Pilot study of the DRD4 gene polymorphism association with morphological and psychological characteristics

Abstract

Introduction. The dopaminergic system of the brain plays an important role in the formation of eating and other aspects of behavior. It has been shown that disturbances in dopamine neurotransmission are associated with both eating behavior and the formation of excess body weight and obesity. VNTR polymorphism in exon III of the dopamine receptor DRD4 gene presumably affects eating behavior through environmental perception, but studies on this topic are few. This study was conducted due to the lack of information on the association of DRD4 gene polymorphism with excess body weight.

Materials and methods. The work used the materials of a comprehensive anthropogenetic examination of 309 males and 298 females aged 17 to 30 years. Morphological parameters were measured using traditional anthropometric methods. Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) and Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) were used to determine the level of depression and aggression, respectively. Genomic DNA isolated from the buccal epithelium served as the material for the genetic analysis. The reliability of intergroup differences was assessed using the Mann-Whitney criterion.

Results and discussion. In this study, some differences in morphological characteristics were found in carriers of different genotypes of the DRD4 exon III locus. Carriers of the 4- genotype (females who do not have the allele with four repeats) are somewhat larger in build, they have higher values for body length and weight, as well as hip circumference, than carriers of the 4+ genotype (p<0.05). For males, no statistically significant differences in morphological characteristics were found between carriers of different genotypes. The results of the study showed that males with the 4+ genotype have comparatively higher scores on the physical aggression and hostility scales (p<0.05), as well as on the anger scale (p>0.05; tendency).

Conclusion. The obtained data suggest further study of the influence of VNTR polymorphism of the dopamine receptor DRD4 gene on the formation of food preferences and the tendency to excess fat deposition, together with a detailed study of the socio-economic status of individuals. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

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