Behavioral Genetics In The Postgenomic Era

The Human Genome Project-which has provided a working draft of the sequence of DNA in the human genome - is a remarkable scientific achievement. In this postgenomic world, it appears that all genes and all DNA variation will eventually be known. For behavioral researchers, this is especially exciting because behavioral dimensions and disorders are the most complex traits of all. To understand these traits, we need to understand the roles of many genes and many environmental influences.

In this new volume in the series Research and Perspectives in Neurosciences the authors have presented and discussed their findings in the fields of speech and language disorders, X-linked mental retardation, gene therapy in the CNS, memory and learning disorders and other fields.

Behaving presents an overview of the recent history and methodology of behavioral genetics and psychiatric genetics, informed by a philosophical perspective. Kenneth F. Schaffner addresses a wide range of issues, including genetic reductionism and determinism, "free will," and quantitative and molecular genetics. The latter covers newer genome-wide association studies (GWAS) that have produced a paradigm shift in the subject, and generated the problem of "missing heritability." Schaffner also presents cases involving pro and con arguments for genetic testing for IQ and for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Schaffner examines the nature-nurture controversy and Developmental Systems Theory using C. elegans or "worm" studies as a test case, concluding that genes are special and provide powerful tools, including "deep homology," for investigating behavior. He offers a novel account of biological knowledge emphasizing the importance of models, mechanisms, pathways, and networks, which clarifies how partial reductions provide explanations of traits and disorders. The book also includes examinations of personality genetics and of schizophrenia and its etiology, alongside interviews with prominent researchers in the area, and discusses debates about psychosis that led to changes in the DSM-5 in 2013. Schaffner concludes by discussing additional philosophical implications of the genetic analyses in the book, some major worries about "free will," and arguments pro and con about why genes and DNA are so special. Though genes are special, newer perspectives presented in this book will be needed for progress in behavioral genetics- perspectives that situate genes in complex multilevel prototypic pathways and networks. With a mix of optimism and pessimism about the state of the field and the subject, Schaffner's book will be of interest to scholars in the history and philosophy of science, medicine, and psychiatry.

Wrestling with Behavioral Genetics brings together an interdisciplinary group of contributors -- geneticists, humanists, social scientists, lawyers, and journalists -- to discuss the ethical and social implications of behavioral genetics research. The essays give readers the necessary tools to critically analyze the findings of behavioral geneticists, explore competing interpretations of the ethical and social implications of those findings, and engage in a productive public conversation about them. "What sets this collection apart from others is the way that contributions from a diverse authorship are integrated to form a coherent whole... Doubtless this book will soon become a classic within behavioral genetics and compulsory reading for the non-specialist seeking to understand the basic scientific, social, and ethical issues within the field." -- American Journal of Bioethics "Informative, provocative, and challenging, this book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand this emerging field." -- Social Theory and Practice "Promoting public conversation about behavioral genetics will be increasingly pertinent to creating enlightened, fair, and representative public policy... The 'wrestling' will go on for some time to come." -- New England Journal of Medicine "This volume presents a fair and honest treatment of the field that is both cautious at times and also optimistic and hopeful." -- Metapsychology Erik Parens is a senior research scholar at the Hastings Center and a visiting professor in the Science, Technology, and Society Program at Sarah Lawrence College. Audrey R. Chapman is a professor of community medicine and Healey Chair in Medical Humanities and Bioethics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Nancy Press is a professor at the School of Nursing and the Department of Public Health at the School of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University.

How Genes Influence Behavior takes a personal and lively approach to the study of behavioral genetics, providing an up-to-date and accessible introduction to a variety of approaches and their application to a wide range of disorders, and modeling a critical approach to both methods andresults.This second edition includes additional biology content to help students understand the biological foundations of the field, while maintaining an appropriate focus on the main issues of relevance to psychology students; updates coverage of genomic technologies and their applications; and covers awider range of disorders, including autism spectrum disorder, eating disorders, and intellectual disability. A new final chapter guides students through a range of quantitative approaches using worked examples that relate directly to cases and examples used earlier in the text, and addresses currentissues arising from debates around reproducibility.The online resources that accompany this book include:For students* Multiple choice questions for students to check their threshold knowledge* Data sets for students to manipulate, so that they can apply what they have learnedFor lecturers* Figures and tables from the book, ready to download

Ten years after the Human Genome Project’s completion the life sciences stand in a moment of uncertainty, transition, and contestation. The postgenomic era has seen rapid shifts in research methodology, funding, scientific labor, and disciplinary structures. Postgenomics is transforming our understanding of disease and health, our environment, and the categories of race, class, and gender. At the same time, the gene retains its centrality and power in biological and popular discourse. The contributors to Postgenomics analyze these ruptures and continuities and place them in historical, social, and political context. Postgenomics, they argue, forces a rethinking of the genome itself, and opens new territory for conversations between the social sciences, humanities, and life sciences. Contributors. Russ Altman, Rachel A. Ankeny, Catherine Bliss, John Dupré, Michael Fortun, Evelyn Fox Keller, Sabina Leonelli, Adrian Mackenzie, Margot Moinester, Aaron Panofsky, Sarah S. Richardson, Sara Shostak, Hallam Stevens

Nine essays examining the ethical, cultural, legal, and biological underpinnings of behavioral genetics. Scientists conducting human genome research are identifying genetic disorders and traits at an accelerating rate. Genetic factors in human behavior appear particularly complex and slow to emerge, yet are raising their own set of difficult ethical, legal, and social issues. In Behavioral Genetics: The Clash of Culture and Biology, Ronald Carson and Mark Rothstein bring together well-known experts from the fields of genetics, ethics, neuroscience, psychiatry, sociology, and law to address the cultural, legal, and biological underpinnings of behavioral genetics. The authors discuss a broad range of topics, including the ethical questions arising from gene therapy and screening, molecular research in psychiatry, and the legal ramifications and social consequences of behavioral genetic information. Throughout, they focus on two basic concerns: the quality of the science behind behavioral genetic claims and the need to formulate an appropriate, ethically defensible response when the science turns out to be good. “This book is well written and stimulating. The issues it raises are important for scientists and for those working in the legal and social-services fields, but they clearly also have relevance for everyone.” —The New England Journal of Medicine “This . . . is the best introduction to behavioral genetics that I have read. The varying viewpoints . . . are presented with such clarity that [this book] should appeal to the general public and serve as a basic text for college courses.” —Jay Katz, Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor Emeritus of Law, Medicine, and Psychiatry, Harvey L. Karp Professiorial Lecturer in Law and Psychoanalysis, Yale Law School

Essay from the year 2011 in the subject Biology - Genetics / Gene Technology, grade: B2, University of Glasgow (Biology - Genetics), course: Genetics BA - Level 3, language: English, abstract: Traditionally, genomic research was focused on the investigation of DNA sequence which gives rise to the diversity of phenotypes found in nature. It was undoubted that the information which is given by the genomic sequence is the sole factor which is important for the outcome for each individual organism. But since a few decades, a new concept called epigenetics has arisen and shows that we have to modify our knowledge about genetics. "Epi" derives from Greek meaning "on" or "over" and implies that epigenetic mechanisms act on genes via altering the gene expression and regulation without modifying the actual DNA sequence. In epigenetics, we can find the reason why twins (who have the exact same gene sequence) can alter in their phenotype especially concerning their susceptibility to diseases (Fraga et al. 2005; Wong et al.; 2005). Furthermore, it has the potential to answer the question how phenotypic characteristics can alter between generations without a change in the underlying genetic material.