Summary Genes and Environment Interplay | Anouk Wiersma
Genes and Environment
Interplay
Summary book – Behavioral Geneti cs
Contents
Block 1 - Foundations.............................................................................................................................4
Chapter 2: Historical perspective........................................................................................................4
The era of Darwin...........................................................................................................................4
Pre-Mendelian concepts of heredity and variation.........................................................................5
Chapter 3: Mendel’s laws and beyond................................................................................................5
Mendel’s laws.................................................................................................................................5
Mendel’s second law of heredity....................................................................................................6
Beyond Mendel’s laws....................................................................................................................7
The X-chromosome: an extension to Mendel’s laws.......................................................................8
Chapter 4: DNA – Biological basis of heredity.....................................................................................9
Chromosomes...............................................................................................................................10
Block 2 – Modern methods..................................................................................................................11
Chapter 6: Nature, nurture, and human behaviour..........................................................................11
Adoption designs..........................................................................................................................11
Twin design...................................................................................................................................11
Combination.................................................................................................................................12
Chapter 7: Estimating genetic and environmental influences...........................................................13
Heritability....................................................................................................................................13
Interpreting heritability................................................................................................................13
Environmentality..........................................................................................................................14
Block 3 – Modern methods..................................................................................................................15
Chapter 9: Identifying genes.............................................................................................................15
Mutations.....................................................................................................................................15
Expanded triplet repeats..............................................................................................................15
Detecting polymorphisms.............................................................................................................15
Human behavior...........................................................................................................................16
Chapter 10: Pathways between genes and behaviour......................................................................18
Gene expression and the role of epigenetics................................................................................18
The transcriptome: gene expression throughout the genome.....................................................19
The proteome: proteins coded throughout the transcriptome.....................................................20
, Summary Genes and Environment Interplay | Anouk Wiersma
The brain.......................................................................................................................................20
Learning and memory...................................................................................................................20
Neuroimaging...............................................................................................................................21
Block 4 – Genes and environment interplay.........................................................................................22
Chapter 8: The interplay of genes and environment.........................................................................22
Beyond heritability.......................................................................................................................22
Genotype-environment correlation..............................................................................................22
Genotype-environment interaction..............................................................................................24
Block 5 – Genes and environment in research......................................................................................25
Chapter 16: Personality and personality disorders...........................................................................25
Self-report questionnaires............................................................................................................25
Other measures of personality.....................................................................................................25
Other findings...............................................................................................................................26
Personality and social psychology.................................................................................................26
Personality disorders....................................................................................................................27
Gene finding.................................................................................................................................28
Chapter 18: Health psychology.........................................................................................................29
Genetic and health psychology.....................................................................................................29
Health psychology and genetic counselling..................................................................................30
Chapter 14: Other adult psychopathology........................................................................................31
Mood disorders............................................................................................................................31
Anxiety disorders..........................................................................................................................32
Other disorders.............................................................................................................................33
Co-occurrence of disorders...........................................................................................................33
Identifying genes..........................................................................................................................34
Chapter 15: Development psychopathology.....................................................................................35
Autism..........................................................................................................................................35
Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder......................................................................................35
Disruptive behavior disorders.......................................................................................................36
Anxiety disorders..........................................................................................................................36
Chapter 17: Substance use disorders................................................................................................38
Alcohol dependence.....................................................................................................................38
Nicotine dependence....................................................................................................................39
Other drugs...................................................................................................................................40
Block 6 – Genes and environment in research......................................................................................41
Chapter 11: Cognitive skills...............................................................................................................41
, Summary Genes and Environment Interplay | Anouk Wiersma
Animal research............................................................................................................................41
General cognitive ability...............................................................................................................41
Specific cognitive abilities.............................................................................................................42
Neurocognitive measures of cognitive abilities............................................................................42
School achievement......................................................................................................................42
Three special genetic findings about cognitive abilities................................................................42
Identifying genes..........................................................................................................................44
Chapter 20: The future of behavioural genetics...............................................................................45
Quantitative genetics....................................................................................................................45
Molecular genetics.......................................................................................................................45
Implications of nature and nurture...............................................................................................45
Key concepts.........................................................................................................................................46
, Summary Genes and Environment Interplay | Anouk Wiersma
Block 1 - Foundations
Chapter 2: Historical perspective
- 1735: Systema Naturae published by Karl von Linne (Linneaus), in which he established a
system of taxonomic classification of all known living things.
o Emphasized the separateness and distinctness of species.
o Result: the view that species were fixed and unchanging became the prevailing one.
