How the child will grow up, the DNA and EEG analysis will tell
The connection between the genetic characteristics of the child and his temperament has been establishedDmitry Safin, Compulenta
A group of specialists from the USA and Canada showed that the features of a child's behavior can be "calculated" by analyzing his DNA and the nature of brain activity.
Scientists have long established that the results of activity measurements carried out in the area of the frontal cortex of the brain make it possible to determine the type of temperament of a child. It is believed that increased activity in the frontal cortex of the left hemisphere characterizes conditionally "light" children, which is not difficult to calm down, and when registering increased activity in the right hemisphere, one can expect manifestations of "negative" character traits (for example, a tendency to cry).
The authors of this work studied the relationship between the features of the children's brain and various variations of the DRD4 gene (dopamine receptor D4, dopamine receptor D4). Earlier, we note, it was shown (see the article in the journal Psychiatric Genetics) that carriers of a longer variation (allele) of this gene are hypersensitive and experience problems with concentration.
Scientists obtained some of the data by taking electroencephalograms from nine-month-old infants. When the children grew up and reached the age of four, the researchers asked their mothers to answer questionnaire questions regarding the behavioral characteristics of the child, and took samples for DNA analysis.
As it turned out, of those babies who showed increased activity in the frontal cortex of the left hemisphere at 9 months, carriers of the long allele became more calm and obedient after three years. However, the same long allele in combination with increased activity in the right hemisphere had the opposite effect: these children were the least calm and most often had difficulty concentrating. "The results of the study suggest that the influence of the DRD4 gene on the temperament of a child has a dual character," the authors conclude.
The scientists' report is published in the journal Psychological Science.
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