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de Vries LP, van Beijsterveldt TCEM, Maes H, Colodro-Conde L, Bartels M. Genetic Influences on the Covariance and Genetic Correlations in a Bivariate Twin Model: An Application to Well-Being. Behav Genet 2021; 51:191-203. [PMID: 33582898 PMCID: PMC8093176 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-021-10046-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The distinction between genetic influences on the covariance (or bivariate heritability) and genetic correlations in bivariate twin models is often not well-understood or only one is reported while the results show distinctive information about the relation between traits. We applied bivariate twin models in a large sample of adolescent twins, to disentangle the association between well-being (WB) and four complex traits (optimism, anxious-depressed symptoms (AD), aggressive behaviour (AGG), and educational achievement (EA)). Optimism and AD showed respectively a strong positive and negative phenotypic correlation with WB, the negative correlation of WB and AGG is lower and the correlation with EA is nearly zero. All four traits showed a large genetic contribution to the covariance with well-being. The genetic correlations of well-being with optimism and AD are strong and smaller for AGG and EA. We used the results of the models to explain what information is retrieved based on the bivariate heritability versus the genetic correlations and the (clinical) implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lianne P de Vries
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Toos C E M van Beijsterveldt
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hermine Maes
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Lucía Colodro-Conde
- Psychiatric Genetics, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QL, Australia
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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2
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Heritability of overlapping impulsivity and compulsivity dimensional phenotypes. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14378. [PMID: 32873811 PMCID: PMC7463011 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71013-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Impulsivity and compulsivity are traits relevant to a range of mental health problems and have traditionally been conceptualised as distinct constructs. Here, we reconceptualised impulsivity and compulsivity as partially overlapping phenotypes using a bifactor modelling approach and estimated heritability for their shared and unique phenotypic variance within a classical twin design. Adult twin pairs (N = 173) completed self-report questionnaires measuring psychological processes related to impulsivity and compulsivity. We fitted variance components models to three uncorrelated phenotypic dimensions: a general impulsive-compulsive dimension; and two narrower phenotypes related to impulsivity and obsessiveness.There was evidence of moderate heritability for impulsivity (A2 = 0.33), modest additive genetic or common environmental effects for obsessiveness (A2 = 0.25; C2 = 0.23), and moderate effects of common environment (C2 = 0.36) for the general dimension, This general impulsive-compulsive phenotype may reflect a quantitative liability to related mental health disorders that indexes exposure to potentially modifiable environmental risk factors.
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3
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van der Meulen M, Wierenga LM, Achterberg M, Drenth N, van IJzendoorn MH, Crone EA. Genetic and environmental influences on structure of the social brain in childhood. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 44:100782. [PMID: 32716847 PMCID: PMC7374548 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Prosocial behavior and empathy are important aspects of developing social relations in childhood. Prior studies showed protracted structural development of social brain regions associated with prosocial behavior. However, it remains unknown how structure of the social brain is influenced by genetic or environmental factors, and whether overlapping heritability factors explain covariance in structure of the social brain and behavior. The current study examined this hypothesis in a twin sample (aged 7–9-year; N = 512). Bilateral measures of surface area and cortical thickness of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), and precuneus were analyzed. Results showed genetic contributions to surface area and cortical thickness for all brain regions. We found additional shared environmental influences for TPJ, suggesting that this region might be relatively more sensitive to social experiences. Genetic factors also influenced parent-reported prosocial behavior (A = 45%) and empathy (A = 59%). We provided initial evidence that the precuneus shares genetically determined variance with empathy, suggesting a possible small genetic overlap (9%) in brain structure and empathy. These findings show that structure of the social brain and empathy are driven by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, with some factors overlapping for brain structure and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara van der Meulen
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
| | - Lara M Wierenga
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - Michelle Achterberg
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - Nadieh Drenth
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands
| | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands; School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Eveline A Crone
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands
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4
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Euser S, Bosdriesz JR, Vrijhof CI, van den Bulk BG, van Hees D, de Vet SM, van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ. How Heritable are Parental Sensitivity and Limit-Setting? A Longitudinal Child-Based Twin Study on Observed Parenting. Child Dev 2020; 91:2255-2269. [PMID: 32270875 PMCID: PMC7754341 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We examined the relative contribution of genetic, shared environmental and non-shared environmental factors to the covariance between parental sensitivity and limit-setting observed twice in a longitudinal study using a child-based twin design. Parental sensitivity and parental limit-setting were observed in 236 parents with each of their same-sex toddler twin children (Mage = 3.8 years; 58% monozygotic). Bivariate behavioral genetic models indicated substantial effects of similar shared environmental factors on parental sensitivity and limit-setting and on the overlap within sensitivity and limit-setting across 1 year. Moderate child-driven genetic effects were found for parental limit-setting in year 1 and across 1 year. Genetic child factors contributing to explaining the variance in limit-setting over time were the same, whereas shared environmental factors showed some overlap.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jizzo R Bosdriesz
- Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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5
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Willems YE, Laceulle OM, Bartels M, Finkenauer C. Investigating the association between family connectedness and self-control in adolescence in a genetically sensitive design. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2020; 29:1683-1692. [PMID: 32025959 PMCID: PMC7641933 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-020-01485-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Family connectedness is key for the development of self-control in early and middle childhood. But is family connectedness still important during the transitional phase of adolescence, when adolescents demand more independence from their parents and rely more on their peers? The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between family connectedness and self-control, and whether it still holds in adolescence using a genetically sensitive design. Data were used from a large sample of twins aged 14 (N = 11,260) and aged 16 (N = 8175), all enrolled in the Netherlands Twin Register. We applied bivariate twin models and monozygotic twin difference models to investigate the association between family connectedness and self-control and to unravel to what extent genetic and environmental factors explain this association. The results showed that more family connectedness is significantly related to better self-control in adolescence, albeit with a small effect size. Twin analyses revealed that this association was mainly explained by common genetic factors and that the effects of environmental factors were small. The current findings confirm the role of family connectedness in adolescent self-control. Importantly, however, the results demonstrate that phenomena we see within families seem the product of parent and children sharing the same genes rather than being exclusively attributable to environmental processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yayouk E Willems
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Boechorststraat 7-9, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Odilia M Laceulle
- Department of Developmental Psychology, Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Boechorststraat 7-9, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Catrin Finkenauer
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Boechorststraat 7-9, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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6
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Grotzinger AD, Cheung AK, Patterson MW, Harden KP, Tucker-Drob EM. Genetic and Environmental Links between : General Factors of Psychopathology and Cognitive Ability in Early Childhood. Clin Psychol Sci 2019; 7:430-444. [PMID: 31440427 PMCID: PMC6706081 DOI: 10.1177/2167702618820018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
In adults, psychiatric disorders are highly comorbid, and are negatively associated with cognitive abilities. Individual cognitive measures have been linked with domains of child psychopathology, but the specificity of these associations and the extent to which they reflect shared genetic influences are unknown. This study examines the relation between general factors of cognitive ability (g) and psychopathology (p) in early development using two genetically-informative samples: the Texas "Tiny" Twin project (TXtT; N = 626 individuals, age range = 0.16 - 6.31 years) and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B; N ≈ 1,300 individual twins, age range = 3.7 - 7.1 years). The total p-g correlation (-.21 in ECLS-B; -.34 in TXtT) was primarily attributable to genetic and shared environmental factors. The early age range of participants indicates that the p-g association is a reflection of overlapping genetic and shared environmental factors that operate in the first years of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D. Grotzinger
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, 108 E Dean Keeton, Stop A8000, Austin, TX 78712-0187
| | - Amanda K. Cheung
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, 108 E Dean Keeton, Stop A8000, Austin, TX 78712-0187
| | - Megan W. Patterson
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, 108 E Dean Keeton, Stop A8000, Austin, TX 78712-0187
| | - K. Paige Harden
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, 108 E Dean Keeton, Stop A8000, Austin, TX 78712-0187
- Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
| | - Elliot M. Tucker-Drob
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, 108 E Dean Keeton, Stop A8000, Austin, TX 78712-0187
- Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
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7
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van Bergen E, Snowling MJ, de Zeeuw EL, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Dolan CV, Boomsma DI. Why do children read more? The influence of reading ability on voluntary reading practices. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2018; 59:1205-1214. [PMID: 29635740 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study investigates the causal relationships between reading and print exposure and investigates whether the amount children read outside school determines how well they read, or vice versa. Previous findings from behavioural studies suggest that reading predicts print exposure. Here, we use twin-data and apply the behaviour-genetic approach of direction of causality modelling, suggested by Heath et al. (), to investigate the causal relationships between these two traits. METHOD Partial data were available for a large sample of twin children (N = 11,559) and 262 siblings, all enrolled in the Netherlands Twin Register. Children were assessed around 7.5 years of age. Mothers completed questionnaires reporting children's time spent on reading activities and reading ability. Additional information on reading ability was available through teacher ratings and performance on national reading tests. For siblings reading test, results were available. RESULTS The reading ability of the twins was comparable to that of the siblings and national norms, showing that twin findings can be generalized to the population. A measurement model was specified with two latent variables, Reading Ability and Print Exposure, which correlated .41. Heritability analyses showed that Reading Ability was highly heritable, while genetic and environmental influences were equally important for Print Exposure. We exploited the fact that the two constructs differ in genetic architecture and fitted direction of causality models. The results supported a causal relationship running from Reading Ability to Print Exposure. CONCLUSIONS How much and how well children read are moderately correlated. Individual differences in print exposure are less heritable than individual differences in reading ability. Importantly, the present results suggest that it is the children's reading ability that determines how much they choose to read, rather than vice versa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsje van Bergen
- Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Margaret J Snowling
- Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,St. John's College, Oxford, UK
| | - Eveline L de Zeeuw
- Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Conor V Dolan
- Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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8
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Ayoub M, Briley DA, Grotzinger A, Patterson MW, Engelhardt LE, Tackett JL, Harden KP, Tucker-Drob EM. Genetic and Environmental Associations Between Child Personality and Parenting. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PERSONALITY SCIENCE 2018; 10:711-721. [PMID: 31807233 DOI: 10.1177/1948550618784890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Parenting is often conceptualized in terms of its effects on offspring. However, children may also play an active role in influencing the parenting they receive. Simple correlations between parenting and child outcomes may be due to parent-to-child causation, child-to-parent causation, or some combination of the two. We use a multi-rater, genetically informative, large sample (n = 1411 twin sets) to gain traction on this issue as it relates to parental warmth and stress in the context of child Big Five personality. Considerable variance in parental warmth (27%) and stress (45%) was attributable to child genetic influences on parenting. Incorporating child Big Five personality into the model explained roughly half of this variance. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that parents mold their parenting in response to their child's personality. Residual heritability of parenting is likely due to child characteristics beyond the Big Five.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Ayoub
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - Daniel A Briley
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | | | | | | | | | - K Paige Harden
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin.,Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin
| | - Elliot M Tucker-Drob
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin.,Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin
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9
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Willems YE, Dolan CV, van Beijsterveldt CEM, de Zeeuw EL, Boomsma DI, Bartels M, Finkenauer C. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Self-Control: Assessing Self-Control with the ASEBA Self-Control Scale. Behav Genet 2018; 48:135-146. [PMID: 29404830 PMCID: PMC5846837 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-018-9887-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 01/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This study used a theoretically-derived set of items of the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment to develop the Achenbach Self-Control Scale (ASCS) for 7-16 year olds. Using a large dataset of over 20,000 children, who are enrolled in the Netherlands Twin Register, we demonstrated the psychometric properties of the ASCS for parent-, self- and teacher-report by examining internal and criterion validity, and inter-rater and test-retest reliability. We found associations between the ASCS and measures of well-being, educational achievement, and substance use. Next, we applied the classical twin design to estimate the genetic and environmental contributions to self-control. Genetic influences accounted for 64-75% of the variance in self-control based on parent- and teacher-report (age 7-12), and for 47-49% of the variance in self-control based on self-report (age 12-16), with the remaining variance accounted by non-shared environmental influences. In conclusion, we developed a validated and accessible self-control scale, and show that genetic influences explain a majority of the individual differences in self-control across youth aged 7-16 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yayouk E Willems
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Conor V Dolan
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Catharina E M van Beijsterveldt
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Eveline L de Zeeuw
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Catrin Finkenauer
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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10
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Grotzinger AD, Mann FD, Patterson MW, Herzhoff K, Tackett JL, Tucker-Drob EM, Harden KP. Twin models of environmental and genetic influences on pubertal development, salivary testosterone, and estradiol in adolescence. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 2018; 88:243-250. [PMID: 29161770 PMCID: PMC5771835 DOI: 10.1111/cen.13522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2017] [Revised: 11/13/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Research on sources of variation in adolescent's gonadal hormone levels is limited. We sought to decompose individual differences in adolescent testosterone, estradiol, and pubertal status, into genetic and environmental components. DESIGN A sample of male and female adolescent twins from the greater Austin and Houston areas provided salivary samples, with a subset of participants providing longitudinal data at 2 waves. PARTICIPANTS The sample included 902 adolescent twins, 49% female, aged 13-20 years (M = 15.91) from the Texas Twin Project. Thirty-seven per cent of twin pairs were monozygotic; 30% were same-sex dizygotic (DZ) pairs; and 33% were opposite-sex DZ pairs. MEASUREMENTS Saliva samples were assayed for testosterone and estradiol using chemiluminescence immunoassays. Pubertal status was assessed using self-report. Biometric decompositions were performed using multivariate quantitative genetic models. RESULTS Genetic factors contributed substantially to variation in testosterone in males and females in the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle (h2 = 60% and 51%, respectively). Estradiol was also genetically influenced in both sexes, but was predominately influenced by nonshared environmental factors. The correlation between testosterone and estradiol was mediated by a combination of genetic and environmental influences for males and females. Genetic and environmental influences on hormonal concentrations were only weakly correlated with self-reported pubertal status, particularly for females. CONCLUSIONS Between-person variability in adolescent gonadal hormones and their interrelationship reflects both genetic and environmental processes, with both testosterone and estradiol containing sizeable heritable components.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Frank D. Mann
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Megan W. Patterson
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Kathrin Herzhoff
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Elliot M. Tucker-Drob
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - K. Paige Harden
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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11
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Tucker-Drob EM, Grotzinger A, Briley DA, Engelhardt LE, Mann FD, Patterson M, Kirschbaum C, Adam EK, Church JA, Tackett JL, Harden KP. Genetic influences on hormonal markers of chronic hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function in human hair. Psychol Med 2017; 47:1389-1401. [PMID: 28100283 PMCID: PMC5517361 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291716003068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cortisol is the primary output of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and is central to the biological stress response, with wide-ranging effects on psychiatric health. Despite well-studied biological pathways of glucocorticoid function, little attention has been paid to the role of genetic variation. Conventional salivary, urinary and serum measures are strongly influenced by diurnal variation and transient reactivity. Recently developed technology can be used to measure cortisol accumulation over several months in hair, thus indexing chronic HPA function. METHOD In a socio-economically diverse sample of 1070 twins/multiples (ages 7.80-19.47 years) from the Texas Twin Project, we estimated effects of sex, age and socio-economic status (SES) on hair concentrations of cortisol and its inactive metabolite, cortisone, along with their interactions with genetic and environmental factors. This is the first genetic study of hair neuroendocrine concentrations and the largest twin study of neuroendocrine concentrations in any tissue type. RESULTS Glucocorticoid concentrations increased with age for females, but not males. Genetic factors accounted for approximately half of the variation in cortisol and cortisone. Shared environmental effects dissipated over adolescence. Higher SES was related to shallower increases in cortisol with age. SES was unrelated to cortisone, and did not significantly moderate genetic effects on either cortisol or cortisone. CONCLUSIONS Genetic factors account for sizable proportions of glucocorticoid variation across the entire age range examined, whereas shared environmental influences are modest, and only apparent at earlier ages. Chronic glucocorticoid output appears to be more consistently related to biological sex, age and genotype than to experiential factors that cluster within nuclear families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliot M. Tucker-Drob
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, USA
- Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, USA
| | | | - Daniel A. Briley
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
| | | | - Frank D. Mann
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, USA
| | - Megan Patterson
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, USA
| | - Clemens Kirschbaum
- Deparment of Biological Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany
| | - Emma K. Adam
- Deparment of Human Development and Social Policy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA
| | | | | | - K. Paige Harden
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, USA
- Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, USA
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12
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de Zeeuw EL, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Ehli EA, de Geus EJC, Boomsma DI. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms and Low Educational Achievement: Evidence Supporting A Causal Hypothesis. Behav Genet 2017; 47:278-289. [PMID: 28191586 PMCID: PMC5403868 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-017-9836-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and educational achievement are negatively associated in children. Here we test the hypothesis that there is a direct causal effect of ADHD on educational achievement. The causal effect is tested in a genetically sensitive design to exclude the possibility of confounding by a third factor (e.g. genetic pleiotropy) and by comparing educational achievement and secondary school career in children with ADHD who take or do not take methylphenidate. Data on ADHD symptoms, educational achievement and methylphenidate usage were available in a primary school sample of ~10,000 12-year-old twins from the Netherlands Twin Register. A substantial group also had longitudinal data at ages 7-12 years. ADHD symptoms were cross-sectionally and longitudinally, associated with lower educational achievement at age 12. More ADHD symptoms predicted a lower-level future secondary school career at age 14-16. In both the cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, testing the direct causal effect of ADHD on educational achievement, while controlling for genetic and environmental factors, revealed an association between ADHD symptoms and educational achievement independent of genetic and environmental pleiotropy. These findings were confirmed in MZ twin intra-pair differences models, twins with more ADHD symptoms scored lower on educational achievement than their co-twins. Furthermore, children with ADHD medication, scored significantly higher on the educational achievement test than children with ADHD who did not use medication. Taken together, the results are consistent with a direct causal effect of ADHD on educational achievement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eveline L de Zeeuw
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Public Health research institute, VU Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Catharina E M van Beijsterveldt
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health research institute, VU Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Erik A Ehli
- Avera Institute for Human Genetics, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Eco J C de Geus
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health research institute, VU Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health research institute, VU Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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13
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Wesseldijk LW, Fedko IO, Bartels M, Nivard MG, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Boomsma DI, Middeldorp CM. Psychopathology in 7-year-old children: Differences in maternal and paternal ratings and the genetic epidemiology. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2017; 174:251-260. [PMID: 27774759 PMCID: PMC5413051 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Accepted: 09/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The assessment of children's psychopathology is often based on parental report. Earlier studies have suggested that rater bias can affect the estimates of genetic, shared environmental and unique environmental influences on differences between children. The availability of a large dataset of maternal as well as paternal ratings of psychopathology in 7-year old children enabled (i) the analysis of informant effects on these assessments, and (ii) to obtain more reliable estimates of the genetic and non-genetic effects. DSM-oriented measures of affective, anxiety, somatic, attention-deficit/hyperactivity, oppositional-defiant, conduct, and obsessive-compulsive problems were rated for 12,310 twin pairs from the Netherlands Twin Register by mothers (N = 12,085) and fathers (N = 8,516). The effects of genetic and non-genetic effects were estimated on the common and rater-specific variance. For all scales, mean scores on maternal ratings exceeded paternal ratings. Parents largely agreed on the ranking of their child's problems (r 0.60-0.75). The heritability was estimated over 55% for maternal and paternal ratings for all scales, except for conduct problems (44-46%). Unbiased shared environmental influences, i.e., on the common variance, were significant for affective (13%), oppositional (13%), and conduct problems (37%). In clinical settings, different cutoffs for (sub)clinical scores could be applied to paternal and maternal ratings of their child's psychopathology. Only for conduct problems, shared environmental and genetic influences explain an equal amount in differences between children. For the other scales, genetic factors explain the majority of the variance, especially for the common part that is free of rater bias. © 2016 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura W. Wesseldijk
- Department of Biological PsychologyVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Iryna O. Fedko
- Department of Biological PsychologyVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological PsychologyVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Neuroscience Campus AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Michel G. Nivard
- Department of Biological PsychologyVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | | | - Dorret I. Boomsma
- Department of Biological PsychologyVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Neuroscience Campus AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Christel M. Middeldorp
- Department of Biological PsychologyVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Neuroscience Campus AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryGGZ inGeest/VU University Medical CenterAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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14
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Zilhão NR, Olthof MC, Smit DJA, Cath DC, Ligthart L, Mathews CA, Delucchi K, Boomsma DI, Dolan CV. Heritability of tic disorders: a twin-family study. Psychol Med 2017; 47:1085-1096. [PMID: 27974054 PMCID: PMC5410124 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291716002981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genetic-epidemiological studies that estimate the contributions of genetic factors to variation in tic symptoms are scarce. We estimated the extent to which genetic and environmental influences contribute to tics, employing various phenotypic definitions ranging between mild and severe symptomatology, in a large population-based adult twin-family sample. METHOD In an extended twin-family design, we analysed lifetime tic data reported by adult mono- and dizygotic twins (n = 8323) and their family members (n = 7164; parents and siblings) from 7311 families in the Netherlands Twin Register. We measured tics by the abbreviated version of the Schedule for Tourette and Other Behavioral Syndromes. Heritability was estimated by genetic structural equation modeling for four tic disorder definitions: three dichotomous and one trichotomous phenotype, characterized by increasingly strictly defined criteria. RESULTS Prevalence rates of the different tic disorders in our sample varied between 0.3 and 4.5% depending on tic disorder definition. Tic frequencies decreased with increasing age. Heritability estimates varied between 0.25 and 0.37, depending on phenotypic definitions. None of the phenotypes showed evidence of assortative mating, effects of shared environment or non-additive genetic effects. CONCLUSIONS Heritabilities of mild and severe tic phenotypes were estimated to be moderate. Overlapping confidence intervals of the heritability estimates suggest overlapping genetic liabilities between the various tic phenotypes. The most lenient phenotype (defined only by tic characteristics, excluding criteria B, C and D of DSM-IV) rendered sufficiently reliable heritability estimates. These findings have implications in phenotypic definitions for future genetic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- N R Zilhão
- Department of Biological Psychology,Vrije Universiteit,Amsterdam,The Netherlands
| | - M C Olthof
- Department of Psychology,University of Amsterdam,The Netherlands
| | - D J A Smit
- Department of Biological Psychology,Vrije Universiteit,Amsterdam,The Netherlands
| | - D C Cath
- Department of Clinical Psychology,Utrecht University,The Netherlands
| | - L Ligthart
- Department of Biological Psychology,Vrije Universiteit,Amsterdam,The Netherlands
| | - C A Mathews
- Department of Psychiatry,University of Florida,Gainesville, FL,USA
| | - K Delucchi
- Department of Psychiatry,University of California,San Francisco, CA,USA
| | - D I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology,Vrije Universiteit,Amsterdam,The Netherlands
| | - C V Dolan
- Department of Biological Psychology,Vrije Universiteit,Amsterdam,The Netherlands
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15
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Ho CSH, Zheng M, Chow BWY, Wong SWL, Lim CKP, Waye MMY. Adequacy of Using a Three-Item Questionnaire to Determine Zygosity in Chinese Young Twins. Behav Genet 2016; 47:244-254. [PMID: 27822607 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-016-9826-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 10/20/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The present study examined the adequacy of a three-item parent questionnaire in determining the zygosity of young Chinese twins and whether there was any association between parent response accuracy and some demographic variables. The sample consisted of 334 pairs of same-sex Chinese twins aged from 3 to 11 years. Three scoring methods, namely the summed score, logistic regression, and decision tree, were employed to evaluate parent response accuracy of twin zygosity based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) information. The results showed that all three methods achieved high level of accuracy ranging from 91 to 93 % which was comparable to the accuracy rates in previous Chinese twin studies. Correlation results also showed that the higher the parents' education level or the family income was, the more likely parents were able to tell correctly that their twins are identical or fraternal. The present findings confirmed the validity of using a three-item parent questionnaire to determine twin zygosity in a Chinese school-aged twin sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Connie Suk-Han Ho
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Mo Zheng
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Bonnie Wing-Yin Chow
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Simpson W L Wong
- Department of Psychological Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Cadmon K P Lim
- Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Mary M Y Waye
- The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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16
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Silventoinen K, Huppertz C, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Bartels M, Willemsen G, Boomsma DI. The genetic architecture of body mass index from infancy to adulthood modified by parental education. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2016; 24:2004-11. [PMID: 27474859 DOI: 10.1002/oby.21588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2016] [Revised: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE A higher prevalence of obesity in lower socioeconomic classes is common in Western societies. This study examined the role of gene-environment interactions in the association between parental education and body mass index (BMI) from infancy to the onset of adulthood. METHODS Parentally reported BMI from 1 to 13 and self-reported BMI from 14 to 20 years of age were collected in 16,646 complete Dutch twin pairs and analyzed by genetic twin modeling. RESULTS At 7 to 8 years of age, children whose parents had middle or low educational levels had more excess weight than the children of more highly educated parents, and the difference increased until 18 to 20 years of age. The major part of the BMI variation was explained by additive genetic factors (a(2) = 0.55-0.85), but environmental factors common for co-twins also played a significant role, especially from 3 to 7-8 years of age (c(2) = 0.15-0.29). The genetic variation in BMI was higher in children whose parents had middle or low educational levels compared with children whose parents had a high educational level. CONCLUSIONS The interaction between genetic factors and the childhood social environment may contribute to the formation of socioeconomic differences in obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karri Silventoinen
- Department of Social Research, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Charlotte Huppertz
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gonneke Willemsen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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17
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Huppertz C, Bartels M, de Geus EJC, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Rose RJ, Kaprio J, Silventoinen K. The effects of parental education on exercise behavior in childhood and youth: a study in Dutch and Finnish twins. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2016; 27:1143-1156. [PMID: 27455885 DOI: 10.1111/sms.12727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Twin studies have estimated the relative contribution of genes and the environment to variance in exercise behavior and it is known that parental education positively affects exercise levels. This study investigates the role of parental education as a potential modifier of variance in exercise behavior from age 7 to 18 years. The study is based on large datasets from the Netherlands Twin Register (NTR: N = 24 874 twins; surveys around the ages of 7, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 years) and two Finnish twin cohorts (FinnTwin12: N = 4399; 12, 14 and 17 years; FinnTwin16: N = 4648; 16, 17 and 18 years). Regular participation in moderate-to-vigorous exercise activities during leisure time was assessed by survey. Parental education was dichotomized ("both parents with a low education" vs "at least one parent with a high education"). The mean in exercise behavior tended to be higher and the variance tended to be lower in children of high educated parents. Evidence for gene-by-environment interaction was weak. To develop successful interventions that specifically target children of low educated parents, the mechanisms causing the mean and variance differences between the two groups should be better understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Huppertz
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Public and Occupational Health, VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,EMGO+, Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - M Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,EMGO+, Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - E J C de Geus
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,EMGO+, Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - C E M van Beijsterveldt
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - R J Rose
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - J Kaprio
- Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Institute of Molecular Medicine FIMM, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
| | - K Silventoinen
- Department of Social Research, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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18
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Huppertz C, Bartels M, de Zeeuw EL, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Hudziak JJ, Willemsen G, Boomsma DI, de Geus EJC. Individual Differences in Exercise Behavior: Stability and Change in Genetic and Environmental Determinants From Age 7 to 18. Behav Genet 2016; 46:665-679. [DOI: 10.1007/s10519-016-9799-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2015] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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19
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de Zeeuw EL, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Glasner TJ, de Geus EJC, Boomsma DI. Arithmetic, reading and writing performance has a strong genetic component: A study in primary school children. LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2016; 47:156-166. [PMID: 27182184 DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2016.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Even children attending the same primary school and taught by the same teacher differ greatly in their performance. In the Netherlands, performance at the end of primary school determines the enrollment in a particular level of secondary education. Identifying the impact of genes and the environment on individual differences in educational achievement between children is important. The Netherlands Twin Register has collected data on scores of tests used in primary school (ages 6 to 12) to monitor a child's educational progress in four domains, i.e. arithmetic, word reading, reading comprehension and spelling (1058 MZ and 1734 DZ twin pairs), and of a final test (2451 MZ and 4569 DZ twin pairs) in a large Dutch cohort. In general, individual differences in educational achievement were to a large extent due to genes and the influence of the family environment was negligible. Moreover, there is no evidence for gender differences in the underlying etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eveline L de Zeeuw
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Tina J Glasner
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Eco J C de Geus
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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20
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Harden KP, Patterson MW, Briley DA, Engelhardt LE, Kretsch N, Mann FD, Tackett JL, Tucker-Drob EM. Developmental changes in genetic and environmental influences on rule-breaking and aggression: age and pubertal development. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2015; 56:1370-9. [PMID: 25902931 PMCID: PMC4618266 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antisocial behavior (ASB) can be meaningfully divided into nonaggressive rule-breaking versus aggressive dimensions, which differ in developmental course and etiology. Previous research has found that genetic influences on rule-breaking, but not aggression, increase from late childhood to mid-adolescence. This study tested the extent to which the developmental increase in genetic influence on rule-breaking was associated with pubertal development compared to chronological age. METHOD Child and adolescent twins (n = 1,031), ranging in age from 8 to 20 years (M age = 13.5 years), were recruited from public schools as part of the Texas Twin Project. Participants reported on their pubertal development using the Pubertal Development Scale and on their involvement in ASB on items from the Child Behavior Checklist. Measurement invariance of ASB subtypes across age groups (≤12 years vs. >12 years old) was tested using confirmatory factor analyses. Quantitative genetic modeling was used to test whether the genetic and environmental influences on aggression and rule-breaking were moderated by age, pubertal status, or both. RESULTS Quantitative genetic modeling indicated that genetic influences specific to rule-breaking increased as a function of pubertal development controlling for age (a gene × puberty interaction), but did not vary as a function of age controlling for pubertal status. There were no developmental differences in the genetic etiology of aggression. Family-level environmental influences common to aggression and rule-breaking decreased with age, further contributing to the differentiation between these subtypes of ASB from childhood to adolescence. CONCLUSIONS Future research should discriminate between alternative possible mechanisms underlying gene × puberty interactions on rule-breaking forms of antisocial behavior, including possible effects of pubertal hormones on gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- K. Paige Harden
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA,Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Daniel A. Briley
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA,Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Natalie Kretsch
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA
| | - Frank D. Mann
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Elliot M. Tucker-Drob
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA,Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA
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21
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Chorionicity and Heritability Estimates from Twin Studies: The Prenatal Environment of Twins and Their Resemblance Across a Large Number of Traits. Behav Genet 2015; 46:304-14. [PMID: 26410687 PMCID: PMC4858554 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-015-9745-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2015] [Accepted: 09/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
There are three types of monozygotic (MZ) twins. MZ twins can either share one chorion and one amnion, each twin can have its own amnion, or MZ twins can—like dizygotic twins—each have their own chorion and amnion. Sharing the same chorion may create a more similar/dissimilar prenatal environment and bias heritability estimates, but most twin studies do not distinguish between these three types of MZ twin pairs. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of chorion sharing on the similarity within MZ twin pairs for a large number of traits. Information on chorion status was obtained for the Netherlands twin register (NTR) by linkage to the records from the database of the dutch pathological anatomy national automated archive (PALGA). Record linkage was successful for over 9000 pairs. Effect of chorion type was tested by comparing the within-pair similarity between monochorionic (MC) and dichorionic (DC) MZ twins on 66 traits including weight, height, motor milestones, child problem behaviors, cognitive function, wellbeing and personality. For only 10 traits, within-pair similarity differed between MCMZ and DCMZ pairs. For traits influenced by birth weight (e.g. weight and height in young children) we expected that MC twins would be more discordant. This was found for 5 out of 13 measures. When looking at traits where blood supply is important, we saw MCMZ twins to be more concordant than DCMZ’s for 3 traits. We conclude that the influence on the MZ twin correlation of the intra-uterine prenatal environment, as measured by sharing a chorion type, is small and limited to a few phenotypes. This implies that the assumption of equal prenatal environment of mono- and DC MZ twins, which characterizes the classical twin design, is largely tenable.
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22
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Cheung AK, Harden KP, Tucker-Drob EM. From specialist to generalist: Developmental transformations in the genetic structure of early child abilities. Dev Psychobiol 2015; 57:566-83. [PMID: 25975938 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The heritability of abilities increases substantially over development, and much of heritable variation in abilities is shared with other abilities. No study, however, has formally tested the extent to which developmental increases in heritability occur on shared versus unique variation in child abilities. A transactional perspective predicts that the relative proportion of shared to total genetic variance will increase with age, whereas an endogenous perspective predicts that such proportion will be invariant with age. We tested these competing predictions using data from a sample of 292 twins providing a total of 578 cross-sectional and longitudinal observations between ages 0 and 6 years on measures of Communication, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Problem-Solving, and Personal-Social abilities. Consistent with predictions of the transactional perspective, developmental increases in heritability were localized to variance shared across abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda K Cheung
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton Street A8000, Austin, TX, 78712-0187
| | - K Paige Harden
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton Street A8000, Austin, TX, 78712-0187.,Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
| | - Elliot M Tucker-Drob
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton Street A8000, Austin, TX, 78712-0187.,Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
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23
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de Zeeuw EL, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Lubke GH, Glasner TJ, Boomsma DI. Childhood ODD and ADHD Behavior: The Effect of Classroom Sharing, Gender, Teacher Gender and Their Interactions. Behav Genet 2015; 45:394-408. [PMID: 25711757 PMCID: PMC4458263 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-015-9712-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2014] [Accepted: 01/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
One criterion for a diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV) diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is that symptoms are present in at least two settings, and often teacher ratings are taken into account. The short Conners' Teacher Rating Scales-Revised (CTRS-R) is a widely used standardized instrument measuring ODD and ADHD behavior in a school setting. In the current study CTRS-R data were available for 7, 9 and 12-year-old twins from the Netherlands Twin Register. Measurement invariance (MI) across student gender and teacher gender was established for three of the four scales (Oppositional Behavior, Hyperactivity and ADHD Index) of the CTRS-R. The fourth scale (ATT) showed an unacceptable model fit even without constraints on the data and revision of this scale is recommended. Gene-environment (GxE) interaction models revealed that heritability was larger for children sharing a classroom. There were some gender differences in the heritability of ODD and ADHD behavior and there was a moderating effect of teacher's gender at some of the ages. Taken together, this indicates that there was evidence for GxE interaction for classroom sharing, gender of the student and gender of the teacher.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eveline L de Zeeuw
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
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24
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Causes of individual differences in adolescent optimism: a study in Dutch twins and their siblings. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2015; 24:1381-8. [PMID: 25638288 PMCID: PMC4628618 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-015-0680-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2014] [Accepted: 01/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the degree to which genetic and environmental influences affect variation in adolescent optimism. Optimism (3 items and 6 items approach) and pessimism were assessed by the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) in 5,187 adolescent twins and 999 of their non-twin siblings from the Netherlands Twin Register (NTR). Males reported significantly higher optimism scores than females, while females score higher on pessimism. Genetic structural equation modeling revealed that about one-third of the variance in optimism and pessimism was due to additive genetic effects, with the remaining variance being explained by non-shared environmental effects. A bivariate correlated factor model revealed two dimensions with a genetic correlation of -.57 (CI -.67, -.47), while the non-shared environmental correlation was estimated to be -.21 (CI -.25, -.16). Neither an effect of shared environment, non-additive genetic influences, nor quantitative sex differences was found for both dimensions. This result indicates that individual differences in adolescent optimism are mainly accounted for by non-shared environmental factors. These environmental factors do not contribute to the similarity of family members, but to differences between them. Familial resemblance in optimism and pessimism assessed in adolescents is fully accounted for by genetic overlap between family members.
