Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Developing a Rat Model for Bipolar Disorder
Published on: May 2, 2025
Sexually dimorphic link between dopamine D2 receptor gene and neuroticism-anxiety
Jan Wacker1, Martin Reuter, Jürgen Hennig
1Department of Psychology, University of Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany. wacker@staff.uni-marburg.de
Abstract:
Prior theory-driven research probing the association between dopaminergic candidate genes and human personality has focused on the trait of novelty seeking. Here, we examined the association between the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) TaqI A polymorphism and two other personality traits, neuroticism-anxiety and agentic extraversion. We found no significant associations for agentic extraversion. However, for men, but not for women, we observed a strong and specific association between low neuroticism-anxiety and the A1+ allele of the DRD2 TaqI A polymorphism across two independent samples and across two alternative personality scales. We conclude that new theoretical models are needed to account for these and other recent reports of associations between neuroticism-anxiety and brain dopamine, which cannot be interpreted within the traditional framework.
Related Concept Videos
Human Genetics
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
Personality Theory by Eysenck and Eysenck
In the extroversion/introversion dimension, highly extroverted people are sociable, outgoing, and easily connect with others. In contrast,...
Social Anxiety Disorder
Sex Linked Disorders
Horney's Sociocultural Approach
Depressive Disorders: Etiology
Biological Factors in Depression
Biological predispositions significantly influence the risk of developing depressive disorders. Genetic studies highlight the role of variations in the serotonin transporter...

