Dopaminergic and serotonergic genetic variants predict actions and expectations of cooperation and punishment

Dopaminergic and serotonergic genetic variants predict actions and expectations of cooperation and punishment | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Dopaminergic and serotonergic genetic variants predict actions and expectations of cooperation and punishment Pablo Marcos-Prieto, Erica Ordali, Veronica Mariotti, Sara Palumbo, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4938442/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 01 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Inspired by the growing interest in linking several behaviors with specific genetic assets, research on the topic spiked in recent years, showing that several genetic variants of dopaminergic and serotonergic pathways are related to both emotional and cognitive components of social decision-making. In this paper, we explored the relationship between dopaminergic and serotonergic allelic variants and both behaviors and beliefs about others’ behaviors in an online the Public Goods Game with and without punishment. We found that: (i) the T/T genotype of 5-HTR1B-rs13212041 was associated with an expectation of less antisocial and spiteful punishment; (ii) the L/L genotype of 5-HTTLPR was related to smaller contributions to the public good in the absence of the punishment option and (iii) with expectations of smaller contributions by others in the same setup; (iv) the A/A (Met/Met) genotype of COMT-rs4680 (Val158Met) was associated with expectations of smaller contributions in the presence of punishment. Overall, these results indicate that specific dopaminergic and serotonergic gene variants affect both actions and expectations about others’ behavior in social contexts. Biological sciences/Psychology/Human behaviour Biological sciences/Genetics/Behavioural genetics Genes Dopamine Serotonin Cooperation Public Goods Game Punishment Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementaryMat.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 01 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 29 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 28 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 12 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 07 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Mar, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Mar, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 15 Dec, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 21 Oct, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 10 Oct, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 09 Oct, 2024 Editor invited by journal 29 Aug, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 28 Aug, 2024 First submitted to journal 19 Aug, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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