- Another view: Jean Lamarck – argued that the deliberate efforts of an animal could result in
modifications of the body parts involved, and that the modifications so acquired could be
transmitted to the animal’s offspring. Law of use and disuse.
The era of Darwin
Charles Darwin
- 1831-1836: voyage around the world – observe the remarkable adaptations of species to
their environment.
o Observing finches: principal differences were in their beaks, and each beak was
exactly appropriate for the particular eating habits of the species.
o Darwin began to realize that species were not designed once and for all
Darwin’s theory of evolution – natural selection
Begins with variation within a population. Variation exists among
individuals in a population due to heredity. If the likelihood of
surviving to maturity and reproducing is influenced by a particular
trait, offspring of the survivors will show more of the trait that their
parents’ generation.
Another possibility: behavioral differences in habitat preference led the way
to the evolution of beaks rather than the other way around
Heritable individual differences in habitat preference may have
existed that led some finches to prefer life on the ground and others
to prefer life in the trees. The other differences, such as beak size and
shape, may have been secondary to these habitat differences.
Two points made by this story:
o It is difficult to know the mechanisms driving evolutionary
change
o Although behavior is not as well preserved as physical
characteristics, it is likely that behavior is often at the cutting
edge of natural selection.
Darwin used the phrase “survival of the fittest” to characterize the principle
of natural selection. It could be more appropriately be called reproduction of
the fittest.
- Scientifically, Darwin’s theory of evolution had serious gaps, mainly because the mechanism
for heredity, the gene, was not yet understood.
o Mendel’s work on heredity was not published until seven years after publication of
the Origin of Species.
Mendel provided answer to the riddle of inheritance, which led to an
understanding of how variability arises through mutations and how genetic
variability is maintained generation after generation.
Francis Galton
Genes and Environment
Interplay
Summary book – Behavioral Geneti cs
Contents
Block 1 - Foundations.............................................................................................................................4
Chapter 2: Historical perspective........................................................................................................4
The era of Darwin...........................................................................................................................4
Pre-Mendelian concepts of heredity and variation.........................................................................5
Chapter 3: Mendel’s laws and beyond................................................................................................5
Mendel’s laws.................................................................................................................................5
Mendel’s second law of heredity....................................................................................................6
Beyond Mendel’s laws....................................................................................................................7
The X-chromosome: an extension to Mendel’s laws.......................................................................8
Chapter 4: DNA – Biological basis of heredity.....................................................................................9
Chromosomes...............................................................................................................................10
Block 2 – Modern methods..................................................................................................................11
Chapter 6: Nature, nurture, and human behaviour..........................................................................11
Adoption designs..........................................................................................................................11
Twin design...................................................................................................................................11
Combination.................................................................................................................................12
Chapter 7: Estimating genetic and environmental influences...........................................................13
Heritability....................................................................................................................................13
Interpreting heritability................................................................................................................13
Environmentality..........................................................................................................................14
Block 3 – Modern methods..................................................................................................................15
Chapter 9: Identifying genes.............................................................................................................15
Mutations.....................................................................................................................................15
Expanded triplet repeats..............................................................................................................15
Detecting polymorphisms.............................................................................................................15
Human behavior...........................................................................................................................16
Chapter 10: Pathways between genes and behaviour......................................................................18
Gene expression and the role of epigenetics................................................................................18
The transcriptome: gene expression throughout the genome.....................................................19
The proteome: proteins coded throughout the transcriptome.....................................................20
, Summary Genes and Environment Interplay | Anouk Wiersma
The brain.......................................................................................................................................20
Learning and memory...................................................................................................................20
Neuroimaging...............................................................................................................................21
Block 4 – Genes and environment interplay.........................................................................................22
Chapter 8: The interplay of genes and environment.........................................................................22
Beyond heritability.......................................................................................................................22
Genotype-environment correlation..............................................................................................22
Genotype-environment interaction..............................................................................................24
Block 5 – Genes and environment in research......................................................................................25
Chapter 16: Personality and personality disorders...........................................................................25
Self-report questionnaires............................................................................................................25
