scholarly journals The Babytwins Study Sweden (BATSS): A Multi-Method Infant Twin Study of Genetic and Environmental Factors Influencing Infant Brain and Behavioral Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 217-227
Author(s):  
Terje Falck-Ytter ◽  
Linnea Hamrefors ◽  
Monica Siqueiros Sanches ◽  
Ana Maria Portugal ◽  
Mark Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
Phenotypic Trait ◽  
Twin Design ◽  
Developmental Neuroscience ◽  
Genes And Environment ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Longitudinal Twin Study

AbstractTwin studies can help us understand the relative contributions of genes and environment to phenotypic trait variation, including attentional and brain activation measures. In terms of applying methodologies such as electroencephalography (EEG) and eye tracking, which are key methods in developmental neuroscience, infant twin studies are almost nonexistent. Here, we describe the Babytwins Study Sweden (BATSS), a multi-method longitudinal twin study of 177 MZ and 134 DZ twin pairs (i.e., 622 individual infants) covering the 5−36 month time period. The study includes EEG, eye tracking and genetics, together with more traditional measures based on in-person testing, direct observation and questionnaires. The results show that interest in participation in research among twin parents is high, despite the comprehensive protocol. DNA analysis from saliva samples was possible in virtually all participants, allowing for both zygosity confirmation and polygenic score analyses. Combining a longitudinal twin design with advanced technologies in developmental cognitive neuroscience and genomics, BATSS represents a new approach in infancy research, which we hope to have impact across multiple disciplines in the coming years.

scholarly journals Babytwins Study Sweden (BATSS): A multi-method infant twin study of genetic and environmental factors influencing infant brain and behavioral development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terje Falck-Ytter ◽  
Linnea Hamrefors ◽  
Monica Siqueiros Sanchez ◽  
Ana Maria Portugal ◽  
Mark Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
Phenotypic Trait ◽  
Twin Design ◽  
Developmental Neuroscience ◽  
Genes And Environment ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Longitudinal Twin Study

ABSTRACTTwin studies can help us understand the relative contributions of genes and environment to phenotypic trait variation including attentional and brain activation measures. In terms of applying methodologies like electroencephalography (EEG) and eye tracking, which are key methods in developmental neuroscience, infant twin studies are almost non-existent. Here we describe the Babytwins Study Sweden (BATSS), a multi-method longitudinal twin study of 177 MZ and 134 DZ twin pairs (i.e. 622 individual infants) covering the 5 - 36 month time period. The study includes EEG, eye tracking and genetics, together with more traditional measures based on in-person testing, direct observation and questionnaires. The results show that interest in participation in research among twin parents is high, despite the comprehensive protocol. DNA analysis from saliva samples was possible in virtually all participants, allowing for both zygosity confirmation and polygenic score analyses. Combining a longitudinal twin design with advanced technologies in developmental cognitive neuroscience and genomics, BATSS represents a new approach in infancy research, which we hope to have impact across multiple disciplines in the coming years.

scholarly journals Protocol for a longitudinal twin birth cohort study to unravel the complex interplay between early-life environmental and genetic risk factors in health and disease: the Chongqing Longitudinal Twin Study (LoTiS)

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e017889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Tong ◽  
Li Wen ◽  
Yinyin Xia ◽  
Pamela Leong ◽  
Lan Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
Birth Cohort Study ◽  
Clinical Trial Registry ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Intermediate Phenotypes ◽  
Genes And Environment ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Longitudinal Twin Study

