Genetic and environmental influences on obsessive–compulsive behaviour across development: a longitudinal twin study

BackgroundLittle is known about the factors influencing the stability of obsessive–compulsive behaviour (OCB) from childhood to adolescence. The current study aimed to investigate: (1) the stability of paediatric OCB over a 12-year period; (2) the extent to which genetic and environmental factors influence stability; and (3) the extent to which these influences are stable or dynamic across development.MethodThe sample included 14 743 twins from a population-based study. Parental ratings of severity of OCB were collected at ages 4, 7, 9 and 16 years.ResultsOCB was found to be moderately stable over time. The genetic influence on OCB at each age was moderate, with significant effects also of non-shared environment. Genetic factors exerted a substantial influence on OCB persistence, explaining 59–80% of the stability over time. The results indicated genetic continuity, whereby genetic influences at each age continue to affect the expression of OCB at subsequent ages. However, we also found evidence for genetic attenuation in that genetic influences at one age decline in their influence over time, and genetic innovation whereby new genes ‘come on line’ at each age. Non-shared environment influenced stability of OCB to a lesser extent and effects were largely unique to each age and displayed negligible influences on OCB at later time points.ConclusionsOCB appears to be moderately stable across development, and stability is largely driven by genetic factors. However, the genetic effects are not entirely constant, but rather the genetic influence on OCB appears to be a developmentally dynamic process.

Download Full-text

Genetic Factors Underlie Stability of Obsessive–Compulsive Symptoms

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1375/twin.12.5.411 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 411-419 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Daniël S. van Grootheest ◽

Daniëlle Cath ◽

Jouke Jan Hottenga ◽

Aartjan T. Beekman ◽

Dorret I. Boomsma

Keyword(s):

Genetic Factors ◽

Adult Population ◽

Genetic Correlations ◽

Population Based ◽

Self Report ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms ◽

Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽

The Stability ◽

Time Point

AbstractThe contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the stability of obsessive–compulsive (OC) symptoms has not yet been established in adult population based samples. We obtained the Young Adult Self Report Obsessive–Compulsive Subscale in mono- and dizygotic twins from the population-based Netherlands Twin Register in 1991, 1995 and 1997 and the Padua Inventory Revised Abbreviated in 2002. Stability of OC symptoms was analyzed as a function of genetic and environmental components. Heritability of OC behavior was around 40% at each time-point, independent of the instrument used. OC behavior was moderately stable with correlations ranging between r = .2 (for 11-year intervals), .4 (for 4–5 year intervals) and .6 (for 2 year intervals). Genetic correlations across time were higher, varying between .4 and .9, indicating that the stability of OC symptoms is mainly due to stable genetic factors. This study showed a moderate heritability and stability for OC behavior in adults. Genetic stability across time is high.

Download Full-text

Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Stability in Adult Obsessive Compulsive Behavior

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1017/thg.2014.77 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 52-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Nuno R. Zilhão ◽

Dirk J. A. Smit ◽

Anouk den Braber ◽

Conor V. Dolan ◽

Gonneke Willemsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Adult Population ◽

Gene Interaction ◽

Population Based ◽

Genetic Effects ◽

Phenotypic Correlation ◽

Shared Environment ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Genes And Environment ◽

The Stability

This study investigates the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the stability of obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms in an adult population-based sample. We collected data from twin pairs and their siblings, using the Padua Inventory Revised Abbreviated, from the population-based Netherlands Twin Register (NTR) in 2002 (n = 10.134) and 2008 (n = 15.720). Multivariate twin analyses were used to estimate the stability of OC symptoms as a function of genetic and environmental components. OC symptoms were found to be highly stable, with a longitudinal phenotypic correlation of 0.63. Longitudinal broad sense heritability was found to be 56.0%. Longitudinal correlations for genetic (r = 0.58 for additive, r = 1 for non-additive genetic factors) and non-shared environment (r = 0.46) reflected stable effects, indicating that both genes and environment are influencing the stability of OC symptoms in adults. For the first time, evidence is reported for non-additive genetic effects on the stability of OC symptoms. In conclusion, this study showed that OC symptoms are highly stable across time in adults, and that genetic effects contribute mostly to this stability, both in an additive and non-additive way, besides non-shared environmental factors. These data are informative with respect to adult sample selection for future genetic studies, and suggest that gene–gene interaction studies are needed to further understand the dominance effect found in this study.

