Evidence suggests that the Oxytocin Receptor Gene (OXTR) influences human social cognition and behavior. OXTR has been investigated in relation to antisocial behavior, but studies examining this association have produced varying results in terms of the magnitude and significance of the association as well as which SNPs are implicated. This meta-analysis, based on 15 samples in 12 studies with a total sample of 12,236 individuals, examined the overall effects and consistency of associations between eight SNPs in OXTR and antisocial behavior. Random effects models identified a significant association between rs237887 and antisocial behavior (r = 0.06, p = 0.002) based on six studies that included a total of 6278 individuals. Sensitivity analyses suggest that these results were robust to exclusion of any individual study and publication bias. Nevertheless, the high levels of heterogeneity and quality control concerns with the original publications lead us to interpret this one significant finding with caution. We conclude that the available literature does not rule out, nor strongly support, an effect of OXTR on antisocial behavior.
Keywords: Aggression; Antisocial behavior; Callous–unemotional traits; Meta-analysis; Oxytocin receptor gene.