Variants at serotonin transporter and 2A receptor genes predict cooperative behavior differentially according to presence of punishment.

ABSTRACT: Punishment of free-riding has been implicated in the evolution of cooperation in humans, and yet mechanisms for punishment avoidance remain largely uninvestigated. Individual variation in these mechanisms may stem from variation in the serotonergic system, which modulates processing of aversive stimuli. Functional serotonin gene variants have been associated with variation in the processing of aversive stimuli and widely studied as risk factors for psychiatric disorders. We show that variants at the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) and serotonin 2A receptor gene (HTR2A) predict contributions to the public good in economic games, dependent upon whether contribution behavior can be punished. Participants with a variant at the serotonin transporter gene contribute more, leading to group-le

SUBMITTER: Schroeder KB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3593869 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature