Behavioral and Molecular Genetics of Emotion Dysregulation

Given the critical role that emotion dysregulation plays in many psychiatric disorders, there is a need to understand the biological underpinnings of emotion regulation deficits. This chapter opens with a brief overview of emotion regulation and constructs that fall under its broad umbrella. Next, it provides a brief primer of behavioral genetic research methods, summarizes existing literature regarding the heritability of emotional dysregulation, provides an overview of molecular genetic research methods, and reviews extant molecular genetic literature on emotion regulation. Finally, the chapter reviews the limitations of existing research and identifies promising areas of future inquiry that may clarify the underlying structure of emotion dysregulation and identify the role of common genetic loci in associations between emotion dysregulation and psychopathology.

Behavioural genetics · Biology · Developmental psychology · Emotional dysregulation · Emotional Regulation · Evolutionary biology · Extant taxon · Psychopathology · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Mental Health Research Topics · Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior · Neuroscience · Psychology