Chimpanzee Extraversion scores vary with epigenetic modification of dopamine receptor gene D2 (<i>DRD2</i>) and early rearing conditions
Nicky Staes, Cassandra White, Elaine E. Guevara, Marcel Eens, William D. Hopkins, Steven J. Schapiro, Jeroen M. G. Stevens, Chet C. Sherwood, Brenda J. Bradley
Abstract
sites are associated with changes in Extraversion in nursery-reared, but not mother-reared, individuals. These results highlight the role of dopaminergic signalling in chimpanzee personality, and indicate that environmental factors, such as social experiences early in life, can have long-lasting behavioural effects, potentially through modification of the epigenome. These findings add to the growing evidence demonstrating the importance of the experience-dependent methylome for the development of complex social traits like personality.
Topics & Concepts
BiologyExtraversion and introversionPersonalityBig Five personality traitsEpigeneticsDevelopmental psychologyTwin studyAgreeablenessDNA methylationDopaminergicGeneticsEvolutionary biologyPsychologyDopamineHeritabilityNeuroscienceGeneSocial psychologyGene expressionEpigenetics and DNA MethylationNeuroendocrine regulation and behaviorAutism Spectrum Disorder Research