User:2000christina/Epigenetics of antisocial personality disorder

Antisocial personality disorder (APSD)
link to original Wikipedia page on antisocial personality disorder: Antisocial personality disorder

Summary
Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is a mental disorder defined by a continuing pattern of disregard for the rights or feelings of others and a lack of regard for right and wrong. Epigenetics is associated with ASPD in serotonergic and monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) gene dysregulation are present in populations with ASPD and are associated with the condition's characteristic impulsive aggression. Hypermethylation of the MAO-A promoter is believed to be a factor in the downregulated MAO-A gene expression seen in assays and blood serotonin levels in incarcerated men diagnosed with ASPD. Polymorphism of the MAO-A gene is correlated with a heightened risk of antisocial behaviors. Additionally, childhood maltreatment, which has known epigenetic consequences, is an established risk factor for ASPD. The activation of the amygdala and epigenetic changes in cells located there are implicated in the reduced ability to process facial expressions, such as fear. Because of this, the epigenetics of ASPD is a valuable and important topic to explore further. The paper this article will be based on is: "Monoamine oxidase A gene promoter methylation and transcriptional downregulation in an offender population with antisocial personality disorder."

Outline
The epigenetic information could be incorporated as an extensive subsection within the existing antisocial personality disorder main article.

- Present the MAO gene, including what it is, where it is found, and what it is implicated in.

- Discuss the MAO-A version of the gene.

- Discuss the dysregulation of the MAO-A gene.

- Explain the connection between MAO-A and serotonin with aggressive behavior. Some societal implications of this psychiatric condition include impulsive actions and increased criminality.

- Discuss information on the epigenetic variations in the amygdala of people with APSD. Some of this information could be found in the review article by Baker et al.

- Discuss the directions for future research and how this could influence treatment outlooks.

Potential Figure(s)
One example of a valuable figure to this page is a figure showing the effect of polymorphism of the MAO-A promoter and the impact of this on the frequency of psychopathic characteristics.