Antisocial Behavior: Nature vs. Nurture

Antisocial behavior (ASB) is a complex phenotype caused by the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. In past decades several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and their meta-analyses identified up to 500 SNPs linked to externalizing pathology in Western Europeans. However, a question on their relevance to ASB in Eastern Europeans (i.e., Russians) remains open. Therefore, the present study aimed to replicate the effect of SNPs obtained from externalizing behavior GWAS meta-analysis on homicide behavior considering a possible modulating effect of social/lifestyle factors. We have selected top six SNPs (p < 10^–21) from recent GWAS meta-analysis of ASB (Karlsson Linnér et al., 2021) including CADM2 rs993137, ZIC4 rs2279829, REV3L rs458806, XKR6 rs4240671, SORCS3 rs11596214, and BDNF rs6265. Subsequent genotyping was performed in the sample of homicide offenders (N = 227, 7% women) and corresponding control group (N = 254). A series of logistic regression (PLINK v.1.09) confirmed the association of REV3L rs458806 in the total sample (p = 0.044, OR = 1.346), while SORCS3 rs11596214, ZIC4 rs2279829, XKR6 rs4240671 demonstrated their association with criminal behavior in the subgroups including smoking, low-educated offenders, individuals with psychopathologies and conflicts in families. Our findings replicated the effect of REV3L, SORCS3, ZIC4, and XKR6 genetic variants on ASB in the Russian cohort under a moderating impact of social/lifestyle factors. However, the effect of social/lifestyle factors including sex, somatic diseases, and smoking on escalating antisocial behavior exceeded that of examined genetic variants.