Download Full-text

Heritability of Longitudinal Measures of Body Mass Index and Lipid and Lipoprotein Levels in Aging Twins

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1375/twin.10.5.703 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 703-711 ◽

Cited By ~ 52

Author(s):

Ellen L. Goode ◽

Stacey S. Cherny ◽

Joe C. Christian ◽

Gail P. Jarvik ◽

Mariza de Andrade

Keyword(s):

Body Mass Index ◽

Body Mass ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Lipoprotein Cholesterol ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Shared Environment ◽

Significant Contributor ◽

Age Related ◽

Over Time

AbstractBody-mass index (BMI), total cholesterol (TC), lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) levels are known to be highly heritable. We evaluated the genetic and environmental relationships of these measures over time in an analysis of twin pairs. Monozygotic (235 pairs) and dizygotic (260 pairs) male twins were participants in the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Veteran Twin Study, and were followed with three clinical exams from mean age 48 years to mean age 63 years. Structural equation modeling (SEM) with adjustment forAPOEgenotype (a significant contributor to TC and LDL-C) was used to assess longitudinal patterns of heritability. Results indicated a contribution of genetic factors to BMI, TC, LDL-C, HLD-C, and TG. Modest increases over time were observed in the heritability of BMI (from 0.48 to 0.61), TC (from 0.46 to 0.57), LDL-C (from 0.49 to 0.64), and HDL-C (from 0.50 to 0.62), but this trend was not present for TG. There was a corresponding decrease in shared environmental influences over time for these traits, although shared environment was a significant contributor only for HDL-C. Moreover, we observed that genetic influences for all measures were significantly correlated over time, and we found no evidence of age-specific genetic effects. In summary, longitudinal analyses of twin data indicate that genetic factors do not account for a significant proportion of the variation in age-related changes of BMI or lipid and lipoprotein levels.

Download Full-text

Genetic amplification and the individualization of the parent–child relationship across adolescence

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291712001201 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 43 (2) ◽

pp. 413-422 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

S. Ludeke ◽

W. Johnson ◽

M. McGue ◽

W. G. Iacono

Keyword(s):

Criminal Behavior ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Freedom Of Expression ◽

Genetic Influence ◽

Self Report ◽

Parent Child Relationship ◽

Psychological Traits ◽

Child Relationship ◽

Over Time ◽

Parent Child

BackgroundMany psychological traits become increasingly influenced by genetic factors throughout development, including several that might intuitively be seen as purely environmental characteristics. One such trait is the parent–child relationship, which is associated with a variety of socially significant outcomes, including mental health and criminal behavior. Genetic factors have been shown to partially underlie some of these associations, but the changing role of genetic influence over time remains poorly understood.MethodOver 1000 participants in a longitudinal twin study were assessed at three points across adolescence with a self-report measure regarding the levels of warmth and conflict in their relationships with their parents. These reports were analyzed with a biometric growth curve model to identify changes in genetic and environmental influences over time.ResultsGenetic influence on the child-reported relationship with parent increased throughout adolescence, while the relationship's quality deteriorated. The increase in genetic influence resulted primarily from a positive association between genetic factors responsible for the initial relationship and those involved in change in the relationship over time. By contrast, environmental factors relating to change were negatively related to those involved in the initial relationship.ConclusionsThe increasing genetic influence seems to be due to early genetic influences having greater freedom of expression over time whereas environmental circumstances were decreasingly important to variance in the parent–child relationship. We infer that the parent–child relationship may become increasingly influenced by the particular characteristics of the child (many of which are genetically influenced), gradually displacing the effects of parental or societal ideas of child rearing.

Download Full-text

Genetic Underpinnings of Transformational Leadership

Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies ◽

10.1177/1548051811404891 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 469-479 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Sankalp Chaturvedi ◽

Richard D. Arvey ◽

Zhen Zhang ◽

Paraskevi T. Christoforou

Keyword(s):

Transformational Leadership ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Genetic Influence ◽

Negative Emotionality ◽

Total Variance ◽

Genetic Influences ◽

Positive Emotionality ◽

Twin Registry ◽

Dispositional Hope

In this study, the authors investigate the extent to which dispositional hope mediates genetic influences on transformational leadership. Based on a sample of female twins (214 identical and 178 fraternal) from the Minnesota Twin Registry, results indicated that 53% of the variance in hope and 49% of the variance in transformational leadership were accounted for by genetic factors. After controlling for positive emotionality and negative emotionality, it was found that the genetic influence on transformational leadership was mediated by dispositional hope with the overlapping genetic factors explaining 20.8% of the total variance in transformational leadership.

