Dopamine receptor DRD3 codes for trait aggression as Mendelian recessive

The dopamine receptor gene DRD3 and in particular the single nucleotide polymorphism Ser9Gly has been extensively investigated and found to have potential association with a wide variety of conditions. These include essential tremor, unipolar and bipolar depression, as well as a loose association with schizophrenia. Evaluation of (1) these known associations with DRD3, (2) the recent finding of Costas and colleagues that a haplotype containing Ser-9 is associated with protection from schizophrenia, and (3) an extant trait model of personality, leads to the hypothesis that an allele DRD3/Ser codes for trait aggression by Mendelian recessive inheritance. The implications of this hypothesis are that (1) DRD3 is a pleiotropic gene having allelic polymorphism related to both behavior and disease, and (2) models of personality based on genetic traits hold promise. In the area of schizophrenia, the hypothesis implies that schizophrenic patients can be divided into two broad classes: those having genotype DRD3/Ser/Ser and those who lack this homozygosity. The hypothesis of the association of DRD3 with trait aggression could be readily evaluated by testing groups of healthy individuals by personality inventory focused on aggression and by biochemical assay of neurotransmitter levels.