Heritability of Gestational Weight Gain – A Swedish Register-Based Twin Study

Gestational weight gain (GWG) is a complex trait involving intrauterine environmental, maternal environmental, and genetic factors. However, the extent to which these factors contribute to the total variation in GWG is unclear. We therefore examined the genetic and environmental influences on the variation in GWG in the first and second pregnancy in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin mother-pairs. Further, we explored if any co-variance existed between factors influencing the variation in GWG of the mothers’ first and second pregnancies. By using Swedish nationwide record-linkage data, we identified 694 twin mother-pairs with complete data on their first pregnancy and 465 twin mother-pairs with complete data on their second pregnancy during 1982–2010. For a subanalysis, 143 twin mother-pairs had complete data on two consecutive pregnancies during the study period. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess the contribution of genetic, shared, and unique environmental factors to the variation in GWG. A bivariate Cholesky decomposition model was used for the subanalysis. We found that genetic factors explained 43% (95% CI: 36–51%) of the variation in GWG in the first pregnancy and 26% (95% CI: 16–36%) in the second pregnancy. The remaining variance was explained by unique environmental factors. Both overlapping and distinct genetic and unique environmental factors influenced GWG in the first and the second pregnancy. This study showed that GWG has a moderate heritability, suggesting that a large part of the variation in the trait can be explained by unique environmental factors.

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Genetic and Environmental Influences on the Handedness and Footedness in Japanese Twin Children

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1375/twin.8.6.649 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 649-656 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Syuichi Ooki

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Secondary School ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Genetic Effect ◽

Model Fit ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Genetic Contribution ◽

Japanese Education ◽

Twin Children

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine the genetic contribution to handedness and footedness in childhood using one of the largest available databases of Japanese twins. The participants were 1131 twin pairs, 1057 males and 1205 females, of 11 or 12 years of age (6th grade of secondary school in the Japanese education system). All data were gathered by questionnaire. The prevalence of left (nonright) handedness was 15% in males and 13% in females. The prevalence of left (nonright) footedness was 13% in males and 11% in females. The similarities between twin pairs, estimated by concordance rates and tetrachoric correlations, suggested a slight genetic effect on male handedness, no genetic effect on female handedness, and no genetic effect on footedness in either sex. Structural equation modeling showed small genetic factors (11%) in male handedness and no genetic factors in female handedness. As to footedness, no genetic factors were observed in either sex. The effects of nonshared environmental factors were large (85%) in males and moderate (44%) in females. Moreover, handedness and footedness tended to be concordant irrespective of sex, with polychoric correlations over r = .70. The results of bivariate genetic analyses were not necessarily satisfactory. For males, no model fit. For females, shared and nonshared environmental factors explained the concordance of handedness and footedness. It was concluded that the genetic effects on handedness and footedness are relatively small, as is their association; moreover, considerably large twin samples are needed to obtain stable and appropriate results.

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Genetic and environmental determination of tracking in static strength during adolescence

Journal of Applied Physiology ◽

10.1152/japplphysiol.00021.2005 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 99 (4) ◽

pp. 1317-1326 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Maarten W. Peeters ◽

Martine A. Thomis ◽

Hermine H. M. Maes ◽

Gaston P. Beunen ◽

Ruth J. F. Loos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Peak Height ◽

Static Strength ◽

Height Velocity ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Growth Spurt ◽

Peak Height Velocity ◽

Measurement Occasion

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the observed phenotypic stability in static strength during adolescence, as measured by interage correlations in arm pull, is mainly caused by genetic and/or environmental factors. Subjects were from the Leuven Longitudinal Twin Study ( n = 105 pairs, equally divided over 5 zygosity groups). Arm-pull data were aligned on age at peak height velocity to attenuate the temporal fluctuations in interage correlations caused by differences in timing of the adolescent growth spurt. Developmental genetic models were fitted using structural equation modeling. After the data were aligned on age at peak height velocity, the annual interage correlations conformed to a quasi-simplex structure over a 4-yr interval. The best-fitting models included additive genetic and unique environmental sources of variation. Additive genetic factors that already explained a significant amount of variation at previous measurement occasions explained 44.3 and 22.5% of the total variation at the last measurement occasion in boys and girls, respectively. Corresponding values for unique environmental sources of variance are 31.2 and 44.5%, respectively. In conclusion, the observed stability of static strength during adolescence is caused by both stable genetic influences and stable unique environmental influences in boys and girls. Additive genetic factors seem to be the most important source of stability in boys, whereas unique environmental factors appear to be more predominant in girls.

