Achievement

Propensity for violent behavior correlates with genetic and neurophysiological factors that can be elucidated through multidisciplinary research. IGERT student Amy Byrd and her advisors Dustin Pardini and Rolf Loeber at the University of Pittsburgh are taking this approach to examine violent behavior in subjects in the Pittsburgh Youth Study. They use behavioral data to assess two characteristics associated with violence: interpersonal callousness and severe emotional dysregulation; functional magnetic resonance to measure differences in amygdala reactivity; and genotyping to look for differences in the gene for monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), an enzyme that regulates neurotransmitter levels. Abnormalities in MAOA are associated with depression and substance abuse. As part of her IGERT training, Byrd, a Psychology student, has received hands-on training in genetics techniques including DNA purification and extraction, polymerase chain reaction, and electrophoresis procedures.