Work

Genes and Social Behavior

Year: 2008

Type: review

Abstract: What genes and regulatory sequences contribute to the organization and functioning of neural circuits and molecular pathways in the brain that support social behavior? How does social experience interact with information in the genome to modulate brain activity? Here, we address these questions by highlighting progress that has been made in identifying and understanding two key "vectors of influence" that link genes, the brain, and social behavior: (i) Social information alters gene expression in the brain to influence behavior, and (ii) genetic variation influences brain function and social behavior. We also discuss how evolutionary changes in genomic elements influence social behavior and outline prospects for a systems biology of social behavior.

Source: Science

DOI: 10.1126/science.1159277

Authors: Gene E. Robinson, Russell D. Fernald, David F. Clayton

Institutions: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Stanford University

Language: English

Topic: Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke