Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T07:12:56.261Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 26 - Genetics of personality disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 October 2012

By
C. Robert Cloninger
Edited by
John I. Nurnberger, Jr  and
Wade Berrettini
John I. Nurnberger, Jr
Affiliation:
Indiana University School of Medicine
Wade Berrettini
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Get access

Summary

This chapter outlines the basic observations that must be faced in order to understand the genetics of personality disorders. It suggests a general functional approach based on the evolution of human brain functions that may be of general utility. The specification of personality disorders is better explained by comprehensive multidimensional personality inventories that measure normal and/or abnormal personality traits. Multidimensional inventories for assessing components of personality disorders have been developed to measure both abnormal traits and also traits that characterize the full range of variability in the general population. Twin studies of personality dimensions in the general population also demonstrate moderate heritability of normal personality traits. The estimates of heritability in twin studies are inflated by contributions from gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. A model of the evolution of brain functions may be the only way to make sense of the psychobiology of personality and psychopathology.

Keywords

heritabilitylinkage studiesgeneticscandidate gene association studiesanorexia nervosabulimia nervosa
Type
Chapter
Information
Principles of Psychiatric Genetics , pp. 316 - 323
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×