High Heritability for a Composite Index of Children’s Activity Level Measures

Frazier‐Wood, Alexis C.; Rijsdijk, Frühling; Saudino, Kimberly J.; Asherson, Philip; Kuntsi, Jonna

doi:10.1007/s10519-008-9196-1

Cited by 48 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Selection may be at the individual measurement level (e.g., measurements of RT variability show higher heritabilities than do measurements of mean RT 62 ) or at the aggregation level, with twin analysis having indicated higher heritabilities (or higher familial variance) for latent factor scores over mean measurements. 62,72 Whether this approach will translate into a “real-world effect” remains an empirical question. Similarly, understanding the etiology of the covariance between endophenotype measurements and ADHD will help researchers to select measurements that covary with ADHD for reasons other than being due to a general underlying deficit.…”

Section: Twin Studies Can Maximize Power In Future Molecular Genetic mentioning

confidence: 99%

Twin Studies and Their Implications for Molecular Genetic Studies: Endophenotypes Integrate Quantitative and Molecular Genetics in ADHD Research

Frazier‐Wood

Neale

2010

Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psych

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Objective To describe the utility of twin studies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) research and demonstrate their potential for the identification of alternative phenotypes suitable for genomewide association, developmental risk assessment, treatment response, and intervention targets. Method Brief descriptions of the classic twin study and genetic association study methods are provided, with illustrative findings from ADHD research. Biometrical genetics refers to the statistical modeling of data gathered from one or more group of known biological relation; it was apparently coined by Francis Galton in the 1860s and led to the “Biometrical School” at the University of London. Twin studies use genetic correlations between pairs of relatives, derived using this theoretical framework, to parse the individual differences in a trait into latent (unmeasured) genetic and environmental influences. This method enables the estimation of heritability, i.e., the percentage of variance due to genetic influences. It is usually implemented with a method called structural equation modeling, which is a statistical technique for fitting models to data, typically using maximum likelihood estimation. Genetic association studies aim to identify those genetic variants that account for the heritability estimated in twin studies. Measurements other than those used for the clinical diagnosis of the disorder are popular phenotype choices in current ADHD research. It is argued that twin studies have great potential to refine phenotypes relevant to ADHD. Results Prior studies have consistently found that the majority of the variance in ADHD symptoms is due to genetic factors. To date, genomewide association studies of ADHD have not identified replicable associations that account for the heritable variation. Possibly, the application of genomewide association studies to these alternative phenotypic measurements will assist in identifying the pathways from genetic variants to ADHD. Conclusion Power to detect associations should be improved by the study of highly heritable endophenotypes for ADHD and by reducing the number of phenotypes to be considered. Therefore, twin studies are an important research tool in the development of endophenotypes, defined as alternative, more highly heritable traits that act at earlier stages of the pathway from genes to behavior. Although genetic variation in liability to ADHD is likely polygenic, the proposed approach should help to identify improved alternative measurements for genetic association studies.

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Section: Twin Studies Can Maximize Power In Future Molecular Genetic mentioning

confidence: 99%

Twin Studies and Their Implications for Molecular Genetic Studies: Endophenotypes Integrate Quantitative and Molecular Genetics in ADHD Research

Frazier‐Wood

Neale

2010

Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psych

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“…AL in twin samples proves to be heritable in infants and older children (Saudino and Eaton, 1991, Saudino and Zapfe, 2008, Wood et al, 2007) and shows significant phenotypic and genetic overlap with hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms in 7-year olds (Wood et al, 2008). Mechanically assessed AL may therefore be useful in understanding the genetics of ADHD traits in infancy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A genetic study of ADHD and activity level in infancy

Ilott

Saudino

Frazier‐Wood

et al. 2010

Genes Brain and Behavior

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It is well known that there are strong genetic influences on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), with genetic association studies providing good evidence for the involvement of the dopamine neurotransmitter system in its aetiology. Developmental origins of ADHD represent an interesting area of research to understand the genetics that underlie early-appearing individual differences. However, understanding the molecular basis of ADHD requires accurate, unbiased, heritable measures that can be used for molecular genetic association analyses. We take two approaches to examine the genetics of ADHD behaviours in infancy. Using quantitative genetic techniques we explore the relationship between objective measures of activity level (AL) in both home and laboratory environments as well as with parent-ratings of ADHD symptoms in a population sample of 2-year old twins. Molecular association analyses of these measures examine candidate genes previously associated with ADHD. We find that ADHD symptoms, AL in the home and AL in the lab represent heritable phenotypes in 2-year-old infants. AL measured in the home has a strong genetic correlation with symptoms of ADHD, whereas AL in the lab correlates only modestly with the same ADHD measure. Genetic correlations suggest that AL in the home is more comparable than AL in the lab to ADHD behaviour and support the separation of all three for molecular analyses. There was modest evidence for association between DAT1, NET1 and ADHD symptom scores, as well as between DAT1 and AL in the lab.

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“…Heritability estimates tend to be higher for parental reports relative to teacher and child reports (Goodman & Stevenson, 1989; Kuntsi & Stevenson, 2008; Martin, Scourfield, & McGuffin, 2002; Schmitz et al, 1996; Wood et al, 2008). This may in part be due to parents’ propensity to exaggerate differences between non-identical twins and full siblings (i.e., “contrast effects”), which inflates heritability estimates (Ganiban et al, 2008; Krueger, Johnson, & Kling, 2006; Saudino, 2003; Saudino & Eaton, 1991; Saudino et al, 1995).…”

Section: Heritability Of Personalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality in the age of industry: Structure, heritability, and correlates of personality in middle childhood from the perspective of parents, teachers, and children

Clark

Durbin

Hicks

et al. 2017

Journal of Research in Personality

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Middle childhood is a crucial juncture in the lifespan where children work towards achieving a sense of competence foundational for future development. However, middle childhood has historically been underrepresented in the personality literature. The current study provides a comprehensive examination of personality in middle childhood using a large (N = 2510), longitudinal sample of 10- to 12-year-old twins. The structure, heritability, and correlates of personality in this period were investigated using personality ratings of parents, teachers, and children. Results showed that personality in middle childhood has a coherent structure, is heritable, and is relevant for developmentally salient outcomes such as externalizing behavior, substance use, and academic engagement. Results emphasize the importance of investigating personality in middle childhood across multiple informants.

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High Heritability for a Composite Index of Children’s Activity Level Measures

Cited by 48 publications

References 57 publications

Twin Studies and Their Implications for Molecular Genetic Studies: Endophenotypes Integrate Quantitative and Molecular Genetics in ADHD Research

Twin Studies and Their Implications for Molecular Genetic Studies: Endophenotypes Integrate Quantitative and Molecular Genetics in ADHD Research

A genetic study of ADHD and activity level in infancy

Personality in the age of industry: Structure, heritability, and correlates of personality in middle childhood from the perspective of parents, teachers, and children

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