Variation in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) is associated with differences in moral judgment.

ABSTRACT: Moral judgments are produced through the coordinated interaction of multiple neural systems, each of which relies on a characteristic set of neurotransmitters. Genes that produce or regulate these neurotransmitters may have distinctive influences on moral judgment. Two studies examined potential genetic influences on moral judgment using dilemmas that reliably elicit competing automatic and controlled responses, generated by dissociable neural systems. Study 1 (N = 228) examined 49 common variants (SNPs) within 10 candidate genes and identified a nominal association between a polymorphism (rs237889) of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and variation in deontological vs utilitarian moral judgment (that is, judgments favoring individual rights vs the greater good). An association was likewis

SUBMITTER: Bernhard RM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5141955 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature