Elucidation of the relationship between polymorphisms associated with Japanese population maintenance strategies and prosocial behavior

Research Project

Project/Area Number	17K15205
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	Applied anthropology
Research Institution	National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (2018-2019) Kyushu University (2017)
Principal Investigator	Egashira Yuka 国立研究開発法人国立精神・神経医療研究センター, 精神保健研究所知的・発達障害研究部, 流動研究員 (10793200)
Project Period (FY)	2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2019)
Budget Amount *help	¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000) Fiscal Year 2018: ¥2,470,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥570,000) Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
Keywords	向社会的行動 / 遺伝子多型 / 性格特性 / 向社会性 / 発達障害 / 実験心理学 / 生理人類学
Outline of Final Research Achievements	In order to investigate the relationship between prosocial behavior of Japanese population and genetic polymorphism, we conducted an economic game on healthy Japanese adults. Also the personality and developmental characteristics of the individual such as empathy characteristics, desire for belonging, ADHD and ASD tendency were measured by questionnaire. The gene polymorphisms analyzed were the serotonin transporter gene polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) and the oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism. As a result, 5-HTTLPR L, which is less common among Japanese people, made it easier to make selfish decision. On the other hand, the higher the ADHD tendency, the easier the prosocial distribution, and the poorer the communication, the less equal distribution. It is important to investigate the relationship between developmental characteristics and the prosocial behavior in future.
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	ヒトにとって集団を維持することは生存および発展に不可欠であり、向社会的行動は集団を維持する上で重要な戦略のひとつである。日本人集団では欧米と比較して不安障害のリスクが高く共感性が乏しい遺伝子型を持つヒトが多い。本研究の結果日本人集団に多い遺伝子型を持つ方が向社会的行動をとりやすいことが分かった。一方でこれらは不安を感じやすい群でもあり、集団維持のために過剰に適応的行動を選択している可能性がある。こうした集団の特性を把握することで、うつ病などの精神疾患などに対する新しい治療法の開発につながる可能性がある。