Download Full-text

Young Netherlands Twin Register (Y-NTR): A Longitudinal Multiple Informant Study of Problem Behavior

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1375/twin.10.1.3 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 3-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 92

Author(s):

Meike Bartels ◽

C. E. M. (Toos) van Beijsterveldt ◽

Eske M. Derks ◽

Therese M. Stroet ◽

Tinca J. C. Polderman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Environmental Influences ◽

Attention Problems ◽

Internalizing Behavior ◽

Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽

Genetic Influences ◽

Shared Environment ◽

Rater Bias

AbstractThe Netherlands Twin Register (NTR) was established around 1987 at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The current article summarizes the longitudinal genetic analyses of maternal and paternal ratings of twins' behavior as a function of the sex of the children for the traits of aggression (AGG), attention problems (AP), anxious/depression (ANX), internalizing behavior (INT) and externalizing behavior (EXT). We found that genetic influences are the most important factor in explaining individual differences in these traits. For most phenotypes, influences of genetic factors fluctuate throughout development, with the exception of AP, for which genetic influences remain of similar magnitude. Changes in genetic influences parallel those in shared environmental influences, while nonshared environmental influences remain relatively constant. Around 10% to 20% of the variance is accounted for by parent-specific shared environment, which includes rater bias. For all phenotypes, stability throughout childhood is accounted for by genetic and shared environmental factors, while nonshared environmental influences are mainly age/measurement specific. About 15% of the phenotypic stability is accounted for by rater-specific shared environmental influences, which include rater bias. In conclusion, between ages 3 and 12 genetic factors are the most important cause of individual differences in emotional and behavioral problems.

Download Full-text

Genetic Influences on Hallux Valgus in Koreans: The Healthy Twin Study

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1017/thg.2014.10 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 121-126 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Chang-Hyung Lee ◽

Sooji Lee ◽

HyoJeong Kang ◽

Da-Eun Jung ◽

Yun-Mi Song ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hallux Valgus ◽

Twin Study ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Weight Bearing ◽

Monozygotic Twin ◽

Population Based ◽

Genetic Influences ◽

Relative Importance ◽

Radiographic Assessment ◽

Anterior Posterior

Hallux valgus (HV) is a common foot deformity of multifactorial etiology, but knowledge about the relative importance of genetics and environments on HV has been limited. In order to estimate genetic influences on HV, 1,265 adults, including 175 monozygotic twin (MZ) pairs, 31 dizygotic twin (DZ) pairs, and 853 first-degree singleton family members of the twins were included from the Healthy Twin study, a population-based twin-family cohort in Korea. All participants underwent foot examination and weight-bearing radiographic assessment (anterior-posterior and lateral) in addition to a general health survey. Of the subjects, 208 (16.4%) were classified as HV (as HV angle >20°). The genetic influence on HV was estimated to be substantial; the heritability of HV was 0.51 (95% CI 0.42–0.59) and the heritability of HV angle was 0.47 (0.38–0.56), while contributions from shared environmental effects were negligible. These findings suggest that genetic factors play an important role in determining HV deformity.

Download Full-text

The genetic etiology of longitudinal measures of predicted brain ageing in a population-based sample of mid to late-age males

10.1101/2021.08.04.455143 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nathan A Gillespie ◽

Sean N Hatton ◽

Donald H Hagler ◽

Anders M Dale ◽

Jeremy A Elman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Twin Study ◽

Population Based ◽

Genetic Influences ◽

Genetic Etiology ◽

Genetic Heritability ◽

Brain Ageing ◽

Vietnam Era ◽

Highly Correlated ◽

Changes Over Time ◽

Over Time

Despite their increasing application, the genetic and environmental etiology of global predicted brain ageing (PBA) indices is unknown. Likewise, the degree to which genetic influences in PBA are longitudinally stable and how PBA changes over time are also unknown. We analyzed data from 734 men from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging with repeated MRI assessments between the ages 52 to 72 years. Biometrical genetic analyses revealed significant and highly correlated estimates of additive genetic heritability ranging from 59% to 75%. Multivariate longitudinal modelling revealed that covariation between PBA at different timepoints could be explained by a single latent factor with 73% heritability. Our results suggest that genetic influences on PBA are detectable in midlife or earlier, are longitudinally very stable, and are largely explained by common genetic influences.