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25
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de Zeeuw EL, van Beijsterveldt CE, Glasner TJ, Bartels M, de Geus EJ, Boomsma DI. Do children perform and behave better at school when taught by same-gender teachers? LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2014.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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26
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Abstract
The present study examined genetic and shared environment contributions to quantitatively-measured autism symptoms and categorically-defined autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Participants included 568 twins from the Interactive Autism Network. Autism symptoms were obtained using the Social Communication Questionnaire and Social Responsiveness Scale. Categorically-defined ASD was based on clinical diagnoses. DeFries-Fulker and liability threshold models examined etiologic influences. Very high heritability was observed for extreme autism symptom levels ([Formula: see text]). Extreme levels of social and repetitive behavior symptoms were strongly influenced by common genetic factors. Heritability of categorically-defined ASD diagnosis was comparatively low (.21, 95 % CI 0.15-0.28). High heritability of extreme autism symptom levels confirms previous observations of strong genetic influences on autism. Future studies will require large, carefully ascertained family pedigrees and quantitative symptom measurements.
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27
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Mathews CA, Delucchi K, Cath DC, Willemsen G, Boomsma DI. Partitioning the etiology of hoarding and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Psychol Med 2014; 44:2867-2876. [PMID: 25066062 PMCID: PMC4429876 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291714000269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Until recently, hoarding was considered an obsessive-compulsive symptom (OCS). However, current evidence suggests that these two phenotypes may be clinically, and perhaps etiologically, distinct. Both hoarding and OCS have a genetic etiology, but the degree of unique and shared genetic contributions to these phenotypes has not been well studied. METHOD Prevalence rates were assessed for hoarding and OCS in a sample of adult twin pairs (n = 7906 twins) and their family members from The Netherlands Twin Register (total sample = 15,914). Using Mplus, genetic analyses using liability threshold models were conducted for both phenotypes, for their co-morbidity, and for specific hoarding symptoms (cluttering, discarding and acquiring). RESULTS Of the total sample, 6.7% met criteria for clinically significant hoarding; endorsement of all three hoarding symptoms was > or = 79%. Men had slightly higher rates than women. Also, 5.7% met criteria for clinically significant OCS; rates were similar in males and females. Genetic factors accounted for 36% of the variance for hoarding and 40% of the variance for OCS. The genetic correlation between hoarding and OCS was 0.10. There was no evidence of sex-specific genetic contributions for hoarding or OCS. There was evidence for a genetic contribution to all hoarding symptom subtypes. Only cluttering showed evidence of a contribution from the shared environment. CONCLUSIONS OCS and hoarding are common in this population-based sample, have prevalence rates similar to those previously reported, and show significant heritability. Genetic factors contributed to the co-morbidity of both traits, although the genetic correlation between them was low.
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Affiliation(s)
- C A Mathews
- Department of Psychiatry,University of California San Francisco,San Francisco, CA,USA
| | - K Delucchi
- Department of Psychiatry,University of California San Francisco,San Francisco, CA,USA
| | - D C Cath
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology,Utrecht University and Altrecht Academic Anxiety Disorders Center,Utrecht,the Netherlands
| | - G Willemsen
- Department of Biological Psychology,VU University,Amsterdam, Amsterdam,the Netherlands
| | - D I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology,VU University,Amsterdam, Amsterdam,the Netherlands
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Nikolas MA, Klump KL, Burt SA. Parental involvement moderates etiological influences on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder behaviors in child twins. Child Dev 2014; 86:224-40. [PMID: 25263271 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Although few would now contest the presence of Gene × Environment (G × E) effects in the development of child psychopathology, it remains unclear how these effects manifest themselves. Alternative G × E models have been proposed (i.e., diathesis-stress, differential susceptibility, bioecological), each of which has notably different implications for etiology. Child twin studies present a powerful tool for discriminating between these models. The current study examined whether and how parental involvement moderated etiological influences on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) within 500 twin pairs aged 6-11 years. Results indicated moderation of genetic and nonshared environmental contributions to ADHD by parental involvement, and moreover, suggested both differential susceptibility and bioecological models of G × E. Results highlight the utility of child twin samples in testing different manifestations of G × E effects.
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Schwartz JA, Rowland MW, Beaver KM. A genetically informed test of cholesterol levels and self-control, depressive symptoms, antisocial behavior, and neuroticism. J Affect Disord 2014; 164:139-47. [PMID: 24856567 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2014.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2014] [Revised: 03/19/2014] [Accepted: 04/11/2014] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Low cholesterol levels have been found to be associated with a wide range of behavioral problems, including violent and criminal behavior, and a wide range of psychological problems including impulsivity, depression, and other internalizing problems. The casual mechanisms underlying these associations remain largely unknown, but genetic factors may play a role in the etiology of such associations as previous research has found significant genetic influence on cholesterol levels and various deleterious behavioral and psychological outcomes. The current study addressed this existing gap in the literature by performing a genetically sensitive test of the association between cholesterol levels and various outcomes including levels of self-control, depressive symptoms, anger expression, and neuroticism. METHODS DeFries-Fulker (DF) analysis was used to analyze data from 388 twin pairs nested within the Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS). RESULTS The results of the genetically informed models revealed that high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were negatively and significantly associated with depressive symptoms, had a marginally significant effect on neuroticism, and a nonsignificant effect on both anger expression and self-control. LIMITATIONS The findings may not extrapolate to the larger population of American adults since the subsample of twins with cholesterol information may not be nationally representative. CONCLUSIONS Genetic influences play a significant role in the association between cholesterol levels and various deleterious outcomes and failing to control for these influences may result in model misspecification and may increase the probability of detecting a significant association when one does not actually exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A Schwartz
- School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Lincoln, NE 68588-0561, USA.
| | - Meghan W Rowland
- College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1273, USA
| | - Kevin M Beaver
- College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1273, USA; Center for Social and Humanities Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Harden KP, Kretsch N, Tackett JL, Tucker-Drob EM. Genetic and environmental influences on testosterone in adolescents: evidence for sex differences. Dev Psychobiol 2014; 56:1278-89. [PMID: 24523135 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2013] [Accepted: 01/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The current study investigated genetic and environmental influences on salivary testosterone during adolescence, using data from 49 pairs of monozygotic twins and 68 pairs of dizygotic twins, ages 14-19 years (M = 16.0 years). Analyses tested for sex differences in genetic and environmental influences on testosterone and its relation to pubertal development. Among adolescent males, individual differences in testosterone were heritable (55%) and significantly associated with self-reported pubertal status (controlling for age) via common genetic influences. In contrast, there was minimal heritable variation in testosterone for females, and testosterone in females was not significantly associated with pubertal status after controlling for age. Rather, environmental influences shared by twins raised together accounted for nearly all of the familial similarity in female testosterone. This study adds to a small but growing body of research that investigates genetic influences on individual differences in behaviorally relevant hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Paige Harden
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, TX.
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Jahanfar S, Lye MS, Krishnarajah IS. Genetic and environmental effects on age at menarche, and its relationship with reproductive health in twins. INDIAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS 2013; 19:245-50. [PMID: 24019629 PMCID: PMC3758734 DOI: 10.4103/0971-6866.116127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Menarche or first menstrual period is a landmark in reproductive life span and it is the most prominent change of puberty. The timing of menarche can be under the influence of genes as well as individual environmental factors interacting with genetic factors. OBJECTIVE: Our study objectives were (a) to investigate the heritability of age of menarche in twins, (b) to obtain the association between age of menarche and childhood factors, and reproductive events/behavior, (c) to examine whether or not having a male co-twin affects early/late menarche. METHODOLOGY: A group of female-female identical (n = 108, 54 pairs), non-identical twins (n = 68, 34 pairs) and 17 females from opposite-sex twin sets were identified from twin registries of Malaysia and Iran. Genetic analysis was performed via two methods of Falconers’ formula and maximum likelihood. RESULTS: Heritability was found to be 66% using Falconers’ formula and 15% using univariate twin analysis. Model analysis revealed that shared environmental factors have a major contribution in determining the age of menarche (82%) followed by non-shared environment (18%). DISCUSSION: Result of this study is consistent with that of the literature. Timing of menarche could be under the influence of shared and non-shared environmental effects. Hirsutism was found to have a higher frequency among subjects with late menarche. There was no significant difference in age of menarche between females of opposite-sex twins and females of same-sex twins. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that twin models provide a powerful means of examining the total genetic contribution to age of menarche. Longitudinal studies of twins may clarify the type of environmental effects that determine the age of menarche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shayesteh Jahanfar
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, 2206 East Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
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Faith MS, Heo M, Keller KL, Pietrobelli A. Child food neophobia is heritable, associated with less compliant eating, and moderates familial resemblance for BMI. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2013; 21:1650-5. [PMID: 23512929 PMCID: PMC5510880 DOI: 10.1002/oby.20369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2013] [Accepted: 01/03/2013] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The heritability of food neophobia, the tendency to avoid new foods, was tested in 4-7-year-old twins. We also examined whether food neophobia is associated with parent-child feeding relations or child body fat. DESIGN AND METHODS 66 same-sex twin pairs, including 37 monozygotic (MZ) and 29 dizygotic (DZ) pairs were studied. Food neophobia was assessed by parent questionnaire (Child Food Neophobia Scale, CFNS), as were child-feeding practices and "division of responsibility" feeding relations. Child anthropometry and percent body fat were directly measured. RESULTS MZ and DZ twin pair correlations for food neophobia were r = 0.71 and r = -0.01, respectively: heritability= 72%. Greater food neophobia was associated with reduced child eating compliance of prompted foods (P < 0.001) reduced eating compliance of initially refused foods (P < 0.001), and--among girls only--fewer parental food demands (P = 0.01). Interestingly, the correlation between maternal BMI and child BMI z-score was significant only for children high (P = 0.03), but not low (P = 0.55), in food neophobia. CONCLUSION Child food neophobia, a highly heritable trait previously linked to emotionality, was associated with less compliant parent-child feeding relations. Strategies to combat food neophobia and foster more harmonious feeding relationships may have a role in obesity prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myles S Faith
- Department of Nutritional Sciences and Food Science, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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Groen-Blokhuis MM, Franić S, van Beijsterveldt CEM, de Geus E, Bartels M, Davies GE, Ehli EA, Xiao X, Scheet PA, Althoff R, Hudziak JJ, Middeldorp CM, Boomsma DI. A prospective study of the effects of breastfeeding and FADS2 polymorphisms on cognition and hyperactivity/attention problems. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2013; 162B:457-65. [PMID: 23737301 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2012] [Accepted: 05/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Breastfeeding has been associated with improved cognitive functioning. There is a beneficial effect on IQ, and possibly on associated phenotypes such as attention problems. It has been suggested that the effect on IQ is moderated by polymorphisms in the FADS2 gene, which is involved in fatty acid metabolism. In this study we tested the relation between breastfeeding and FADS2 polymorphisms on the one hand and IQ, educational attainment, overactivity, and attention problems on the other hand. IQ at age 5, 7, 10, 12, and/or 18 (n = 1,313), educational attainment at age 12 (n = 1,857), overactive behavior at age 3 (n = 2,560), and attention problems assessed at age 7, 10, and 12 years (n = 2,479, n = 2,423, n = 2,226) were predicted by breastfeeding and two SNPs in FADS2 (rs174575 and rs1535). Analyses were performed using structural equation modeling. After correction for maternal education, a main effect of breastfeeding was found for educational attainment at age 12 and overactive behavior at age 3. For IQ, the effect of breastfeeding across age was marginally significant (P = 0.05) and amounted to 1.6 points after correcting for maternal education. Neither a main effect of the FADS2 polymorphisms nor an interaction with breastfeeding was detected for any of the phenotypes. This developmentally informed study confirms that breastfeeding is associated with higher educational attainment at age 12, less overactive behavior at age 3 and a trend toward higher IQ after correction for maternal education. In general, the benefits of breastfeeding were small and did not interact with SNPs in FADS2.
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Exploring the association between well-being and psychopathology in adolescents. Behav Genet 2013; 43:177-90. [PMID: 23471543 PMCID: PMC3897864 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-013-9589-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2012] [Accepted: 02/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Promotion of mental well-being and prevention of emotional and behavioral problems are suggested to go hand in hand. The present study examined the association between subjective well-being (SWB) and psychopathology and investigated the etiology of this association in a large population-based cohort study of adolescent twins (n = 9,136) and their non-twin siblings (n = 1,474) aged 12–20 years. Phenotypic, genetic, and environmental correlations between SWB and psychopathology were obtained from multivariate genetic modeling conditional on sex. An SWB factor score was used based on measures of subjective happiness, satisfaction with life, and quality of life. Psychopathology was obtained from all syndrome and broad-band scales of the Dutch version of the ASEBA Youth Self Report. Males reported significantly higher levels of SWB than females. Females reported significantly more internalizing problems while males report significantly higher levels of externalizing behavior. In both sexes, significant negative associations were found between SWB and psychopathology, with the strongest associations seen for SWB and the YSR syndrome scale anxious/depression behavior. The observed associations were primarily explained by genetic correlations while non-shared environmental influences were mainly domain specific. The genetic liability to lower levels of SWB are indicative of a genetic liability to higher levels of psychopathology, suggesting that it might be feasible to screen for emotional and behavioral problems before clear signs are present by screening on indices of subjective well-being.
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Abstract
Socioeconomic position, racial/ethnic minority status, and other characteristics of the macro-environment may be important moderators of genetic influence on a wide array of psychosocial outcomes. Designed to maximize representation of low socioeconomic status families and racial/ethnic minorities, the Texas Twin Project is an ongoing study of school-age twins (preschool through 12th grade) enrolled in public schools in the Austin, Texas and Houston, Texas metropolitan areas. School rosters are used to identify twin families from a target population with sizable populations of African American (18%), Hispanic/Latino (48%), and non-Hispanic White (27%) children and adolescents, over half of whom meet US guidelines for classification as economically disadvantaged. Initial efforts have focused on a large-scale, family-based survey study involving both parent and child reports of personality, psychopathology, physical health, academic interests, parent-child relationships, and aspects of the home environment. In addition, the Texas Twin Project is the basis for an in-laboratory study of adolescent decision-making, delinquency, and substance use. Future directions include geographic expansion of the sample to the entire state of Texas (with a population of over 25 million) and genotyping of participating twins.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Paige Harden
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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Huppertz C, Bartels M, Van Beijsterveldt CEM, Boomsma DI, Hudziak JJ, De Geus EJC. Effect of shared environmental factors on exercise behavior from age 7 to 12 years. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2012; 44:2025-32. [PMID: 22617397 PMCID: PMC3445777 DOI: 10.1249/mss.0b013e31825d358e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to investigate the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors on children's leisure time exercise behavior through the classic twin design. METHODS Data were taken from The Netherlands Twin Register. The twins were 7 (n = 3966 subjects), 10 (n = 3562), and 12-yr-olds (n = 8687), with longitudinal data for 27% of the sample. Parents were asked to indicate the children's regular participation in leisure time exercise activities, including frequency and duration. Resemblance between monozygotic and dizygotic twins for weekly MET-hours spent on exercise activities was analyzed as a function of their genetic relatedness. RESULTS Average weekly MET-hours increased with age for both boys (age 7 yr: 14.0 (SD = 11.8); age 10 yr: 22.6 (SD = 18.7); age 12 yr: 28.4 (SD = 24.9)) and girls (age 7 yr: 9.7 (SD = 9.5); age 10 yr: 15.3 (SD = 15.1); age 12 yr: 19.3 (SD = 19.8)). Around 13% of boys and girls across all age groups did not participate in any regular leisure time exercise activities. Tracking of exercise behavior from age 7 to 12 yr was modest (0.168 < r < 0.534). For boys, genetic effects accounted for 24% (confidence interval, 18%-30%) of the variance at age 7 yr, 66% (53%-81%) at age 10 yr, and 38% (32%-46%) at age 12 yr. For girls, this was 22% (15%-30%), 16% (9%-24%), and 36% (30%-43%), respectively. Environmental influences shared by children from the same family explained 71%, 25%, and 50% of the variance in boys (age 7, 10, and 12 yr) and 67%, 72%, and 53% in girls. The shared environment influencing exercise behavior was partially different between boys and girls. CONCLUSION Our results stress the important role of shared environment for exercise behavior in young children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Huppertz
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Bartels M, van Weegen FI, van Beijsterveldt CE, Carlier M, Polderman TJ, Hoekstra RA, Boomsma DI. The five factor model of personality and intelligence: A twin study on the relationship between the two constructs. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2012.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Mook-Kanamori DO, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Steegers EAP, Aulchenko YS, Raat H, Hofman A, Eilers PH, Boomsma DI, Jaddoe VWV. Heritability estimates of body size in fetal life and early childhood. PLoS One 2012; 7:e39901. [PMID: 22848364 PMCID: PMC3405108 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2012] [Accepted: 05/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The objective was to estimate the heritability for height and weight during fetal life and early childhood in two independent studies, one including parent and singleton offsprings and one of mono- and dizygotic twins. Methods This study was embedded in the Generation R Study (n = 3407, singletons) and the Netherlands Twin Register (n = 33694, twins). For the heritability estimates in Generation R, regression models as proposed by Galton were used. In the Twin Register we used genetic structural equation modelling. Parental height and weight were measured and fetal growth characteristics (femur length and estimated fetal weight) were measured by ultrasounds in 2nd and 3rd trimester (Generation R only). Height and weight were assessed at multiple time-points from birth to 36 months in both studies. Results Heritability estimates for length increased from 2nd to 3rd trimester from 13% to 28%. At birth, heritability estimates for length in singletons and twins were both 26% and 27%, respectively, and at 36 months, the estimates for height were 63% and 72%, respectively. Heritability estimates for fetal weight increased from 2nd to 3rd trimester from 17% to 27%. For birth weight, heritability estimates were 26% in singletons and 29% in twins. At 36 months, the estimate for twins was 71% and higher than for singletons (42%). Conclusions Heritability estimates for height and weight increase from second trimester to infancy. This increase in heritability is observed in singletons and twins. Longer follow-up studies are needed to examine how the heritability develops in later childhood and puberty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis O. Mook-Kanamori
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Weil Cornell Medical College – Qatar, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Eric A. P. Steegers
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Yurii S. Aulchenko
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hein Raat
- Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Albert Hofman
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Paul H. Eilers
- Department of Biostatistics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I. Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vincent W. V. Jaddoe
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
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Nikolas M, Klump KL, Burt SA. Youth appraisals of inter-parental conflict and genetic and environmental contributions to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: examination of GxE effects in a twin sample. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2012; 40:543-54. [PMID: 22006350 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-011-9583-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Identification of gene x environment interactions (GxE) for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a crucial component to understanding the mechanisms underpinning the disorder, as prior work indicates large genetic influences and numerous environmental risk factors. Building on prior research, children's appraisals of self-blame were examined as a psychosocial moderator of latent etiological influences on ADHD via biometric twin models, which provide an omnibus test of GxE while managing the potential confound of gene-environment correlation. Participants were 246 twin pairs (total n = 492) ages 6-16 years. ADHD behaviors were assessed via mother report on the Child Behavior Checklist. To assess level of self-blame, each twin completed the Children's Perception of Inter-parental Conflict scale. Two biometric GxE models were fit to the data. The first model revealed a significant decrease in genetic effects and a significant increase in unique environmental influences on ADHD with increasing levels of self-blame. These results generally persisted even after controlling for confounding effects due to gene-environment correlation in the second model. Results suggest that appraisals of self-blame in relation to inter-parental conflict may act as a key moderator of etiological contributions to ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly Nikolas
- Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
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Geels LM, Bartels M, van Beijsterveldt TCEM, Willemsen G, van der Aa N, Boomsma DI, Vink JM. Trends in adolescent alcohol use: effects of age, sex and cohort on prevalence and heritability. Addiction 2012; 107:518-27. [PMID: 21831193 DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03612.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To determine the effect of age, sex and cohort on the prevalence and genetic architecture of adolescent alcohol use (AAU). DESIGN Survey study in participants registered with the Netherlands Twin Register. SETTING Twins from the general population. PARTICIPANTS Two cohorts (data collected in 1993 and 2005-08) of twins aged 13-15, 16-17 and 18-21 years. In 1993 and 2005-08 a total of 3269 and 8207 twins, respectively, took part. MEASUREMENTS Survey data on initiation and frequency of alcohol use and quantity of alcohol consumed. FINDINGS The prevalence of alcohol initiation increased between 1993 and 2005-08 for both males and females. The largest difference was for girls observed at ages 13-15, where the prevalence increased from 59.5% to 72.4%. We also found increases in prevalence across cohorts for quantity of alcohol consumed and non-significant increases for frequency of alcohol use. From age 16 onwards, boys drank more frequently and larger quantities than girls. Genetic model fitting revealed that the genetic architecture of AAU did not differ between birth cohorts, nor were there differences between boys and girls. Genetic factors explained between 21% and 55% of individual differences in alcohol measures throughout adolescence. Shared environment explained between 17% and 64% of variance in alcohol use, across different age groups and alcohol measures. CONCLUSIONS In the Netherlands, the prevalence of alcohol initiation, frequency and quantity has increased in adolescents over a 15-year period, but there are no changes in the genetic architecture of adolescent alcohol use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lot M Geels
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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St Clair JB, Golubovsky MD. Paternally Derived Twinning: A Two Century Examination of Records of One Scottish Name. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1375/twin.5.4.294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPaternal influence on twinning was investigated through a study of all the state and church records of Scotland for the period 1800–2000 (nine generations) in relation to one Scottish patronymic — in total 50,000 births. All recorded twins born with the chosen patronymic were identified and their whole paternal ascent and descent on the male line were charted for twins. There were established three pedigrees A, B and C manifesting clear paternal twinning hereditary transmission. Detailed familial reproduction patterns were traced for pedigree A, including phenotypic identification of twin zygosity in relation to seven same sexed pairs of twins in the pedigree and one same sexed pair out of dizygotic triplets. It is the most comprehensive description to date of such a kind of twin familial trait. The data presented show (i) the unique feature of clear direct paternal influence on twinning in three families; (ii) paternal factor(s) determination in both DZ and MZ twinning; and (iii) a definite association of twinning tendency with a partial male infertility, which corresponds to the prediction of the Infertility/Twinning Paternally Dependent syndrome hypothesis. The hypothesis of a founder effect explaining the similarity of A, B, C families and the possible localisation of the paternally dependent twinning factor on the Y-chromosome are currently under molecular investigation.
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Reed T, Plassman BL, Tanner CM, Dick DM, Rinehart SA, Nichols WC. Verification of Self-Report of Zygosity Determined via DNA Testing in a Subset of the NAS-NRC Twin Registry 40 Years Later. Twin Res Hum Genet 2012. [DOI: 10.1375/twin.8.4.362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe National Academy of Sciences — National Research Council (NAS-NRC) twin panel, created nearly 50 years ago, had twin zygosity determined primarily via a similarity questionnaire that has been estimated to correctly classify at least 95% of twins. In the course of a study on the genetics of healthy ageing in the NAS-NRC twins, DNA was collected for genome-wide scanning and zygosity confirmation was examined in 343 participating pairs. The sample was supplemented from two other studies using NAS-NRC twins where one or both co-twins were suspected to have Alzheimer disease or another dementia, or Parkinson's disease. Overall 578 twin pairs with DNA were analyzed. Zygosity assignment for 96.8% (519/536) was confirmed via questionnaire. Among 42 pairs whose questionnaire responses were inconclusive for assigning zygosity, 50% were found to be monozygous (MZ) and 50% were dizygous (DZ). There was some evidence for greater misclassification of presumed DZ pairs in the healthy ageing study where participation favored pairs who were similar in having a favorable health history and willingness to volunteer without any element of perceived risk for a specific disease influencing participation.
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Bartels M, de Moor MHM, van der Aa N, Boomsma DI, de Geus EJC. Regular exercise, subjective wellbeing, and internalizing problems in adolescence: causality or genetic pleiotropy? Front Genet 2012; 3:4. [PMID: 22303410 PMCID: PMC3261428 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2012.00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2011] [Accepted: 01/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
This study tests in a genetically informative design whether exercise behavior causally influences subjective wellbeing (SWB) and internalizing problems (INT). If exercise causally influences SWB and INT, genetic and environmental factors influencing exercise behavior will also influence SWB and INT. Furthermore, within genetically identical (MZ) twin pairs, the twin who exercises more should also show higher levels of SWB and lower levels of INT, than the co-twin who exercises less, because genetic confounding is excluded. Data on these phenotypes were available in a sample of 6317 adolescent twins and 1180 non-twin-siblings. Most participants had longitudinal data with 2-year follow-up. Exercise behavior was cross-sectionally and longitudinally associated with fewer internalizing problems and increased SWB (correlations ranged from 0.12 to 0.16). Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations were mainly accounted for by genetic factors, whereas the contribution of environmental factors was negligible. Within MZ twin pairs, the twin who exercised more did not show fewer internalizing problems and increased SWB. This was found cross-sectionally and longitudinally. We conclude that exercise behavior is associated with fewer internalizing problems and higher levels of SWB. The association largely reflects the effects of common genetic factors on these traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
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A twin study of self-regulatory eating in early childhood: estimates of genetic and environmental influence, and measurement considerations. Int J Obes (Lond) 2012; 36:931-7. [PMID: 22249227 DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2011.258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Children differ greatly in their ability to self-regulate food intake for reasons that are poorly understood. This laboratory-based twin study tested the genetic and environmental contributions to self-regulatory eating and body fat in early childhood. METHODS A total of 69 4-7 year-old same-sex twin pairs, including 40 monozygotic and 29 dizygotic pairs, were studied. Self-regulatory eating was operationalized as the percentage compensation index (COMPX%), assessed by a 'preload' challenge in which lunch intake was measured following a low- (3 kcal) or high-calorie (159 kcal) drink. Body fat indexes also were measured. The familial association for COMPX% was estimated by an intraclass correlation, and biometric analyses estimated heritability. RESULTS Children ate more at lunch following the low- compared with high-energy preload (P<0.001), although variability in COMPX% was considerable. Compensation was significantly poorer among African American and Hispanic compared with European American children, and among girls compared with boys. There was a familial association for self-regulatory eating (ρ = 0.23, P = 0.03) but no significant genetic component. In all, 22% of the variance in COMPX% was due to shared environmental 'household' factors, with the remaining variance attributable to child-specific 'unique' or 'random' environments. Poorer self-regulatory eating was associated with greater percent body fat (r = -0.21, P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS Self-regulatory eating was influenced by environmental factors, especially those differing among siblings. The absence of a significant genetic effect may reflect the age of the sample or could be artifactual due to measurement issues that need to be considered in future studies.
