Researchers at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in Rockville (USA) have discovered a mutation that could predispose to severe impulsive behavior , according to an article published today in the journal Nature .
The mutation, found within the HTR2B serotonin receptor gene , was discovered by sequencing and comparing the DNA of Finnish criminals with severe impulsivity problems. The mutation, the study reveals, occurs much more frequently among violent criminals than among control subjects. "The carriers of the mutation who have committed impulsive crimes were men and they all became violent after consuming alcohol, which by itself produces a disinhibition" explains David Goldman, who has led the study and warns that genetics is one more factor than one. complicated puzzle of predisposing factors to impulsivity that probably also includes gender, stress levels and alcohol consumption, among others.