IntroductionNon-communicable diseases (NCD) now represent the major burden of adverse health in most countries. It is clear that much of the risk of such conditions begins very early in life, potentially in utero. Given their complex aetiology, an understanding of the origins of NCD requires an in-depth analysis of the interplay between genetic variation and environment, preferably over time. For decades, twin studies have played a key role in understanding such traits. Their strength lies in the ability to disentangle genetic and environmental factors that contribute to a phenotype. This is done by comparing genetically identical monozygotic (MZ) with dizygotic twins, who share on average 50% of genetic variation, or by comparing MZ twins within a pair. This study aims to determine the relative contributions of genes and environment to early-onset intermediate phenotypes related to later adult onset disease (such as growth and neurodevelopment) and to identify specific biomarkers and time points for emergence of phenotypes from infancy, largely independent of underlying genetic factors.Methods/designThe Chongqing Longitudinal Twin Study (LoTiS) will recruit 300 women pregnant with twins, enriched for MZ pregnancies, with follow-up to 3 years of age. Data collection will be undertaken at key time points in gestation (×3), at delivery and postnatally (×9). Maternal and infant biospecimens including blood, urine, hair, nails and buccal swabs along with measures such as fetal scans and body measurements will be collected. Additional information from questionnaires and medical records includes pregnancy, diet, sociodemographics, maternal stress, and infant growth and neurodevelopment.Ethics and disseminationThis study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Chongqing Medical University (record no: 201530) and has been registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (registry no: ChiCTR-OOC-16008203). Results of the recruitment and all subsequent analyses will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberChiCTR-OOC-16008203; Results.

A Registry of Adult African American Twins: The Carolina African American Twin Study of Aging

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 476-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith E. Whitfield
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
African American ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
Forced Expiratory Volume ◽  
Major Objective ◽  
Twin Design ◽  
Public Records ◽  
Birth Records

Twin studies have seldom addressed ethnicity as one of the possible factors that create unique combinations of genetic and environmental influences. The major objective of the Carolina African American Twin Study of Aging is to identify the proportion of the genetic and environmental sources of individual variation in measures of health and behavioral factors in a sample of adult African Americans. Drawn from birth records from the State of North Carolina, this in-person study used public records to identify a cohort of twins between 22 and 92 years of age (X = 49.82 yrs, SD = 14.62), 39.7% of which were men. Members of non-intact twin pairs and siblings were also recruited to explore alternative models to the classic twin design. To date, the project has contributed to knowledge about blood pressure, forced expiratory volume, chronic illness, body mass index, and waist-hip ratio memory, personality, social, and demographic factors, mortality, and mental health.

Two Cohort and Three Independent Anonymous Twin Projects at the Keio Twin Research Center (KoTReC)

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 202-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juko Ando ◽  
Keiko K. Fujisawa ◽  
Chizuru Shikishima ◽  
Kai Hiraishi ◽  
Mari Nozaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
Research Center ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Twin Research ◽  
Genes And Environment

The Keio Twin Research Center has conducted two longitudinal twin cohort projects and has collected three independent and anonymous twin data sets for studies of phenotypes related to psychological, socio-economic, and mental health factors. The Keio Twin Study has examined adolescent and adult cohorts, with a total of over 2,400 pairs of twins and their parents. DNA samples are available for approximately 600 of these twin pairs. The Tokyo Twin Cohort Project has followed a total of 1,600 twin pairs from infancy to early childhood. The large-scale cross-sectional twin study (CROSS) has collected data from over 4,000 twin pairs, from 3 to 26 years of age, and from two high school twin cohorts containing a total of 1,000 pairs of twins. These data sets of anonymous twin studies have mainly targeted academic performance, attitude, and social environment. The present article introduces the research designs and major findings of our center, such as genetic structures of cognitive abilities, personality traits, and academic performances, developmental effects of genes and environment on attitude, socio-cognitive ability and parenting, genes x environment interaction on attitude and conduct problem, and statistical methodological challenges and so on. We discuss the challenges in conducting twin research in Japan.

scholarly journals Twin Research in the Post-Genomic Era: Dissecting the Pathophysiological Effects of Adversity and the Social Environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Turner ◽  
Conchita D’Ambrosio ◽  
Claus Vögele ◽  
Martin Diewald
Keyword(s):  
Social Environment ◽  
Study Design ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
Twin Design ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Randomised Controlled

