scholarly journals Environmental Factors Determine Where the Dutch Live: Results From the Netherlands Twin Register

2005 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 312-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonneke Willemsen ◽  
Danielle Posthuma ◽  
Dorret I. Boomsma
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Model Fitting ◽  
Residential Area ◽  
Postal Code ◽  
Young Cohort ◽  
Dutch Population ◽  
Urbanization Level ◽  
Age Cohorts

AbstractThe heritability of the degree of residential area urbanization in twins and their siblings in the Dutch population was examined. The postal code was known for 6879 twins and 2724 siblings registered with the Netherlands Twin Register and born between 1940 and 1983. Using data from Statistics Netherlands (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, 2001), these postal codes could be related to residential area characteristics, including urbanization level. The degree of urbanization was assessed on a 5-point scale: very heavy, heavy, moderate, low and not urbanized. Genetic model-fitting was carried out in three age cohorts: young adults (born 1975 to 1983), adults (born 1965 to 1974) and older adults (born 1940 to1964). Twin and sibling resemblance in urbanization level was expressed in polychoric correlations. These correlations decreased from the youngest cohort (.66 to .86) to the oldest cohort (.20 to .58). In all 3 age cohorts, genetic factors did not contribute to familial resemblance. The influence of common environment decreased in importance from the young cohort (70% to 83%) to the old cohort (46% to 47%) and was lower in women than in men in all but the oldest age cohort. This study did not replicate Australian findings of a genetic contribution in the older cohorts; common environmental factors and, increasingly with age, unique environmental factors determine where the Dutch live. Future studies in European and other populations will reveal whether these results are specific to the Dutch population.

scholarly journals On the Etiology of Aesthetic Chills: a Behavioral Genetic Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Bignardi ◽  
Rebecca Chamberlain ◽  
Sofieke T Kevenaar ◽  
Zenab Tamimy ◽  
Dorret I Boomsma
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Genetic Study ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Physiological Factors ◽  
Somatic Marker ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
Sources Of Variation ◽  
Behavioral Genetic Study

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 14127 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 .36 ([.33, .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.

Genetic and Environmental Etiologies of Adolescent Dysfunctional Attitudes: A Twin Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Chen ◽  
Xinying Li
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Model Fitting ◽  
Dysfunctional Attitudes ◽  
Dysfunctional Attitude ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Adolescent Twins ◽  
Age Range

Despite the importance of dysfunctional attitudes in the development and maintenance of depression, little is known about the etiological origin of dysfunctional attitudes. The Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale for Children was administered to 674 adolescent twins derived from the Beijing Twin Study (BeTwiSt). Four hundred and thirty-nine monozygotic and 235 same-gender dizygotic twin pairs were included. Approximately 54% were females. The age range of the twins was 11–17 years. Model-fitting analyses were conducted. Biometric genetic model-fitting estimates indicated that additive genetic factors accounted for 31% (95% CI: 11%, 45%) of variance in adolescent dysfunctional attitude. The influence of shared environmental factors was small and negligible (9% [95% CI: 0%, 27%]). Non-shared environmental factors explained 60% (95% CI: 55%, 66%) of variance. Equating the estimate parameters across gender or age groups resulted in a non-significant difference of model fit, but there were trends suggesting higher heritability in females and older adolescents. Our results provide evidence for moderate heritability of dysfunctional attitudes in adolescents. Dysfunctional attitudes can be used as an endophenotype to identify risk genes for depression.

Evidence for a Heritable General Factor of Personality in Two Studies

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Livia Veselka ◽  
Julie Aitken Schermer ◽  
K. V. Petrides ◽  
Philip Anthony Vernon
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Model Fitting ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
General Factor Of Personality ◽  
Components Analysis ◽  
And Behavior

AbstractTwo studies were conducted to see whether a general factor of personality (GFP) could be extracted from different measures of personality. Using samples of twins in both studies also allowed an assessment of the extent to which genetic and/ or environmental factors contributed to individual differences in the GFPs that were found. In Study 1, principal components analysis of the Big Five personality traits in combination with four scales of mental toughness yielded a strong GFP and behavior genetic model-fitting showed that individual differences in this GFP were fully accounted for by genetic and nonshared environmental factors. In Study 2, a GFP was extracted from the Big Five traits in combination with 15 facets of emotional intelligence. Individual differences in this GFP were also fully accounted for by genetic and nonshared environmental factors. These studies add to the growing body of research demonstrating the existence of a GFP and replicate one previous report of its heritability.

