Exam 18: Genetics of Behavior

Monozygotic twin concordance values are less than 100% in both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.This suggests that these disorders ____.

The transgenic mouse models for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)and Huntington disease show symptoms similar to those seen in humans affected by these conditions.

Explain why mice are appropriate animal models for human behavioral genetics research.

The axon of one neuron is functionally connected to the dendrite of an adjacent neuron by the _____________________.

For which of the following diseases would animal models likely yield the most information?

Learned behaviors are defined as behaviors with which we are born.

Since mice are over _____________________% genetically similar to humans,they are appropriate models for studying human conditions.

Discuss the dangers of placing too much emphasis on the genetic basis of personality and behavior.

An ALDH2 allele results in slow alcohol metabolism,leading to an accumulation of acetaldehyde.Therefore,individuals with this allele tend to _____.

To quantify the environmental contribution of a behavioral trait,scientists turn to ____.

Amyloid plaques are routinely found in the brains of individuals affected by _____________________,where they cause nerve cell degeneration and death.

According to results from genome wide association studies,at least seven _____________________ are linked to both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

The greater the polyglutamine expansion in the huntingtin gene (greater than 35 CAG trinucleotide repeats),the greater the chance for developing Huntington disease.

The gene associated with aggressive behavior in different studies is called _____________________.

Research on transgenic Drosophila models of Huntington disease has found that ____.

Transgenic mice engineered to contain the mutant versions of the huntingtin gene with various numbers of _____________________ repeats have phenotypes similar to humans affected by Huntington disease.

Why is the most damage to the brains of Huntington disease patients observed in the striatum?

Discuss the importance of twin and adoption studies to human behavioral genetics research.

Family,twin,and adoption studies have revealed a(n)_____________________ component to mental illnesses,such as bipolar disorder.

It is difficult to assign a precise phenotypic definition to alcoholism because _____.