Previous research has linked genomic variations of the oxytocin receptor OXTR gene with individual differences in empathy. The impact of these variations on specific cognitive and emotional aspects of empathy, however, remains to be clarified. We analysed associations of a common OXTR polymorphism rs with trait empathy in a sample of blood donors M, F; age 18β74 using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index IRI as an established multidimensional self-report measure of empathy.
A comparison of effect sizes between the groups showed greater effects for women compared to men although effect size differences did not become significant in our sample. Our findings suggest a significant association of the rs OXTR gene polymorphism with trait empathy and especially with emotional aspects of empathy. This association is possibly weaker or absent in men compared to women. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Data Availability: All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Such clinically relevant empathic deficits have placed the question of physiological correlates and biomarkers of empathic processes into the focus of research. Due to the abundant evidence linking the oxytocin system to attachment and social affiliation in humans [ 6 ], genetic variations of the oxytocin receptor OXTR gene have been a prominent subject of studies on the biological determinants of empathy [ 7 , 8 ].
Several polymorphisms of the OXTR gene have been shown to modify the function of the oxytocin system in terms of personality and social behaviour [ 9 ]. Among these, the rs polymorphism, a silent G to A substitution in the third intronic region, is one of the most intensively studied variations. The impact of these variants on specific cognitive and emotional aspects of empathy, however, remains to be clarified.
The results of the few studies associating IRI scores with rs genotypes so far are inconsistent. On the other hand, Smith et al. Likewise, in a study with young adults, Uzefovsky et al.
