Subjects were 74 twin pairs, 61 MZs and 13 same-sexed DZs who entered the High School affiliated with Tokyo University, Japan. Their mothers also participated. The twins’ zygosity was previously identified by many genetic markers. This study aimed at clarifying the effectiveness of zygosity diagnosis by questionnaires distributed to twins’ mothers. The questionnaire consisted of three questions concerning the degree of similarity of twins at one year of age; whether they were confused, and if so, by whom. It was slightly modified from that reported earlier by Ooki et al [11] for twins themselves. According to the degree of similarity of the twins, points were allotted thus: from 1 to 3 points for answers to questions (1) and (2) and from 1 to 4 points for answers to questions (3). The sum of the points was calculated, then ranged from 3 to 10. Zygosity was determined by the sum of these points. If the sum was 3-6, the twin pairs were considered MZ and if the sum was 7-10 DZ. It was revealed that more than 90% of twins were identified correctly as MZ or DZ by applying this cutting point and this result was in accordance with that obtained by use of discriminant function analysis. Moreover, the accuracy of the mothers’ responses was nearly the same as that obtained by the questionnaire for twins themselves. It was concluded, therefore, that the information from twins’ mothers is as correct as that from twins themselves. This questionnaire is simple, practical and especially useful when twins are still too young to participate personally.
Abstract. Subjects were 189 twin pairs, 165 MZ and 24 same-sexed DZ, who entered the junior high school affiliated to Tokyo University (sample T), and 93 twin pairs, 71 MZ and 22 same-sexed DZ, who were registered at Kinki University (sample K). The zygosity was previously identified by many genetic markers, and this study aimed at zygosity diagnosis by questionnaire. The latter included three questions: "How are you alike?", "How often are you mistaken?", and "By whom are you mistaken?". According to the degree, 1-3 points, 1-3 points, and 1-4 points were given for each question, and the sum of the points of each pair of twins was calculated. Zygosity was determined by the sum of points, distributed from 6 to 20. Namely, if the sum was 6-13, the twin pair was considered MZ, and if the sum was 14-20, DZ. More than 90% of twins were diagnosed correctly by use of this cutting point. This result was in accordance with that obtained by use of discriminant function analysis. It is concluded that zygosity diagnosis by questionnaire is convenient and useful, in particular for epidemiological research.
This study showed that biological handicap with many complications at birth was much more recognized in the second-born than in the first-born twins. One of the most prominent intrapair differences was, for example, the weight at birth. However, intrapair differences, which were observed also in other physical measurements, diminished gradually with age. Moreover, as for intellectual ability, which was represented by the scores of the entrance examination test or standard achievement test, no remarkable influences due to handicap of the second-born were identified. Thus, it was concluded that the biological handicap seen in the second-born twin at birth did not give any significant effect on later development.
Attentional functions are essential to safely and smoothly perform activities of daily living. A range of different symptoms is observed in patients with impairments of attentional functions. Thus, the same patient may show differences in symptoms depending on the environment in which he or she is situated. In this study, we sought a means to characterize attention deficit with higher sensitivity than conventional neuropsychological tests, such as the Trail Making Test (TMT) and the Clinical Assessment for Attention (CAT), do. We developed two reaction time (RT) tasks: a simple task and a speed change task. We then enrolled 10 right-handed healthy older adults with no history of brain injury and 10 right-handed patients with stroke to perform the RT tasks. In addition, the stroke group underwent the TMT, the CAT and behavioral observation by an occupational therapist to identify symptoms characteristic of attention deficits. Results for findings of attention deficits on standard neuropsychological tests had a sensitivity of 25% in static situations (e.g., desk activities) and 33% in dynamic situations (e.g., walking or moving). In contrast, when applied to static situations, the simple and speed change RT tasks achieved a sensitivity of 75% and 100%, respectively. The sensitivity in dynamic situations was 33% to 44% for the simple task and 100% for the speed change task. These results suggest that the RT tasks developed in this study are capable of identifying attentional deficits in patients with stroke, and may be more sensitive than neuropsychological testing combined with behavioral observations.
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