Dataset Information

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Verbal Fluency in Middle Age: A Longitudinal Twin Study.

ABSTRACT: Mounting evidence suggests that measures of phonemic fluency and semantic fluency are differentially associated with other cognitive and health phenotypes, but few studies have examined their shared and unique variance, especially using genetically-informative designs. In this study, 1464 middle-aged twins completed six fluency subtests at up to two time-points (mean age 56 and 62 years). Confirmatory factor analyses supported a two-factor solution: a General Fluency latent factor explained variation in all six subtests and a Semantic-Specific factor accounted for additional variance in semantic subtests. Both factors were explained primarily by genetic influences at both waves (a2?=?0.57-0.76). There was considerable stability of individual differences over 6 years (r?=?.90 for General Fluency, r?=?.81 for Semantic-Specific), especially for genetic influences (rg?=?.94 and 1.0, respectively). These results suggest that semantic fluency can be viewed as a combination of general and semantic-specific variance, but phonemic fluency is captured entirely by the general factor.

SUBMITTER: Gustavson DE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6301139 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Genetic and Environmental Influences on Verbal Fluency in Middle Age: A Longitudinal Twin Study.

Gustavson Daniel E DE Panizzon Matthew S MS Elman Jeremy A JA Franz Carol E CE Beck Asad A Reynolds Chandra A CA Jacobson Kristen C KC Xian Hong H Toomey Rosemary R Lyons Michael J MJ Kremen William S WS

Behavior genetics 20180619 5

Mounting evidence suggests that measures of phonemic fluency and semantic fluency are differentially associated with other cognitive and health phenotypes, but few studies have examined their shared and unique variance, especially using genetically-informative designs. In this study, 1464 middle-aged twins completed six fluency subtests at up to two time-points (mean age 56 and 62 years). Confirmatory factor analyses supported a two-factor solution: a General Fluency latent factor explained vari ...[more]

PMID: 29922985

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Project description:Eating behaviors during childhood are related both to children's diet quality and to their weight status. A better understanding of the determinants of eating behavior during childhood is essential for carrying out effective dietary interventions.We assessed the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to variations in selected eating behaviors in early and late childhood. Information on eating behaviors came from questionnaires administered to parents of children participating in the Quebec Newborn Twin Study when the twins were 2.5 and 9 years old (n = 692 children). Dichotomous variables were derived and analyzed using structural equation modeling, as part of a classic twin study design. We performed univariate and bivariate longitudinal analyses to quantify sources of variation and covariation across ages, for several eating behavior traits.We found moderate to strong heritability for traits related to appetite such as eating too much, not eating enough and eating too fast. Univariate analysis estimates varied from 0.71 (95% CI: 0.49, 0.87) to 0.89 (0.75, 0.96) in younger children and from 0.44 (0.18, 0.66) to 0.56 (0.28, 0.78) in older children. Bivariate longitudinal analyses indicated modest to moderate genetic correlations across ages (r(A) varying from 0.34 to 0.58). Common genetic influences explained 17% to 43% of the phenotypic correlation between 2.5 and 9 years for these appetite-related behaviors. In 9-year-old children, food acceptance traits, such as refusing to eat and being fussy about food, had high heritability estimates, 0.84 (0.63, 0.94) and 0.85 (0.59, 0.96) respectively, while in younger children, the shared environment (i.e., common to both twins) contributed most to phenotypic variance. Variances in meal-pattern-related behaviors were mostly explained by shared environmental influences.Genetic predispositions explain a large part of the variations in traits related to appetite during childhood, though our results suggest that as children get older, appetite-related behaviors become more sensitive to environmental influences outside the home. Still, for several traits environmental influences shared by twins appear to have the largest relative importance. This finding supports the notion that familial context has considerable potential to influence the development of healthy eating habits throughout childhood.

Dataset Information

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Verbal Fluency in Middle Age: A Longitudinal Twin Study.

Publications

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Verbal Fluency in Middle Age: A Longitudinal Twin Study.

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