Biosocial Surveys (2008) / Chapter Skim
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10 Genetic Markers in Social Science Research: Opportunities and Pitfalls--George P. Vogler and Gerald E. McClearn
10 Genetic Markers in Social Science Research: Opportunities and Pitfalls--George P. Vogler and Gerald E. McClearn
Pages 194-207
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From page 194... ...
McClearn S ocial science survey research provides rich databases that are infor mative regarding factors that influence the health and well-being of target populations. These studies frequently are rich in behavioral assessments that can include measures as diverse as cognitive assessment and personality characteristics, social support patterns, health behaviors, and the availability and utilization of health care services.
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From page 195... ...
COMPLEXITY OF THE COACTION OF GENES AND ENVIRONMENT A central question is whether the complexity of the kinds of outcome variables that are considered in social science survey research is too great to be meaningfully considered in a genetic context. This argument might be considered to be valid if one is limited to the Mendelian perspective, which is the notion that genetic influences on a trait consist of the effect of a single major gene.
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From page 196... ...
Indeed, in some arenas, there was strong a priori rejection of any possibility of genetic involvement. In recent decades, however, a more balanced view has emerged, partaking increasingly of the quantitative genetics perspective attributing main effects to factors from both genetic and environmental domains, and with all of the subtle possibilities arising from the inevitable interaction terms.
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From page 197... ...
This can be in the form of measurable polymorphisms in functional genes or as information on massive numbers of polymorphic markers distributed throughout the genome that are not necessarily functional polymorphisms in genes that affect the trait. The incorporation of measured genetic variability has the potential to increase greatly the ability to investigate complex traits, including a genetic perspective, particularly with respect to G×E interactions and other approaches that go beyond the idea of a main effect of an individual gene on a trait.
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From page 198... ...
The five environments differed in the temperature of the incubator in which the animals lived -- standard control, higher than control, lower than control, a control temperature but with a heat shock administered during pupal stage, and a reduced diet in a standard temperature. Seventeen quantitative trait loci (QTLs)
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From page 199... ...
investigated a putative risk factor -- the effects of long-term overfeeding -- in young adult male monozygotic twins. For a variety of outcome variables, including gain in body weight, percentage of fat, fat mass, and estimated subcutaneous fat, the variance among pairs was about threefold the variance within pairs.
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From page 200... ...
This is one of the few genes identified to date that have common variants with well docu ������������������������ mented and consistent main effects on traditional social science outcomes. Numerous studies have investigated the effect of the ApoE isoform on response to dietary intervention, with inconsistent results.
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From page 201... ...
By discarding the nature versus nurture perspective, researchers studying the genetics of complex traits have embraced a more interactive model. The incorporation of measured genetic variability into social science survey research, which frequently has excellent environmental assessment, opens up rich new opportunities to investigate G×E interactions in large samples, with the potential of providing a more realistic description of factors that affect social science survey outcomes.
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From page 202... ...
Potential Advantages In addition to the broad potential advantages in making scientific progress in understanding more completely the nature of genetic and environmental factors on complex social science traits, there are several other practical advantages. One is the potential to have DNA in longterm availability.
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From page 203... ...
VOGLER and GERALD E MCCLEARN 203 Potential Disadvantages The incorporation of DNA collection into social science surveys has several potential disadvantages.
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From page 204... ...
Conversely, if there is clear information about a risk factor, the investigators must consider their obligations to provide this information to participants, either now or if future work clarifies the nature of a genetic risk factor. While there are important issues regarding privacy and maintaining anonymity with public data sets for any potential identifying information, including demographic factors, these issues merit special attention for genetic data, which contain the risks associated with sensitive medical data in general but also have additional risks.
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From page 205... ...
Examples of areas for which genes have been identified include cardiovascular risk factors, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, markers of inflammation, lung function, cognitive function, and addictive behaviors. The extensive environmental assessment information in social science surveys provides a unique opportunity to improve understanding of how these genes function in a broader context, as well as how they contribute to the context in which environmental factors influence social science outcomes.
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From page 206... ...
. In Na tional Research Council, Cells and surveys: Should biological measures be included in social science research?
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From page 207... ...
Rockville, MD: National Bioethics Advisory Commission. National Center for Biotechnology Information.
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