Investigation of the relationship between triptophan hydroxylase 2 and SLC6A4 genes and juveni̇le deli̇nquents

Millions of children are driven to crime every year. Identifying the risk factors that cause these children to be driven to crime will help to understand why children turned to crime. The adoption of protective measures against these risk factors will contribute keeping children away from crime, and social peace. The relationship between tendency to crime and the expression of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 and SLC6A4 genes in children driven to crime was investigated, and it was aimed to determine whether these genes contributed to crime formation. After the necessary ethical permissions were obtained from Gaziantep University Clinical Research Ethics Committee, the children who applied to Gaziantep University hospital and met the inclusion criteria were invited to our study. The control and treatment groups included 50 children each. The blood samples of the children were collected. In order to detect the expressions of TPH2 and SLC6A4 genes, first of all, mRNA of the genes was obtained from the collected blood samples, and the quality and quantity of these mRNAs were determined. These mRNAs were used to obtain cDNA. The children were administered a questionnaire containing the K-SADS-PL DSM-V handbook and sociodemographic data. Of the children participating in our study, the average median of ΔCт was 7.99 for the SLC6A4 gene, 9.27 for the TPH 2 gene in the treatment group, and 5.59 for the SLC6A4 gene and 5.35 for the TPH 2 gene in the control group. It was determined that in the treatment group compared to the control group, the expression of the TPH 2 gene was 15.12 times less and there was a fold change of 3.91-fold, the expression of the SLC6A4 gene was 7.06 times less, and there was a fold change of 2.82-fold. In addition, it was determined in our study that, in the children driven to crime, the number of siblings was high, the broken family structure was more common, and the existence of people who committed crimes in their families was higher. Besides, it was also found that in these children, the rates of bad habits, exposure to violence and carrying a gun were higher, the father's education level and the rateof continuing the education life of the child were lower, and there was no difference between the education level of the mother and the income level of the family. Active psychopathology was detected in the vast majority of the children driven to crime. In our study, a statistically significant relationship was found between tendency to crime and the low expression of both THP2 and SLC6A4 genes. The identification of children who constitute the risk group according to sociodemographic data and gene expression levels, and the organization of special rehabilitation programs for those will make a very important contribution to the prevention of being driven to crime.