Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
893342 | Personality and Individual Differences | 2006 | 11 Pages |
The association between dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene polymorphism and the temperament dimension of Novelty seeking (NS) has recently been questioned. We tested whether childhood socio-demographic characteristics moderated this association.A population-based sample of children (n = 2149) and their parents was analyzed in 1980 in terms of socio-economic circumstances and residential setting. In 1997, the NS temperament was measured, and subjects in the low and high ends of the distribution (n = 150) were genotyped for DRD4 exon III polymorphism.An association between two- or five-repeat alleles of the DRD4 polymorphism and high NS scores was observed in the subjects with higher educated mothers, a higher annual household income, and living in an urban residential setting (OR’s ⩾ 3.9, 95% CI’s = 1.45–27.3) 17 years prior to the NS assessment. These findings were not explained by gender, age, or proximal process of child-rearing that, according to a prior report, have been shown to moderate the association. Socio-demographic characteristics did not moderate the association between the DRD4 seven-repeat allele and NS.These results provide further evidence of gene–environment interaction in NS, and suggest that environmental characteristics in the childhood may moderate the association between DRD4 polymorphisms and NS.