Genetic and epigenetic factors associated with personality disorders: an integrative review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55892/jrg.v8i19.2773Keywords:
Personality Disorders, Genetics, Epigenetics, Integrative Review, Borderline Personality DisorderAbstract
Personality disorders are high-impact psychiatric conditions with significant prevalence. Given the growing interest in genetic research into these disorders, along with putative epigenetic investigations, an integrative review work was justified. The objective of this work was organising current evidences over what genetic and/or epigenetic factors are known to be related to personality disorders. To organise this review, a six-step model was used to outline the research and a PICo protocol (Population, Interest, Context) was applied to define selection criteria. The selection of works was done on the MEDLINE and LILACS databases and the online library SCIELO. Fifteen articles were selected and fully read, seeking data and observations of interest in a standardised format, and then subjected to descriptive and integrative syntheses. The polygenic and complex character of personality disorders was reinforced by this review’s findings. Studies identified multiple genetic factors related to personality disorders, independent or not of normal personality traits. The reviewed epigenetic studies broaden this view. Levels of methylation in genes responsible for stress regulation and neuroplasticity are sensitive to early trauma, and are related with greater prevalence and severity of certain disorders. Twin studies suggest personal experiences and exposures along a person’s life have an important role in the individual outcomes of genetic predispositions shared by disorders. This review was limited by the heterogeneity of the studies reviewed, the limited scopes and sample sizes of many of the analysed articles, and a small quantity of works on the epigenetics of the disorders studied. However, these limitations and the findings of this review justify further scientific inquiry of this theme.
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