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Distel MA, Carlier A, Middeldorp CM, Derom CA, Lubke GH, Boomsma DI. Borderline personality traits and adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms: a genetic analysis of comorbidity. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2011; 156B:817-25. [PMID: 21812103 PMCID: PMC3990457 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.31226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2011] [Accepted: 07/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Previous research has established the comorbidity of adult Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with different personality disorders including Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The association between adult ADHD and BPD has primarily been investigated at the phenotypic level and not yet at the genetic level. The present study investigates the genetic and environmental contributions to the association between borderline personality traits (BPT) and ADHD symptoms in a sample of 7,233 twins and siblings (aged 18-90 years) registered with the Netherlands Twin Register and the East Flanders Prospective Twin Survey (EFPTS) . Participants completed the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS-S:SV) and the Personality Assessment Inventory-Borderline Features Scale (PAI-BOR). A bivariate genetic analysis was performed to determine the extent to which genetic and environmental factors influence variation in BPT and ADHD symptoms and the covariance between them. The heritability of BPT and ADHD symptoms was estimated at 45 and 36%, respectively. The remaining variance in BPT and ADHD symptoms was explained by unique environmental influences. The phenotypic correlation between BPT and ADHD symptoms was estimated at r = 0.59, and could be explained for 49% by genetic factors and 51% by environmental factors. The genetic and environmental correlations between BPT and ADHD symptoms were 0.72 and 0.51, respectively. The shared etiology between BPT and ADHD symptoms is thus a likely cause for the comorbidity of the two disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marijn A Distel
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Evidence for a causal association of low birth weight and attention problems. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2011; 50:1247-54.e2. [PMID: 22115145 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2011.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2011] [Revised: 08/05/2011] [Accepted: 09/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Low birth weight (LBW) is associated with attention problems (AP) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The etiology of this association is unclear. We investigate whether there is a causal influence of birth weight (BW) on AP and whether the BW effect is mediated by catch-up growth (CUG) in low-BW children. METHOD Longitudinal data from >29,000 twins registered with the Netherlands Twin Register with BW ≥1,500 g and gestational age (GA) ≥32 weeks were analyzed with the cotwin control method. Hyperactivity and AP were assessed at ages 3, 7, 10, and 12 years; weight was assessed at birth and age 2 years. RESULTS Children in the lowest BW category of 1,500 to 2,000 g scored 0.18 to 0.37 standard deviations (SD) higher on AP than children in the reference category of 3,000 to 3,500 g. This effect was present in term-born and preterm-born children. Importantly, in BW discordant monozygotic (MZ), dizygotic (DZ), and unrelated (UR) pairs, the child with the lower BW scored higher on hyperactivity and AP than the child with the higher BW and within-pair differences were similar for MZ, DZ, and UR pairs. This pattern is consistent with a causal effect of BW on AP. MZ and DZ twin pairs concordant for LBW but discordant for CUG showed similar AP scores, thus ruling out any effect of CUG on AP. CONCLUSIONS These results strongly indicate that the association of birth weight and AP represents a causal relationship. The effects of BW are not explained by CUG in LBW children.
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Comparison of naturally conceived and IVF-DZ twins in the Netherlands Twin Registry: a developmental study. J Pregnancy 2011; 2011:517614. [PMID: 22132337 PMCID: PMC3216262 DOI: 10.1155/2011/517614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2011] [Accepted: 08/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In a large set of twin pairs, we compared twins born after IVF to naturally conceived twins with respect to birth characteristics, growth, attainment of motor milestones, and emotional and behavioral problems. Twin families were registered with the Netherlands Twin Register. We included 1534 dizygotic (DZ) twins born after IVF, 5315 naturally conceived (NC) DZ twins, and 1504 control NC DZ twins who were matched to the IVF twins based on maternal age, maternal educational level, smoking during pregnancy, gestational age, and offspring sex. Data were obtained by longitudinal surveys sent to fathers, mothers, and teachers at ages 1, 2, 3, 7, 10, and 12 years. Results showed no differences in growth, in attainment of motor milestones, and in behavioral development between IVF and matched NC twins. It can be concluded that for nearly all aspects, development in IVF and NC children is similar.
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Distel MA, Vink JM, Bartels M, van Beijsterveldt CE, Neale MC, Boomsma DI. Age moderates non-genetic influences on the initiation of cannabis use: a twin-sibling study in Dutch adolescents and young adults. Addiction 2011; 106:1658-66. [PMID: 21489006 PMCID: PMC4001801 DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03465.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To examine the heritability of cannabis initiation, the influence of a possible twin-specific environment and the influence of age on the effects of genes and environment in Dutch adolescents and young adults. DESIGN Genetic structural equation modelling was used to partition the variance in the liability to cannabis initiation into genetic and environmental components. SETTING All participants were registered with the Netherlands Twin Register. PARTICIPANTS A total of 6,208 twins (age 13-20) and 1,545 siblings (age 11-25) from 3,503 families participated in this study. MEASUREMENTS Self-reported cannabis use was assessed prospectively with the Dutch Health Behavior Questionnaire. FINDINGS At the median age of the sample (16.5), genetic factors explained 40% of the individual differences in liability to cannabis initiation. Twins resembled each other more than non-twin siblings, which could not be attributed to the age difference between non-twin siblings. Environmental influences increased with age. This increase applied to environmental factors shared by twins (47% of the variance), environmental factors shared by twins and siblings (24%) and environmental factors unique to an individual (13%). CONCLUSION The heritability of the liability for cannabis initiation is higher in adolescents than in young adults due to a larger contribution of environmental factors in young adults. This is due mainly to environmental factors only shared by twins and those shared by all offspring growing up in the same family, but the contribution of environmental factors specific to individuals is also larger in young adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marijn A. Distel
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jacqueline M. Vink
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Catharina E.M. van Beijsterveldt
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Michael C. Neale
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
| | - Dorret I. Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Bartels M, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Boomsma DI. Breastfeeding, maternal education and cognitive function: a prospective study in twins. Behav Genet 2011; 39:616-22. [PMID: 19653092 PMCID: PMC2780679 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-009-9293-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2009] [Accepted: 07/24/2009] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The effect of breastfeeding on cognitive abilities is examined in the offspring of highly educated women and compared to the effects in women with low or middle educational attainment. All offspring consisted of 12-year old mono- or dizygotic twins and this made it possible to study the effect of breastfeeding on mean cognition scores as well as the moderating effects of breastfeeding on the heritability of variation in cognition. Information on breastfeeding and cognitive ability was available for 6,569 children. Breastfeeding status was prospectively assessed in the first years after birth of the children. Maternal education is positively associated with performance on a standardized test for cognitive ability in offspring. A significant effect of breastfeeding on cognition was also observed. The effect was similar for offspring with mothers with a high, middle, and low educational level. Breast-fed children of highly educated mothers score on average 7.6 point higher on a standardized test of cognitive abilities (CITO test; range 500–550; effects size = .936) than formula-fed children of mothers with a low education. Individual differences in cognition scores are largely accounted for by additive genetic factors (80%) and breastfeeding does not modify the effect of genetic factors in any of the three strata of maternal education. Heritability was slightly lower in children with a mother with a middle-level education.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Room 2B-47, VU University, van der boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Lamb DJ, Middeldorp CM, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Vink JM, Haak MC, Boomsma DI. Birth weight in a large series of triplets. BMC Pediatr 2011; 11:24. [PMID: 21453554 PMCID: PMC3087677 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2431-11-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2010] [Accepted: 04/01/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Triplets are often born premature and with a low birth weight. Because the incidence of triplet births is rare, there are relatively few studies describing triplet birth weight characteristics. Earlier studies are often characterized by small sample sizes and lack information on important background variables such as zygosity. The objective of this study is to examine factors associated with birth weight in a large, population-based sample of triplets registered with the Netherlands Twin Register (NTR). METHODS In a sample of 1230 triplets from 410 families, the effects of assisted reproductive techniques, zygosity, birth order, gestational age, sex, maternal smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy on birth weight were assessed. The resemblance among triplets for birth weight was estimated as a function of zygosity. Birth weight discordance within families was studied by the pair-wise difference between triplets, expressed as a percentage of the birth weight of the heaviest child. We compare data from triplets registered with the NTR with data from population records, which include live births, stillbirths and children that have deceased within days after birth. RESULTS There was no effect of assisted reproductive techniques on triplet birth weight. At gestational age 24 to 40 weeks triplets gained on average 130 grams per week; boys weighed 110 grams more than girls and triplets of smoking mothers weighted 104 grams less than children of non-smoking mothers. Monozygotic triplets had lower birth weights than di- and trizygotic triplets and birth weight discordance was smaller in monozygotic triplets than in di- and trizygotic triplets. The correlation in birth weight among monozygotic and dizygotic triplets was 0.42 and 0.32, respectively. In nearly two-thirds of the families, the heaviest and the lightest triplet had a birth weight discordance over 15%. The NTR sample is representative for the Dutch triplet population that is still alive 28 days after birth. CONCLUSION Birth weight is an important determinant of childhood development. Triplet status, gestational age, sex, zygosity and maternal smoking affect birth weight. The combined effects amount to a difference of 364 grams between monozygotic girl triplets of smoking mothers compared to dizygotic boy triplets of non-smoking mothers of the same gestational age. Birth weight in triplets is also influenced by genetic factors, as indicated by a larger correlation in monozygotic than in di- and trizygotic triplets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane J Lamb
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, The Netherlands
| | - Christel M Middeldorp
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, The Netherlands
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, The Netherlands
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, GGZ inGeest/VU medical center, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Monique C Haak
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, VU University Medical Center, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, The Netherlands
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