Genetic conflict and human personality disorders
November 15th 2008 11:07
Genetic conflict is the tug-of-war that goes on between genes. Different genes have different "interests"; they may enter into alliances with other genes, subvert them, modify their phenotypic effects, and so on. Sometimes, a sort of "arms race" can develop between warring factions, and this war can have important effects for the organisms in which the conflict is taking place. Scientists have now come up with a new theory for certain personality disorders like schizophrenia and autism, positing that they are the result of genes from both parents trying to gain leverage.
In a Novel Theory of Mental Disorders, Parents’ Genes Are in Competition
by Benedict Carrey, published November 10, 2008, New York Times
An excerpt: "Their idea is, in broad outline, straightforward. Dr. Crespi and Dr. Badcock propose that an evolutionary tug of war between genes from the father’s sperm and the mother’s egg can, in effect, tip brain development in one of two ways. A strong bias toward the father pushes a developing brain along the autistic spectrum, toward a fascination with objects, patterns, mechanical systems, at the expense of social development. A bias toward the mother moves the growing brain along what the researchers call the psychotic spectrum, toward hypersensitivity to mood, their own and others’. This, according to the theory, increases a child’s risk of developing schizophrenia later on, as well as mood problems like bipolar disorder and depression."
Continue reading here
In a Novel Theory of Mental Disorders, Parents’ Genes Are in Competition
by Benedict Carrey, published November 10, 2008, New York Times
An excerpt: "Their idea is, in broad outline, straightforward. Dr. Crespi and Dr. Badcock propose that an evolutionary tug of war between genes from the father’s sperm and the mother’s egg can, in effect, tip brain development in one of two ways. A strong bias toward the father pushes a developing brain along the autistic spectrum, toward a fascination with objects, patterns, mechanical systems, at the expense of social development. A bias toward the mother moves the growing brain along what the researchers call the psychotic spectrum, toward hypersensitivity to mood, their own and others’. This, according to the theory, increases a child’s risk of developing schizophrenia later on, as well as mood problems like bipolar disorder and depression."
Continue reading here
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