Download Full-text

Image-based analysis and long-term clinical outcomes of deep brain stimulation for Tourette syndrome: a multisite study

Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry ◽

10.1136/jnnp-2019-320379 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 90 (10) ◽

pp. 1078-1090 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Kara A Johnson ◽

P Thomas Fletcher ◽

Domenico Servello ◽

Alberto Bona ◽

Mauro Porta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Deep Brain Stimulation ◽

Tourette Syndrome ◽

Brain Stimulation ◽

Internal Capsule ◽

Large Cohort ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Behaviour ◽

Clinical Responses ◽

Over Time ◽

Deep Brain

BackgroundDeep brain stimulation (DBS) can be an effective therapy for tics and comorbidities in select cases of severe, treatment-refractory Tourette syndrome (TS). Clinical responses remain variable across patients, which may be attributed to differences in the location of the neuroanatomical regions being stimulated. We evaluated active contact locations and regions of stimulation across a large cohort of patients with TS in an effort to guide future targeting.MethodsWe collected retrospective clinical data and imaging from 13 international sites on 123 patients. We assessed the effects of DBS over time in 110 patients who were implanted in the centromedial (CM) thalamus (n=51), globus pallidus internus (GPi) (n=47), nucleus accumbens/anterior limb of the internal capsule (n=4) or a combination of targets (n=8). Contact locations (n=70 patients) and volumes of tissue activated (n=63 patients) were coregistered to create probabilistic stimulation atlases.ResultsTics and obsessive–compulsive behaviour (OCB) significantly improved over time (p<0.01), and there were no significant differences across brain targets (p>0.05). The median time was 13 months to reach a 40% improvement in tics, and there were no significant differences across targets (p=0.84), presence of OCB (p=0.09) or age at implantation (p=0.08). Active contacts were generally clustered near the target nuclei, with some variability that may reflect differences in targeting protocols, lead models and contact configurations. There were regions within and surrounding GPi and CM thalamus that improved tics for some patients but were ineffective for others. Regions within, superior or medial to GPi were associated with a greater improvement in OCB than regions inferior to GPi.ConclusionThe results collectively indicate that DBS may improve tics and OCB, the effects may develop over several months, and stimulation locations relative to structural anatomy alone may not predict response. This study was the first to visualise and evaluate the regions of stimulation across a large cohort of patients with TS to generate new hypotheses about potential targets for improving tics and comorbidities.

Download Full-text

A longitudinal behavioral genetic analysis of the etiology of aggressive and nonaggressive antisocial behavior

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s095457940300021x ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 383-402 ◽

Cited By ~ 127

Author(s):

THALIA C. ELEY ◽

PAUL LICHTENSTEIN ◽

TERRIE E. MOFFITT

Keyword(s):

Genetic Analysis ◽

Antisocial Behavior ◽

Genetic Stability ◽

Genetic Influences ◽

Shared Environment ◽

Threshold Models ◽

Developmental Studies ◽

Heritable Trait ◽

High Heritability ◽

Over Time

Developmental studies of antisocial behavior (ASB) have found two subgroups of behaviors, roughly described as aggressive and nonaggressive ASB. Theoretical accounts predict that aggressive ASB, which shows greater stability, should have high heritability. In contrast, nonaggressive ASB is very common in adolescence, shows less continuity, and should be influenced both by genes and shared environment. This study explored the genetic and environmental influences on aggressive and nonaggressive ASB in over 1,000 twin pairs aged 8–9 years and again at 13–14 years. Threshold models were fit to the data to incorporate the skew. In childhood, aggressive ASB was highly heritable and showed little influence of shared environment, whereas nonaggressive ASB was significantly influenced both by genes and shared environment. In adolescence, both variables were influenced both by genes and shared environment. The continuity in aggressive antisocial behavior symptoms from childhood to adolescence was largely mediated by genetic influences, whereas continuity in nonaggressive antisocial behavior was mediated both by the shared environment and genetic influences. These data are in agreement with the hypothesis that aggressive ASB is a stable heritable trait as compared to nonaggressive behavior, which is more strongly influenced by the environment and shows less genetic stability over time.

Download Full-text