Other measures of personality.....................................................................................................25
Other findings...............................................................................................................................26
Personality and social psychology.................................................................................................26
Personality disorders....................................................................................................................27
Gene finding.................................................................................................................................28
Chapter 18: Health psychology.........................................................................................................29
Genetic and health psychology.....................................................................................................29
Health psychology and genetic counselling..................................................................................30
Chapter 14: Other adult psychopathology........................................................................................31
Mood disorders............................................................................................................................31
Anxiety disorders..........................................................................................................................32
Other disorders.............................................................................................................................33
Co-occurrence of disorders...........................................................................................................33
Identifying genes..........................................................................................................................34
Chapter 15: Development psychopathology.....................................................................................35
Autism..........................................................................................................................................35
Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder......................................................................................35
Disruptive behavior disorders.......................................................................................................36
Anxiety disorders..........................................................................................................................36
Chapter 17: Substance use disorders................................................................................................38
Alcohol dependence.....................................................................................................................38
Nicotine dependence....................................................................................................................39
Other drugs...................................................................................................................................40
Block 6 – Genes and environment in research......................................................................................41
Chapter 11: Cognitive skills...............................................................................................................41
, Summary Genes and Environment Interplay | Anouk Wiersma
Animal research............................................................................................................................41
General cognitive ability...............................................................................................................41
Specific cognitive abilities.............................................................................................................42
Neurocognitive measures of cognitive abilities............................................................................42
School achievement......................................................................................................................42
Three special genetic findings about cognitive abilities................................................................42
Identifying genes..........................................................................................................................44
Chapter 20: The future of behavioural genetics...............................................................................45
Quantitative genetics....................................................................................................................45
Molecular genetics.......................................................................................................................45
Implications of nature and nurture...............................................................................................45
Key concepts.........................................................................................................................................46
, Summary Genes and Environment Interplay | Anouk Wiersma
Block 1 - Foundations
Chapter 2: Historical perspective
- 1735: Systema Naturae published by Karl von Linne (Linneaus), in which he established a
system of taxonomic classification of all known living things.
o Emphasized the separateness and distinctness of species.
o Result: the view that species were fixed and unchanging became the prevailing one.
- Another view: Jean Lamarck – argued that the deliberate efforts of an animal could result in
modifications of the body parts involved, and that the modifications so acquired could be
transmitted to the animal’s offspring. Law of use and disuse.
The era of Darwin
Charles Darwin
- 1831-1836: voyage around the world – observe the remarkable adaptations of species to
their environment.
o Observing finches: principal differences were in their beaks, and each beak was
exactly appropriate for the particular eating habits of the species.
o Darwin began to realize that species were not designed once and for all
Darwin’s theory of evolution – natural selection
Begins with variation within a population. Variation exists among
individuals in a population due to heredity. If the likelihood of
surviving to maturity and reproducing is influenced by a particular
trait, offspring of the survivors will show more of the trait that their
parents’ generation.
Another possibility: behavioral differences in habitat preference led the way
to the evolution of beaks rather than the other way around
Heritable individual differences in habitat preference may have
existed that led some finches to prefer life on the ground and others
to prefer life in the trees. The other differences, such as beak size and
shape, may have been secondary to these habitat differences.
Two points made by this story:
o It is difficult to know the mechanisms driving evolutionary
change
o Although behavior is not as well preserved as physical
characteristics, it is likely that behavior is often at the cutting
edge of natural selection.
Darwin used the phrase “survival of the fittest” to characterize the principle
of natural selection. It could be more appropriately be called reproduction of
the fittest.
- Scientifically, Darwin’s theory of evolution had serious gaps, mainly because the mechanism
for heredity, the gene, was not yet understood.
o Mendel’s work on heredity was not published until seven years after publication of
the Origin of Species.
Mendel provided answer to the riddle of inheritance, which led to an
understanding of how variability arises through mutations and how genetic
variability is maintained generation after generation.
Francis Galton