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Heritability of Type 2 Diabetes in the Washington State Twin Registry

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1017/thg.2019.11 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 95-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ally R. Avery ◽

Glen E. Duncan

Keyword(s):

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Washington State ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Twin Registry ◽

Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽

Adult Twins

AbstractApproximately 12% of U.S. adults have type 2 diabetes (T2D). Diagnosed T2D is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors including age and lifestyle. In adults 45 years and older, the Discordant Twin (DISCOTWIN) consortium of twin registries from Europe and Australia showed a moderate-to-high contribution of genetic factors of T2D with a pooled heritability of 72%. The purpose of this study was to investigate the contributions of genetic and environmental factors of T2D in twins 45 years and older in a U.S. twin cohort (Washington State Twin Registry, WSTR) and compare the estimates to the DISCOTWIN consortium. We also compared these estimates with twins under the age of 45. Data were obtained from 2692 monozygotic (MZ) and same-sex dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs over 45 and 4217 twin pairs under 45 who responded to the question ‘Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with (type 2) diabetes?’ Twin similarity was analyzed using both tetrachoric correlations and structural equation modeling. Overall, 9.4% of MZ and 14.7% of DZ twins over the age of 45 were discordant for T2D in the WSTR, compared to 5.1% of MZ and 8% of DZ twins in the DISCOTWIN consortium. Unlike the DISCOTWIN consortium in which heritability was 72%, heritability was only 52% in the WSTR. In twins under the age of 45, heritability did not contribute to the variance in T2D. In a U.S. sample of adult twins, environmental factors appear to be increasingly important in the development of T2D.

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Prepregnancy body mass index, gestational weight gain, and birth weight in the BRISA cohort

Revista de Saúde Pública ◽

10.11606/s1518-8787.2018052000125 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 52 ◽

pp. 46 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Raina Jansen Cutrim Propp Lima ◽

Rosângela Fernandes Lucena Batista ◽

Marizélia Rodrigues Costa Ribeiro ◽

Cecília Cláudia Costa Ribeiro ◽

Vanda Maria Ferreira Simões ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Mass Index ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Gestational Weight Gain ◽

Body Mass ◽

Indirect Effect ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Gestational Weight ◽

Positive Effect ◽

Weight Gain During Pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effects of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index and weight gain during pregnancy on the baby’s birth weight. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 5,024 mothers and their newborns using a Brazilian birth cohort study. In the proposed model, estimated by structural equation modeling, we tested socioeconomic status, age, marital status, pre-pregnancy body mass index, smoking habit and alcohol consumption during pregnancy, hypertension and gestational diabetes, gestational weight gain, and type of delivery as determinants of the baby’s birth weight. RESULTS: For a gain of 4 kg/m2 (1 Standard Deviation [SD]) in pre-pregnancy body mass index, there was a 0.126 SD increase in birth weight, corresponding to 68 grams (p < 0.001). A 6 kg increase (1 SD) in gestational weight gain represented a 0.280 SD increase in newborn weight, correponding to 151.2 grams (p < 0.001). The positive effect of pre-pregnancy body mass index on birth weight was direct (standardized coefficient [SC] = 0.202; p < 0.001), but the negative indirect effect was small (SC = -0.076, p < 0.001) and partially mediated by the lower weight gain during pregnancy (SC = -0.070, p < 0.001). The positive effect of weight gain during pregnany on birth weight was predominantly direct (SC = 0.269, p < 0.001), with a small indirect effect of cesarean delivery (SC = 0.011; p < 0.001). Women with a higher pre-pregnancy body mass index gained less weight during pregnancy (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The effect of gestational weight gain on the increase in birth weight was greater than that of pre-pregnancy body mass index.

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Religious Upbringing and Neuroticism in Dutch Twin Families

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1375/twin.10.2.327 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 327-333 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Gonneke Willemsen ◽

Dorret I. Boomsma

Keyword(s):

Structural Equation Modeling ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Environmental Influences ◽

Longitudinal Survey ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Men And Women ◽