Particulate matter strongly associated with human Q fever in The Netherlands: an ecological study

2013 ◽  
Vol 141 (12) ◽  
pp. 2623-2633 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. REEDIJK ◽  
J. P. G. VAN LEUKEN ◽  
W. VAN DER HOEK
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Spatial Regression ◽  
National Level ◽  
Spatial Association ◽  
Postal Code ◽  
High Level

SUMMARYThere are still questions about the importance of different animal reservoirs and environmental factors that played a role in the large Q fever epidemic in The Netherlands. We therefore investigated the spatial association between reported Q fever cases and different livestock and environmental factors at the national level. A spatial regression analysis was performed, with four-digit postal code areas as the unit of analysis. High level of particulate matter (⩾24·5 μg/m3) with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm (PM10) was by far the strongest risk factor for human Q fever with an odds ratio of 10·4 (95% confidence interval 7·0–15·6) using PM10 <24·5 μg/m3 as reference, in logistic regression analysis, controlling for differences in animal densities, vegetation and other risk factors. Particulate matter seems to play an important role in the transmission of Q fever from infected animals to humans and should be a focus for further studies on zoonotic infectious diseases and decision-making.

Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Humor Styles: A Replication Study

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip A. Vernon ◽  
Rod A. Martin ◽  
Julie Aitken Schermer ◽  
Lynn F. Cherkas ◽  
Tim D. Spector
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
North America ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Model Fitting ◽  
Humor Styles ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Mz Twins

AbstractOne thousand and seventy three pairs of adult monozygotic (MZ) twins and 895 pairs of same sex adult dizygotic (DZ) twins from the United Kingdom (UK) completed the Humor Styles Questionnaire: a 32-item measure which assesses two positive and two negative styles of humor. MZ correlations were approximately twice as large as DZ correlations for all four humor styles, and univariate behavioral genetic model fitting indicated that individual differences in all of them can be accounted for entirely by genetic and nonshared environmental factors, with heritabilities ranging from .34 to .49. These results, while perhaps not surprising, are somewhat at odds with a previous study that we conducted in North America (Vernon et al., in press) in which genetic factors contributed significantly to individual differences in the two positive humor styles, but contributed far less to the two negative styles, variance in which was instead largely due to shared and nonshared environmental factors. We suggest that differences between North American and UK citizens in their appreciation of different kinds of humor may be responsible for the different results obtained in these two studies.

scholarly journals The association between emotional eating and depressive symptoms: a population-based twin study in Sri Lanka

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moritz P. Herle ◽  
Carol Kan ◽  
Kaushalya Jayaweera ◽  
Anushka Adikari ◽  
Sisira Siribaddana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Emotional Eating ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Genetic Research ◽  
Model Fitting ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Study Phase ◽  
Sri Lankan

AbstractThis study investigated the genetic and environmental contributions to emotional overeating (EOE) and depressive symptoms, and their covariation, in a Sri-Lankan population, using genetic model-fitting analysis. In total, 3957 twins and singletons in the Colombo Twin and Singleton Study-Phase 2 rated their EOE behaviour and depressive symptoms, which were significantly associated (men: r = 0.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06–0.16, women: r = 0.12, 95% CI 0.07–0.16). Non-shared environmental factors explained the majority of variance in men (EOE e2 = 87%, 95% CI 78–95%; depressive symptoms e2 = 72%, 95% CI 61–83%) and women (EOE e2 = 76%, 95% CI 68–83%; depressive symptoms e2 = 64%, 95% CI 55–74%). Genetic factors were more important for EOE in women (h2 = 21%, 95% CI 4–32%) than men (h2 = 9%, 95% CI 0–20%). Shared-environmental factors were more important for depressive symptoms in men (c2 = 25%, 95% CI 10–36%) than women (c2 = 9%, 95% CI 0–35%). Non-shared environmental factors explained the overlap between depressive symptoms and EOE in women but not in men. Results differed from high-income populations, highlighting the need for behavioural genetic research in global populations.

