conducting a meta-analysis of published findings. We replicated the original finding by showing that the MAOA polymorphism moderates the development of psychopathology after exposure to physical abuse, we extended the finding to childhood closer in time to the maltreatment experience, and we ruled-out the possibility of a spurious finding by accounting for passive and evocative gene-environment correlation. Moreover, meta-analysis demonstrated that across studies, the association between maltreatment and mental health problems is significantly stronger in the group of males with the genotype conferring low vs high MAOA activity. These findings provide the strongest evidence to date suggesting that the MAOA gene influences vulnerability to environmental stress, and that this biological process can be initiated early in life.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Molecular psychiatry

DOI

EISSN

1476-5578

ISSN

1359-4184

Publication Date

October 2006

Volume

11

Issue

10

Start / End Page

903 / 913

Related Subject Headings

  • Violence
  • Regression Analysis
  • Psychiatry
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Polymorphism, Genetic
  • Monoamine Oxidase
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Kim-Cohen, J., Caspi, A., Taylor, A., Williams, B., Newcombe, R., Craig, I. W., & Moffitt, T. E. (2006). MAOA, maltreatment, and gene-environment interaction predicting children's mental health: new evidence and a meta-analysis. Molecular Psychiatry, 11(10), 903–913. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001851
Kim-Cohen, J., A. Caspi, A. Taylor, B. Williams, R. Newcombe, I. W. Craig, and T. E. Moffitt. “MAOA, maltreatment, and gene-environment interaction predicting children's mental health: new evidence and a meta-analysis.Molecular Psychiatry 11, no. 10 (October 2006): 903–13. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001851.
Kim-Cohen J, Caspi A, Taylor A, Williams B, Newcombe R, Craig IW, et al. MAOA, maltreatment, and gene-environment interaction predicting children's mental health: new evidence and a meta-analysis. Molecular psychiatry. 2006 Oct;11(10):903–13.
Kim-Cohen, J., et al. “MAOA, maltreatment, and gene-environment interaction predicting children's mental health: new evidence and a meta-analysis.Molecular Psychiatry, vol. 11, no. 10, Oct. 2006, pp. 903–13. Epmc, doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001851.
Kim-Cohen J, Caspi A, Taylor A, Williams B, Newcombe R, Craig IW, Moffitt TE. MAOA, maltreatment, and gene-environment interaction predicting children's mental health: new evidence and a meta-analysis. Molecular psychiatry. 2006 Oct;11(10):903–913.

Published In

Molecular psychiatry

DOI

EISSN

1476-5578

ISSN

1359-4184

Publication Date

October 2006

Volume

11

Issue

10

Start / End Page

903 / 913

Related Subject Headings

  • Violence
  • Regression Analysis
  • Psychiatry
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Polymorphism, Genetic
  • Monoamine Oxidase
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease