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Developmental Psychology Feb 2017This investigation examines the spread of problem behaviors (substance use and delinquency) between twin siblings. A sample of 628 twins (151 male twin pairs and 163...
This investigation examines the spread of problem behaviors (substance use and delinquency) between twin siblings. A sample of 628 twins (151 male twin pairs and 163 female twin pairs) drawn from the Quebec Newborn Twin Study completed inventories describing delinquency and substance use at ages 13, 14, and 15. A 3-wave longitudinal actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) identified avenues whereby problem behaviors spread from one twin to another. Problems did not spread directly between twins across domains. Instead, 2 indirect pathways were identified: (a) Problems first spread interindividually (between twins) within a behavioral domain, then spread intraindividually (within twins) across behavioral domains (e.g., Twin A delinquency → Twin B delinquency → Twin B substance use); and (b) problems first spread intraindividually (within twins) across behavioral domains, then spread interindividually (between twins) within a behavioral domain (e.g., Twin A delinquency → Twin A substance use → Twin B substance use). Controls for genetic effects, gene-environment correlations, friend substance use and delinquency, and parenting behaviors increase confidence in the conclusion that twin siblings uniquely contribute to the spread of problem behaviors during adolescence. Twin sibling influence is a risk factor for illicit substance use, both because substance use by one twin predicts substance use by the other twin, but also because delinquency in one twin predicts delinquency in the other twin, which then gives rise to greater substance use. (PsycINFO Database Record
Topics: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Adult; Age Factors; Female; Friends; Gene-Environment Interaction; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Parenting; Problem Behavior; Quebec; Substance-Related Disorders; Twins, Dizygotic; Twins, Monozygotic
PubMed: 27831703
DOI: 10.1037/dev0000217 -
European Journal of Endocrinology May 2009Brain volume of boys is larger than that of girls by approximately 10%. Prenatal exposure to testosterone has been suggested in the masculinization of the brain. For... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
OBJECTIVE
Brain volume of boys is larger than that of girls by approximately 10%. Prenatal exposure to testosterone has been suggested in the masculinization of the brain. For example, in litter-bearing mammals intrauterine position increases prenatal testosterone exposure through adjacent male fetuses, resulting in masculinization of brain morphology.
DESIGN
The influence of intrauterine presence of a male co-twin on masculinization of human brain volume was studied in 9-year old twins.
METHODS
Magnetic resonance imaging brain scans, current testosterone, and estradiol levels were acquired from four groups of dizygotic (DZ) twins: boys from same-sex twin-pairs (SSM), boys from opposite-sex twin-pairs (OSM), girls from opposite-sex twin-pairs (OSF), and girls from same-sex twin-pairs (SSF; n=119 individuals). Data on total brain, cerebellum, gray and white matter volumes were examined.
RESULTS
Irrespective of their own sex, children with a male co-twin as compared to children with a female co-twin had larger total brain (+2.5%) and cerebellum (+5.5%) volumes. SSM, purportedly exposed to the highest prenatal testosterone levels, were found to have the largest volumes, followed by OSM, OSF and SSF children. Birth weight partly explained the effect on brain volumes. Current testosterone and estradiol levels did not account for the volumetric brain differences. However, the effects observed in children did not replicate in adult twins.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study indicates that sharing the uterus with a DZ twin brother increases total brain volume in 9-year olds. The effect may be transient and limited to a critical period in childhood.
Topics: Brain; Child; Cohort Studies; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Organ Size; Radiography; Sex Factors; Siblings; Testosterone; Twins, Dizygotic
PubMed: 19218283
DOI: 10.1530/EJE-08-0915 -
Scientific Reports Sep 2020Impulsivity and compulsivity are traits relevant to a range of mental health problems and have traditionally been conceptualised as distinct constructs. Here, we...
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 (A = 0.33), modest additive genetic or common environmental effects for obsessiveness (A = 0.25; C = 0.23), and moderate effects of common environment (C = 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.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Compulsive Behavior; Female; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Models, Statistical; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Phenotype; Risk Factors; Self Report; Twins, Dizygotic; Twins, Monozygotic; Young Adult
PubMed: 32873811
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71013-x -
Foot and Ankle Surgery : Official... Oct 2022It is unknown if genetics contribute to the etiology of acute Achilles tendon rupture (ATR). The aims of the present study were, 1) To calculate the concordance rate for...
BACKGROUND
It is unknown if genetics contribute to the etiology of acute Achilles tendon rupture (ATR). The aims of the present study were, 1) To calculate the concordance rate for monozygotic (MZ) twins and same-sex dizygotic (SSDZ) twins and 2) to estimate the heritability of ATR.
METHODS
The study was performed as a registry study using the Danish Twin Registry and the Danish National Patient Registry.
RESULTS
The study sample consisted of 85,534 twins born from 1895 to 1995. Of these, 572 (0.67%) were registered with ATR in the period from 1994 to 2014. The concordance rate was 8.1% (95% CI 1.4-14.7%) for MZ twins and 4.3% (95% CI 0.7-7.9%) for SSDZ twins. The heritability of ATR was 47% (95% CI 31-62%).
CONCLUSION
This study found that genetics contribute substantially to the etiology of ATR with an estimated heritability of the liability to ATR of approximately 50%. The finding generates the hypothesis that genetics play a role in the pathological changes that occur in the Achilles tendon before a rupture. The risk of ATR for a twin within a 20 year period, if the co-twin has had an ATR, was 8% for MZ twins and 4% for SSDZ twins.
Topics: Achilles Tendon; Denmark; Humans; Registries; Tendon Injuries; Twins, Dizygotic; Twins, Monozygotic
PubMed: 35227591
DOI: 10.1016/j.fas.2022.02.015 -
Scientific Reports Feb 2022Aesthetic chills, broadly defined as a somatic marker of peak emotional-hedonic responses, are experienced by individuals across a variety of human cultures. Yet...
Aesthetic chills, broadly defined as a somatic marker of peak emotional-hedonic responses, are experienced by individuals across a variety of human cultures. Yet individuals vary widely in the propensity of feeling them. These individual differences have been studied in relation to demographics, personality, and neurobiological and physiological factors, but no study to date has explored the genetic etiological sources of variation. To partition genetic and environmental sources of variation in the propensity of feeling aesthetic chills, we fitted a biometrical genetic model to data from 14,127 twins (from 8995 pairs), collected by the Netherlands Twin Register. Both genetic and unique environmental factors accounted for variance in aesthetic chills, with heritability estimated at 0.36 ([0.33, 0.39] 95% CI). We found females more prone than males to report feeling aesthetic chills. However, a test for genotype x sex interaction did not show evidence that heritability differs between sexes. We thus show that the propensity of feeling aesthetic chills is not shaped by nurture alone, but it also reflects underlying genetic propensities.
Topics: Chills; Female; Genetics, Behavioral; Humans; Male; Models, Genetic; Personality; Personality Disorders; Twins; Twins, Dizygotic; Twins, Monozygotic
PubMed: 35228562
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07161-z -
Behavior Genetics Jul 2009Using a combined sample of adolescent twins, biological siblings, and adoptive siblings, we estimated and compared the differential shared-environmentality for high...
Using a combined sample of adolescent twins, biological siblings, and adoptive siblings, we estimated and compared the differential shared-environmentality for high cognitive ability and the shared-environmental variance for the full range of ability during adolescence. Estimates obtained via multiple methods were in the neighborhood of 0.20, and suggest a modest effect of the shared environment on both high and full-range ability. We then examined the association of ability with three measures of the family environment in a subsample of adoptive siblings: parental occupational status, parental education, and disruptive life events. Only parental education showed significant (albeit modest) association with ability in both the biological and adoptive samples. We discuss these results in terms of the need for cognitive-development research to combine genetically sensitive designs and modern statistical methods with broad, thorough environmental measurement.
Topics: Adolescent; Adoption; Child; Child, Gifted; Cohort Studies; Epistasis, Genetic; Family Characteristics; Female; Genotype; Humans; Intelligence; Life Change Events; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Minnesota; Models, Genetic; Models, Statistical; Phenotype; Siblings; Social Environment; Statistics as Topic; Twins, Dizygotic; Twins, Monozygotic; Wechsler Scales
PubMed: 19377874
DOI: 10.1007/s10519-009-9265-0 -
Gene-by-Environment Interaction Effects of Social Adversity on Externalizing Behavior in ABCD Youth.Behavior Genetics May 2023This study tested whether multiple domains of social adversity, including neighborhood opportunity/deprivation and life stress, moderate genetic (A), common...
