Ethics of Genetic Screening Study of Antisocial
CASE STUDY
The Ethics of a Genetic Screening Study for Antisocial Personality Disorder With Mesoamericans
Case Study in the Ethics of Mental Health Research
Maria-Virginia Rodriguez, MD, FACS
Abstract: This article contains an analysis of a research ethics committee’s (REC) concerns about a study protocol involving genetic screening for antisocial personality disorder. The study was proposed by US university researchers and to be conducted with Mesoamerican populations in the United States and in their countries of origin. The analysis explains why the study was not considered ethical by the REC, pointing to issues with the choice of study population, informed consent, confidentiality, and posttrial obligations. Some recommendations are provided for ways in which the study could have been redesigned. Key Words: Genetic screening, antisocial personality disorder, ethical issues. (J Nerv Ment Dis 2012;200: 260Y264)
which are mostly descended from a small number of founders a short number of generations ago; and there is a great deal of environmental and phenotypic homogeneity.
Using a Mesoamerican population also permitted the study to be conducted simultaneously in the United States and in Mesoamerican countries of origin. For the nonYUnited States parts of the study, local psychiatrists were to be hired and trained in the United States with specific tools for accurate psychiatric diagnosis.
Methodology
This study proposed the analysis of biological samples to localize genes that contribute to the genesis of ASPD and relevant endophenotypes. Endophenotype is a psychiatric concept referring to a special kind of biomarker or indicator that divides behavioral symptoms into more stable phenotypes with a clear genetic connection. The concept of endophenotype was adapted for filling the gap between available descriptors and between the gene and the elusive disease processes in psychiatric genetics (Gottesman and Gould, 2003). The long-term goals of the
The Ethics of a Genetic Screening Study for Antisocial Personality Disorder With Mesoamericans
Case Study in the Ethics of Mental Health Research
Maria-Virginia Rodriguez, MD, FACS
Abstract: This article contains an analysis of a research ethics committee’s (REC) concerns about a study protocol involving genetic screening for antisocial personality disorder. The study was proposed by US university researchers and to be conducted with Mesoamerican populations in the United States and in their countries of origin. The analysis explains why the study was not considered ethical by the REC, pointing to issues with the choice of study population, informed consent, confidentiality, and posttrial obligations. Some recommendations are provided for ways in which the study could have been redesigned. Key Words: Genetic screening, antisocial personality disorder, ethical issues. (J Nerv Ment Dis 2012;200: 260Y264)
which are mostly descended from a small number of founders a short number of generations ago; and there is a great deal of environmental and phenotypic homogeneity.
Using a Mesoamerican population also permitted the study to be conducted simultaneously in the United States and in Mesoamerican countries of origin. For the nonYUnited States parts of the study, local psychiatrists were to be hired and trained in the United States with specific tools for accurate psychiatric diagnosis.
Methodology
This study proposed the analysis of biological samples to localize genes that contribute to the genesis of ASPD and relevant endophenotypes. Endophenotype is a psychiatric concept referring to a special kind of biomarker or indicator that divides behavioral symptoms into more stable phenotypes with a clear genetic connection. The concept of endophenotype was adapted for filling the gap between available descriptors and between the gene and the elusive disease processes in psychiatric genetics (Gottesman and Gould, 2003). The long-term goals of the