The role of twins in research is evolving as we move further into the post-genomic era. With the re-definition of what a gene is, it is becoming clear that biological family members who share a specific genetic variant may well not have a similar risk for future disease. This has somewhat invalidated the prior rationale for twin studies. Case co-twin study designs, however, are slowly emerging as the ideal tool to identify both environmentally induced epigenetic marks and epigenetic disease-associated processes. Here, we propose that twin lives are not as identical as commonly assumed and that the case co-twin study design can be used to investigate the effects of the adult social environment. We present the elements in the (social) environment that are likely to affect the epigenome and measures in which twins may diverge. Using data from the German TwinLife registry, we confirm divergence in both the events that occur and the salience for the individual start as early as age 11. Case co-twin studies allow for the exploitation of these divergences, permitting the investigation of the role of not only the adult social environment, but also the salience of an event or environment for the individual, in determining lifelong health trajectories. In cases like social adversity where it is clearly not possible to perform a randomised-controlled trial, we propose that the case co-twin study design is the most rigorous manner with which to investigate epigenetic mechanisms encoding environmental exposure. The role of the case co-twin design will continue to evolve, as we argue that it will permit causal inference from observational data.

scholarly journals The Southern California Twin Register at the University of Southern California: III

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 336-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Baker ◽  
Catherine Tuvblad ◽  
Pan Wang ◽  
Karina Gomez ◽  
Serena Bezdjian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adulthood ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
University Of Southern California ◽  
Participation Rates ◽  
Externalizing Psychopathology ◽  
Longitudinal Twin Study ◽  
Behavior Characteristics ◽  
The University

The Southern California Twin Register at the University of Southern California (USC) was initiated in 1984 and continues to provide an important resource for studies investigating genetic and environmental influences on human behavior. This article provides an update on the current register and its potential for future twin studies using recruitment through school district databases and voter records. An overview is also provided for an ongoing longitudinal twin study investigating the development of externalizing psychopathology from childhood to young adulthood, the USC Study of Risk Factors for Antisocial Behavior. Characteristics of the twins and their families are presented, including recruitment and participation rates, as well as attrition analyses and a summary of key findings to date.

Genetic and Environmental Architecture of Five Factor Model and Super-Factors: An Italian Twin Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella Gigantesco ◽  
Corrado Fagnani ◽  
Guido Alessandri ◽  
Enrica Carluccio ◽  
Maria Antonietta Stazi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Big Five ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Five Factor Model ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Twin Design ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Genes And Environment

Abstract No previous research explored the genetic and environmental structure of Big Five dimensions of personality and higher-order factors in a single twin study, except, in part, for just one study. We used the twin design to estimate the effects of genes and environment on both Five Factor model and related second- and third-order factors (i.e., Alpha [stability], Beta [plasticity], and GFP [general factor of personality]). We analyzed data from 314 adult twins (157 pairs: 83 monozygotic, 74 dizygotic; mean age: 52 years) enrolled in the Italian Twin Register. Participants underwent clinical and instrumental evaluations, and completed a 25-adjective list drawn from the Short Adjectives Checklist to Measure Big Five (SACBIF). We applied quantitative genetic models to unravel the sources of variation and covariation for the Big Five and higher-order factors. We found a similar etiological architecture across the different levels of analysis, with moderate to substantial non-additive genetic and unique environmental influences on all the personality traits, and no shared environmental contribution for any of them. We also detected significant genetic correlations for the Big Five dimensions and the Alpha and Beta super-factors. With some limitations, our results suggest that the etiological architecture of personality may be invariant to the factor level of analysis.

scholarly journals Genetic and Environmental Factors in Invasive Cervical Cancer: Design and Methods of a Classical Twin Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy A. Machalek ◽  
John D. Wark ◽  
Sepehr N. Tabrizi ◽  
John L. Hopper ◽  
Minh Bui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Cancer Genetics ◽  
Invasive Cervical Cancer ◽  
Hpv Infection ◽  
Twin Design ◽  
Pap Screening ◽  
History Of ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors

Background:Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a necessary prerequisite for development of cervical cancer and its precursor lesion, high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL). However, HPV infection is not sufficient to drive this process, and genetic and environmental factors may also play a role.Methods/Design:The Cervical Cancer, Genetics and Environment Twin Study was established to investigate the environmental and genetic influences on variation in susceptibility to cervical pre-cancer in 25- to 69-year-old monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins recruited through the Australian Twin Registry. Reviews of Papanicolaou (Pap) screening histories were undertaken to identify individual women with a history of an abnormal Pap test. This was followed by detection of HPV in archival Pap smears of selected twin pairs to determine HPV persistence. Selected twin pairs also completed a detailed questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristics, sexual behavior, and HPV knowledge. In future analyses, under the assumptions of the classical twin design, case-wise concordance for persistent HPV infection and HSIL will be calculated for MZ and DZ twin pairs, and twin pairs (both MZ and DZ) who are discordant for the above outcomes will be used to assess the contributions of measured environmental risk factors.Discussion:The study examines factors related to HPV persistence and development of HSIL among female MZ and DZ twins. The results will contribute to our understanding of the natural history of cervical HPV infection and the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors in disease progression.

scholarly journals Workshop: Twins: a powerful study design to examine the role of genetics and environment for work incapacity

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Sick Leave ◽  
Disability Pension ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Twin Design ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors

Abstract Twin design is an important tool to analyze the role of genetic and environmental factors, and to better understand causal mechanisms in public health research. Twin studies have reliably shown that genetic factors are important not only for physiological traits but also for psychological and health behavioral traits as well as for health-related work incapacity in terms of sick leave and disability pension. As many countries face an aging workforce, it is becoming ever more important to understand the underlying causes of work incapacity across the entire working life. In the past decade, twin data in combination with national register data have been used to deepen our understanding of the role of genetic and environmental influences on the complex processes of sick leave and disability pension. The aim of this workshop is to present and discuss methods and results of studies based on the large Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian twin cohorts. Linear structural equations are intensively utilized in modern methods of twin studies. A variety of models are available to answer different research questions, such as the dynamics behind associations between traits and developmental processes in longitudinal designs - models also applicable in health at work and social security. Further, analyzing twin pairs discordant for an outcome or risk factor (co-twin control) provides a unique possibility to control for familial (genetic and shared environmental) factors, since cases and controls are matched optimally being twins. Findings based on twin cohorts suggest that familial factors are relevant to many risk factors as well as for work incapacity. By controlling for these unobserved confounding factors, the co-twin control design may provide more accurate estimates of risk factors for work incapacity and complement the epidemiological findings of unrelated subjects. Based on population-based twin cohort studies with long follow-up, indications also exist that familial confounding may have different roles in the associations between risk factors and work incapacity. For example, in regard to various disability pension diagnosis groups and depending on study designs (one vs. two time points, longer vs. shorter follow-up etc.). Results from prospective studies on various risk factors, including adolescents’ mental health problems, for future sick leave and disability pension will be presented. Another presentation focuses on the stability and change in genetic and environmental factors influencing work incapacity from age 18 until retirement and the likelihood of causality between educational attainment, lifestyle and work incapacity. Finally, results on adverse outcomes of sick leave due to mental disorders using an open cohort design adjusting for familial factors will be presented. During the time of rapid development in molecular genetics, the twin study design has maintained its importance and will continue to cast light on different aspects of work incapacity. Key messages Twin design offers a unique tool in public health research to examine and control for familial (genetic and shared environmental) factors. Genetic factors seem to play an important role in understanding the complex causes of work incapacity in terms of sick leave and disability pension.

scholarly journals Genetic influences on brain activation and large-scale functional connectivity during nociceptive processing: a twin study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Granit Kastrati ◽  
Jorgen Rosen ◽  
William Hedley Thompson ◽  
Xu Chen ◽  
Henrik Larsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Genetic Influences ◽  
Twin Design ◽  
Midcingulate Cortex ◽  
Genes And Environment ◽  
Nociceptive Processing ◽  
Genetic Contributions

Nociceptive processing in the human brain is a signal that enables harm avoidance, with large interindividual variance. The relative contributions of genes and environment to the neural structures that support nociception have not been studied in twins previously. Here, we employed a classic twin-design to determine brain structures influenced by additive genetics. We found genetic influences on nociceptive processing in the midcingulate cortex, bilateral posterior insulae and thalamus. In addition to brain activations, we found genetic contributions to large-scale functional connectivity during nociceptive processing. We conclude that additive genetics influence specific aspects of nociceptive processing, which improves our understanding of human nociceptive processing.

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