Twin Families

AbstractEvidence for a relation between neuroticism and religion is scarce and inconsistent. The aims of the present study were to determine the association of religious upbringing with adult neuroticism scores and to examine the effect of religious upbringing on the heritability of neuroticism. As part of a longitudinal survey of twin families from the Netherlands Twin Register, data were collected on neuroticism and religious upbringing. Restricting the sample to persons aged 25 and over resulted in a sample of 4369 twins and 1304 siblings from 2698 families. Religious upbringing was significantly associated with neuroticism; in both men and women neuroticism levels were lower in those who had received a religious upbringing. There were no sex or twinsibling differences in neuroticism variances and covariances. Structural equation modeling showed differences in heritability between those with and without religious upbringing. In the group with religious upbringing, variation in neuroticism was determined for 41% by additive genetic factors and for the remaining 59% by unique environmental factors. In the group who had not received a religious upbringing, variation in neuroticism was determined for 55% by genetic factors, with evidence for both additive and nonadditive factors, and for the remaining 45% by unique environmental influences. In conclusion, having received a religious upbringing is associated with lower neuroticism scores and a lower heritability in adulthood.

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Associations Between Traumatic Stress, Brain Volumes and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Children: Data from the ABCD Study

Behavior Genetics ◽

10.1007/s10519-021-10092-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Bustamante ◽

Ananda B. Amstadter ◽

Joshua N. Pritikin ◽

Timothy R. Brick ◽

Michael C. Neale

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Traumatic Stress ◽

Indirect Effects ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Cerebral White Matter ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

Brain Volumes

AbstractReduced volumes in brain regions of interest (ROIs), primarily from adult samples, are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We extended this work to children using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study® (N = 11,848; Mage = 9.92). Structural equation modeling and an elastic-net (EN) machine-learning approach were used to identify potential effects of traumatic events (TEs) on PTSD symptoms (PTSDsx) directly, and indirectly via the volumes 300 subcortical and cortical ROIs. We then estimated the genetic and environmental variation in the phenotypes. TEs were directly associated with PTSDsx (r = 0.92) in children, but their indirect effects (r < 0.0004)—via the volumes of EN-identified subcortical and cortical ROIs—were negligible at this age. Additive genetic factors explained a modest proportion of the variance in TEs (23.4%) and PTSDsx (21.3%), and accounted for most of the variance of EN-identified volumes of four of the five subcortical (52.4–61.8%) three of the nine cortical ROIs (46.4–53.3%) and cerebral white matter in the left hemisphere (57.4%). Environmental factors explained most of the variance in TEs (C = 61.6%, E = 15.1%), PTSDsx (residual-C = 18.4%, residual-E = 21.8%), right lateral ventricle (C = 15.2%, E = 43.1%) and six of the nine EN-identified cortical ROIs (C = 4.0–13.6%, E = 56.7–74.8%). There is negligible evidence that the volumes of brain ROIs are associated with the indirect effects of TEs on PTSDsx at this age. Overall, environmental factors accounted for more of the variation in TEs and PTSDsx. Whereas additive genetic factors accounted for most of the variability in the volumes of a minority of cortical and in most of subcortical ROIs.

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Effects of prenatal exposure factors on birth outcomes through mediation of favorable fetal growth conditions using structural equation modeling

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0249664 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. e0249664

Author(s):

Aweke A. Mitku ◽

Temesgen Zewotir ◽

Delia North ◽

Prakash Jeena ◽

Rajen N. Naidoo

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Gestational Weight Gain ◽

Birth Outcomes ◽

Prenatal Exposure ◽

Fetal Growth ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Growth Conditions ◽

Gestational Weight

Background Birth weight, birth length, and gestational age are major indicators of newborn health. Several prenatal exposure factors influence the fetal environment. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of prenatal exposure factors, including socio-demographic, behavioural, dietary, physical activity, clinical and environmental on birth outcomes through the mediation of Favourable Fetal Growth Conditions (FFGC). Methods Data was obtained from six hundred and fifty-six Mother and Child in the Environment birth cohort study in Durban, South Africa from 2013 to 2017. We adopted structural equation models which evaluate the direct and indirect effects by allowing multiple simultaneous equations to incorporate confounding and mediation. Results A significant direct and indirect effect of FFGC on newborn weight, length, and gestational age was seen. Gestational weight gain and maternal body mass index in the first trimester exerted a mediation effect between maternal behavioural risk factors and FFGC. Similarly, the level of physical activity during pregnancy was associated with decreased gestational weight gain. The effects of maternal characteristics on newborn weight, length, and gestational age were largely indirect, operating through FFGC as a latent variable. Conclusions Gestational weight gain and maternal pre-gestational BMI were observed to mediate the association between prenatal behavioural risk factors and favourable fetal growth conditions. Trial registration Retrospectively registered from 01 March 2013.

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