This study tested whether multiple domains of social adversity, including neighborhood opportunity/deprivation and life stress, moderate genetic (A), common environmental (C), and unique environmental (E) influences on externalizing behaviors in 760 same-sex twin pairs (332 monozygotic; 428 dizygotic) ages 10-11 from the ABCD Study. Proportion of C influences on externalizing behavior increased at higher neighborhood adversity (lower overall opportunity). A decreased and C and E increased at lower levels of educational opportunity. A increased at lower health-environment and social-economic opportunity levels. For life stress, A decreased and E increased with number of experienced events. Results for educational opportunity and stressful life experiences suggest a bioecological gene-environment interaction pattern such that environmental influences predominate at higher levels of adversity, whereas limited access to healthcare, housing, and employment stability may potentiate genetic liability for externalizing behavior via a diathesis-stress mechanism. More detailed operationalization of social adversity in gene-environment interaction studies is needed.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Humans; Environment; Gene-Environment Interaction; Social Environment; Twins, Dizygotic; Twins, Monozygotic
PubMed: 36795263
DOI: 10.1007/s10519-023-10136-z -
PloS One 2023Although genetics is known to have a role in sickness absences (SA), disability pensions (DP) and in their mutual associations, the empirical knowledge is scarce on not...
Although genetics is known to have a role in sickness absences (SA), disability pensions (DP) and in their mutual associations, the empirical knowledge is scarce on not having these interruptions, i.e., sustainable working life. Hence, we aimed to investigate how genetic and environmental factors affect individual variation in sustainable working life in short-term (two consecutive years) and in long-term (22 years of follow-up) using the classical twin modeling based on different genetic relatedness of mono- and dizygotic twins. The final sample (n = 51 071) included Swedish same-sex twins with known zygosity born between 1930 and 1990 (53% women) with complete national register data of employment, SA, DP, unemployment, old-age pension, emigration, and death. For the short-term sustainable working life, genetic factors explained 36% (95% confidence intervals (CI) 31-41%), environmental factors shared by co-twins such as family background 8% (95% CI 5-14%) and environmental factors unique to each twin individual 56% (95% CI 56-56%) on the individual differences. For the long-term sustainable working life, the largest proportions on individual differences were explained by environmental factors shared by co-twins (46%, 95% CI 44-48%) and unique to each twin individual (37% 95% CI 36-38%) whereas a small proportion was explained by genetic factors (18%, 95%CI 14-22%). To conclude, short-term sustainable working life was explained to a large extent by unique environment and to lesser extent by genetic factors whereas long-term (22 years) sustainable working life had both moderate unique and common environmental effect, and to lower extent genetic effects contributing to individual differences. These findings suggest that sustainable working life have different short- and long-term predictors.
Topics: Humans; Female; Male; Cohort Studies; Sweden; Individuality; Sick Leave; Twins, Dizygotic; Pensions
PubMed: 37498854
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289074 -
Molecular Autism 2018EU-AIMS is the largest European research program aiming to identify stratification biomarkers and novel interventions for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Within the...
EU-AIMS is the largest European research program aiming to identify stratification biomarkers and novel interventions for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Within the program, the Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP) has recruited and comprehensively phenotyped a rare sample of 76 monozygotic and dizygotic twins, discordant, or concordant for ASD plus 30 typically developing twins. The aim of this letter is to complete previous descriptions of the LEAP case-control sample, clinically characterize, and investigate the suitability of the sample for ASD twin-control analyses purposes and share some 'lessons learnt.' Among the twins, a diagnosis of ASD is associated with increased symptom levels of ADHD, higher rates of intellectual disability, and lower family income. For the future, we conclude that the LEAP twin cohort offers multiple options for analyses of genetic and shared and non-shared environmental factors to generate new hypotheses for the larger cohort of LEAP singletons, but particularly cross-validate and refine evidence from it.
Topics: Adolescent; Autistic Disorder; Child; Cohort Studies; Europe; Female; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Phenotype; Twins, Dizygotic; Twins, Monozygotic
PubMed: 29682271
DOI: 10.1186/s13229-018-0212-x -
Behavior Genetics May 2017Creativity is the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities. Following a study on the genetic contribution to working in a creative...
Creativity is the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities. Following a study on the genetic contribution to working in a creative profession, based on polygenic score analysis, we report the total heritability of this trait in a large sample of adult twins and their siblings registered with the Netherlands Twin Register. Data from 6755 twins and 1817 siblings were analyzed using genetic structural equation modeling. Working in a creative profession is relatively rare in our sample (2.6% of twins and 3.2% of siblings). Twin correlations (identical 0.68 and fraternal 0.40) commended a model with additive genetic factors (full model estimate 0.56), shared (full model estimate 0.12), and unique environmental factors (full model estimate 0.32). Genetic model fitting resulted in a best-fitting model existing of additive genetic factors and unique environmental factors, resulting in a heritability of 0.70.
Topics: Adult; Creativity; Female; Humans; Male; Models, Genetic; Netherlands; Twins, Dizygotic; Twins, Monozygotic
PubMed: 27981394
DOI: 10.1007/s10519-016-9832-0