The Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR): An Update

Abstract

The primary aim of the Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR) is on understanding developmental changes in genetic, environmental, and neurobiological influences on internalizing and externalizing disorders, with antisocial behavior and disordered eating representing our particular areas of interest. The MSUTR has two broad components: a large-scale, population-based registry of child, adolescent, and adult twins and their families (current N ~20,000) and a series of more focused and in-depth studies drawn from the registry (current N ~4,000). Participants in the population-based registry complete a family health and demographic questionnaire via mail. Families are then recruited for one or more of the intensive, in-person studies from the population-based registry based on their answers to relevant items in the registry questionnaire. These in-person assessments target a variety of biological, genetic, and environmental phenotypes, including multi-informant measures of psychiatric and behavioral phenotypes, census and neighborhood informant reports of twin neighborhood characteristics, buccal swab and salivary DNA samples, assays of adolescent and adult steroid hormone levels, and/or videotaped interactions of child twin families. This article provides an overview of the MSUTR and describes current and future research directions.

The Etiology of the Association Between Child Antisocial Behavior and Maternal Negativity Varies Across Aggressive and Non-Aggressive Rule-Breaking Forms of Antisocial Behavior

“…Participating twins did not differ from non-participating twins in their average levels of conduct problems, emotional symptoms, and hyperactivity as assessed via the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman & Scott, 1999; Cohen’s d standardized effect sizes = −.05, .01, and −.08, respectively; all p ≥ .29). Participating families also did not differ from non-participating families on most demographic characteristics (as detailed in Table 1 of Burt & Klump, 2013). …”

“…Participants for this study were drawn from the population-based Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR), which includes several independent twin projects (Burt & Klump, 2013; Klump & Burt, 2006). The current study included 824 twin families who were assessed as part of the on-going Twin Study of Behavioral and Emotional Development in Children (TBED-C) within the MSUTR.…”

“…Importantly, as detailed in Table 1 of Burt & Klump (2013), the final population-based sample was broadly representative of the area population and of recruited families more specifically (as assessed via a brief questionnaire screen administered to 70% of non-participating families). Participating twins did not differ from non-participating twins in their average levels of conduct problems, emotional symptoms, and hyperactivity as assessed via the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman & Scott, 1999; Cohen’s d standardized effect sizes = −.05, .01, and −.08, respectively; all p ≥ .29).…”

Influences of Ovarian Hormones on Dysregulated Eating

“…Participants were 445 same-sex female twins (ages 16–25 years) who participated in the Twin Study of Hormones and Behavior across the Menstrual Cycle project (Klump et al, 2013a) within the Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR; see Burt & Klump, 2013; Klump & Burt, 2006 for a description of recruitment methods). Notably, a sub-set of participants in our full sample (N=196/445, 44%) were included in our previous report (Klump et al, 2013a) that found significant interactive effects of estrogen and progesterone on emotional eating scores (reviewed in the Introduction).…”

The effects of ovarian hormones and emotional eating on changes in weight preoccupation across the menstrual cycle

“…Twins from the MSUTR are recruited using birth record methods previously described (20; 21). Twins included in the current study were demographically representative of the recruitment region (81.7% Caucasian; 16.2% African American; 1.0 % Asian/Pacific Islander; 1.0 % Native American; http://www.michigan.gov/mdch).…”