29 research outputs found
Sex differences in the genetic and environmental influences on childhood conduct disorder and adult antisocial behavior
No full textGenetic influences on handedness: Data from 25,732 Australian and Dutch twin families
No full textHandedness refers to a consistent asymmetry in skill or preferential use between the hands and is related to lateralization within the brain of other functions such as language. Previous twin studies of handedness have yielded inconsistent results resulting from a general lack of statistical power to find significant effects. Here we present analyses from a large international collaborative study of handedness (assessed by writing/drawing or self report) in Australian and Dutch twins and their siblings (54,270 individuals from 25,732 families). Maximum likelihood analyses incorporating the effects of known covariates (sex, year of birth and birth weight) revealed no evidence of hormonal transfer, mirror imaging or twin specific effects. There were also no differences in prevalence between zygosity groups or between twins and their singleton siblings. Consistent with previous meta-analyses, additive genetic effects accounted for about a quarter (23.64%) of the variance (95%CI 20.17, 27.09%) with the remainder accounted for by non-shared environmental influences. The implications of these findings for handedness both as a primary phenotype and as a covariate in linkage and association analyses are discussed.Sarah E. Medland, David L. Duffy, Margaret J. Wright, Gina M. Geffen, David A. Hay, Florence Levy, Catherina E.M. van-Beijsterveldt, Gonneke Willemsen, Grant C. Townsend, Vicki White, Alex W. Hewitt, David A. Mackey, J. Michael Bailey, Wendy S. Slutske, Dale R. Nyholt, Susan A. Treloar, Nicholas G. Martin, Dorret I. Booms
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Behavioral tracking tools, regulation and corporate social responsibility in online gambling
No full textThe genetics of smoking initiation and quantity smoked in Dutch adolescent and young adult twins
No full textEvidence from large-scale population-based twin studies suggests that genetic factors contribute to individual differences in drinking behavior and smokin
The Effect of Childhood Conduct Disorder on Human Capital
No full textThis paper estimates the longer-term effects of childhood conduct disorder on human capital accumulation and violent and criminal behaviour later in life using data of Australian twins. We measure conduct disorder with a rich set of indicators based on diagnostic criteria from psychiatry. Using ordinary least squares (OLS) and twin fixed effects (FE) estimation approaches, we find that early (pre-18) conduct disorder problems significantly affect both human capital accumulation and violent and criminal behaviour over the life course. In addition, we find that conduct disorder is more deleterious if these behaviours occur earlier in life.conduct disorder, human capital, twins
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From adolescent to adult gambling: an analysis of longitudinal gambling patterns in South Australia [forthcoming]
No full textAlthough there are many cross-sectional studies of adolescent gambling, very few longitudinal investigations have been undertaken. As a result, little is known about the individual stability of gambling behaviour and the extent to which behaviour measured during adolescence is related to adult behaviour. In this paper, we report the results of a 4-wave longitudinal investigation of gambling behaviour in a probability sample of 256 young people (50% male, 50% female) who were interviewed in 2005 at the age of 16-18 years and then followed through to the age of 20-21 years. The results indicated that young people showed little stability in their gambling. Relatively few reported gambling on the same individual activities consistently over time. Gambling participation rates increased rapidly as young people made the transition from adolescence to adulthood and then were generally more stable. Gambling at 15-16 years was generally not associated with gambling at age 20-21 years. These results highlight the importance of individual-level analyses when examining gambling patterns over time
The Influence of Religion on Alcohol Use Initiation: Evidence for Genotype X Environment Interaction
No full textTwin studies have generally been consistent in suggesting that there are important family environmental influences on whether or not one chooses to drink alcoho
Towards a molecular epidemiology of alcohol dependence analysing the interplay of genetic and environmental risk factors
No full textBackground Progress in identifying genetic factors protective against alcohol dependence (AlcD) requires a paradigm shift in psychiatric epidemiology. Aims To integrate analysis of research into the genetics of alcoholism. Method Data from prospective questionnaire and interview surveys of the Australian twin panel, and from a subsample who underwent alcohol challenge, were analysed. Results In men, effects of alcohol dehydrogenase ADH2*1/*2 genotype or high alcohol sensitivity (risk-decreasing), and of history of childhood conduct disorder, or having monozygotic co-twin or twin sister with AlcD (risk-increasing) were significant and comparable in magnitude. Religious affiliation (Anglican versus other) was associated with the ADH2 genotype, but did not explain the associations with AlcD symptoms. No protective effect of the ADH2*1/*2 genotype was observed in women. Conclusions The early onset and strong familial aggregation of AlcD, and opportunity for within-family tests of genetic association to avoid confounding effects, make epidemiological family studies of adolescents and young adults and their families a priority
The genetics of addiction—a translational perspective
No full textAddictions are serious and common psychiatric disorders, and are among the leading contributors to preventable death. This selective review outlines and highlights the need for a multi-method translational approach to genetic studies of these important conditions, including both licit (alcohol, nicotine) and illicit (cannabis, cocaine, opiates) drug addictions and the behavioral addiction of disordered gambling. First, we review existing knowledge from twin studies that indicates both the substantial heritability of substance-specific addictions and the genetic overlap across addiction to different substances. Next, we discuss the limited number of candidate genes which have shown consistent replication, and the implications of emerging genomewide association findings for the genetic architecture of addictions. Finally, we review the utility of extensions to existing methods such as novel phenotyping, including the use of endophenotypes, biomarkers and neuroimaging outcomes; emerging methods for identifying alternative sources of genetic variation and accompanying statistical methodologies to interpret them; the role of gene-environment interplay; and importantly, the potential role of genetic variation in suggesting new alternatives for treatment of addictions