Identification of environmental factors affecting the speed of purebred Arabian racehorses in The Netherlands

2009 ◽  
Vol 125 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Schurink ◽  
M.C.J. Theunissen ◽  
B.J. Ducro ◽  
P. Bijma ◽  
E.M. van Grevenhof
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Factors Affecting

scholarly journals The Lifelines COVID-19 Cohort: a questionnaire-based study to investigate COVID-19 infection and its health and societal impacts in a Dutch population-based cohort

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Mc Intyre ◽  
Pauline Lanting ◽  
Patrick Deelen ◽  
Henry Wiersma ◽  
Judith M. Vonk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Informed Consent ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Disease Susceptibility ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Dutch Population ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Weekly Basis ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Societal Impacts

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected billions of people around the world not only through the infection itself but also through its wider impact on public health and daily life. To assess the effects of the pandemic, a team of researchers across a wide range of disciplines developed and implemented the Lifelines COVID-19 questionnaire, leading to the development of the Lifelines COVID-19 cohort. This cohort is recruited from participants of the Lifelines prospective population cohort and the Lifelines NEXT birth cohort, and participants were asked to fill out detailed questionnaires about their physical and mental health and experiences on a weekly basis starting in late March of 2020 and on a bi-weekly basis staring in June 2020. The Lifelines region covers the three Northern provinces of the Netherlands— Drenthe, Groningen and Friesland—which together account for ∼10% of the Dutch population. To date, >70,000 people have responded to the questionnaires at least once, and the questionnaire program is still ongoing. Data collected by the questionnaires will be used to address four aspects of the outbreak: (1) how the COVID-19 pandemic developed in the three northern provinces of the Netherlands, (2) which environmental risk factors predict disease susceptibility and severity, (3) which genetic risk factors predict disease susceptibility and severity and (4) what are the psychological and societal impacts of the crisis.Informed consentAll Lifelines and Lifelines NEXT participants have provided informed consent that provide the opportunity for add-on research.Research involving human participantsBoth the Lifelines and the Lifelines NEXT studies were approved by the ethics committee of the University Medical Center Groningen.

Genetic influences on post-natal depressive symptoms: findings from an Australian twin sample

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 645-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. TRELOAR ◽  
N. G. MARTIN ◽  
K. K. BUCHOLZ ◽  
P. A. F. MADDEN ◽  
A. C. HEATH
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Major Depression ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Model Fitting ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Genetic Influences ◽  
Conflicting Evidence ◽  
Post Natal Depression ◽  
Obstetric Factors

Background. Conflicting evidence exists on causes of vulnerability to post-natal depression. We investigated genetic and environmental influences on variation in post-natal depressive symptoms (PNDS) following first live birth, and sources of covariation with the personality trait Neuroticism and lifetime major depression occurring post-natally (DEP-PN) and at other times (DEP-XPN) to test for shared genetic influences.Method. Retrospective interview and questionnaire data from 838 parous female twin pairs (539 monozygotic, 299 dizygotic) from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council volunteer adult twin register were used for multivariate genetic model-fitting. Data on PNDS were evaluated for consistency with diagnostic interview assessment.Results. Genetic factors explained 38% of variance in PNDS (95% confidence interval 26–49%) and 25% of the variance in interview-assessed DEP-PN. The genetic correlation between PNDS and lifetime major depression (DEP-PN and DEP-XPN) was low (rg = 0·17, 95% confidence interval = 0·09–0·28), suggesting that the questionnaire was measuring a construct other than post-natally occurring major depression, possibly post-natal dysphoria. Associations between PNDS and obstetric factors were very modest.Conclusions. Findings suggest modest genetic influences on major depression occurring post-natally. Independent and stronger genetic influences identified for post-natal symptomatology or dysphoria (PNDS) justify further investigation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document