| 1. |
- Magnusson, Patrik K. E., et al.
(författare)
-
The Swedish Twin Registry : establishment of a biobank and other recent developments
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Twin Research and Human Genetics. - Cambridge, United Kingdom : Cambridge University Press. - 1832-4274 .- 1839-2628. ; 16:1, s. 317-329
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Swedish Twin Registry (STR) today contains more than 194,000 twins and more than 75,000 pairs have zygosity determined by an intra-pair similarity algorithm, DNA, or by being of opposite sex. Of these, approximately 20,000, 25,000, and 30,000 pairs are monozygotic, same-sex dizygotic, and opposite-sex dizygotic pairs, respectively. Since its establishment in the late 1950s, the STR has been an important epidemiological resource for the study of genetic and environmental influences on a multitude of traits, behaviors, and diseases. Following large investments in the collection of biological specimens in the past 10 years we have now established a Swedish twin biobank with DNA from 45,000 twins and blood serum from 15,000 twins, which effectively has also transformed the registry into a powerful resource for molecular studies. We here describe the main projects within which the new collections of both biological samples as well as phenotypic measures have been collected. Coverage by year of birth, zygosity determination, ethnic heterogeneity, and influences of in vitro fertilization are also described.
|
|
| 2. |
- Virtanen, Suvi, et al.
(författare)
-
Do psychopathic personality traits in childhood predict subsequent criminality and psychiatric outcomes over and above childhood behavioral problems?
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Journal of criminal justice. - : Elsevier. - 0047-2352 .- 1873-6203. ; 80
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: We investigated whether childhood psychopathic personality traits predicted subsequent self-reported and register-based criminality and psychiatric outcomes when childhood behavioral problems (conduct disorder [CD] and ADHD symptoms) were accounted for.Methods: In the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden, parents rated their children's (n = 12,394) psychopathic personality traits, CD, and ADHD symptoms at age 9/12. We studied the risk for self-reported delinquency, problematic substance use, and anxiety/depression at age 18. The sample was also linked to nationwide registers where we studied suspicion of crimes, and diagnoses of substance use disorders and anxiety/depression up to age 21.Results: Childhood psychopathic personality traits were associated with self-reported delinquency (β = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.41–0.90) and suspicions of violent (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.33, [1.23–1.45]) and non-violent (HR = 1.28, [1.22–1.36]) crimes. The estimates were attenuated, but remained elevated for delinquency and violent crimes after accounting for childhood behavioral problems. Psychopathic personality traits were associated with substance use problems and anxiety/depression, but these associations were mainly explained by childhood behavioral problems.Conclusions: Psychopathic personality traits were a risk marker for criminality and psychiatric outcomes, particularly in children with co-occurring behavioral problems. However, the independent contribution of psychopathic personality traits was modest at best, when behavioral problems were accounted for.
|
|
| 3. |
- Jonsson, Lina, 1982, et al.
(författare)
-
Association between ASMT and autistic-like traits in children from a Swedish nationwide cohort
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Psychiatric Genetics. - Stockholm : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0955-8829 .- 1473-5873. ; 24:1, s. 21-27
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Individuals with autism spectrum disorders often show low levels of melatonin, and it has been suggested that this decrease may be because of the low activity of the acetylserotonin O-methyltransferase (ASMT), the last enzyme in the melatonin-synthesis pathway. Also, genetic variants in ASMT have been associated with autism, as well as with low ASMT activity and melatonin levels, suggesting that the low ASMT activity observed in autism may partly be because of variations within the ASMT gene. In this study, we present a symptom-based approach to investigate possible associations between ASMT and autistic-like traits in the general population. To this end, continuous measures of autistic-like traits were assessed in a nationally representative twin cohort (n=1771) from Sweden and six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and a duplication of exons 2-8 in ASMT were genotyped. Our results show a nominally significant association, in girls, between one single nucleotide polymorphism (rs5949028) in the last intron of ASMT and social interaction impairments. No significant association, however, was observed with traits related to language impairment or restricted and repetitive behavior. In conclusion, our results support the possible involvement of the ASMT gene in autism spectrum disorders, and our finding that only one of the three traits shows association suggests that genetic research may benefit from adopting a symptom-specific approach to identify genes involved in autism psychopathology.
|
|
| 4. |
- Lichtenstein, P., et al.
(författare)
-
Associations between conduct problems in childhood and adverse outcomes in emerging adulthood: a longitudinal Swedish nationwide twin cohort
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines. - : Wiley. - 0021-9630 .- 1469-7610. ; 61:7, s. 798-806
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background We examined whether childhood conduct problems predicted a wide range of adverse outcomes in emerging adulthood and whether the association with internalizing problems remained after adjusting for general comorbidity and externalizing problems. Methods Participants were 18,649 twins from the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden. At age 9/12, parents rated their children on eight conduct problems. Adverse outcomes were retrieved from national registers in emerging adulthood (median follow‐up time = 9.2 years), including diagnoses of six psychiatric disorders, prescriptions of antidepressants, suicide attempts, criminality, high school ineligibility, and social welfare recipiency. We estimated risk for the separate outcomes and examined if conduct problems predicted an internalizing factor above and beyond a general comorbidity and an externalizing factor. We used twin analyses to estimate genetic and environmental contributions to these associations. Results On the average, each additional conduct symptom in childhood was associated with a 32% increased risk of the adverse outcomes in emerging adulthood (mean hazard ratio = 1.32; range = 1.16, 1.56). A latent childhood conduct problems factor predicted the internalizing factor in emerging adulthood (βboys = .24, standard error, SE = 0.03; βgirls = .17, SE = 0.03), above and beyond its association with the externalizing (βboys = 0.21, SE = 0.04; βgirls = 0.17, SE = 0.05) and general factors (βboys = 0.45, SE = 0.03; βgirls = 0.34, SE = 0.04). These associations were differentially influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Conclusions It is important to monitor boys and girls with conduct problems not only for future externalizing problems, but also for future internalizing problems. Prevention of specific outcomes, however, might require interventions at different levels.
|
|
| 5. |
- Lundström, Sebastian, et al.
(författare)
-
Autism spectrum disorders and autistic like traits: similar etiology in the extreme end and the normal variation.
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Archives of General Psychiatry. - Chicago, USA : American Medical Association (AMA). - 0003-990X .- 1538-3636. ; 69:1, s. 46-52
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- CONTEXT: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have been suggested to represent the extreme end of a normal distribution of autisticlike traits (ALTs). However, the evidence of this notion is inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: To study whether there are similar genetic and/or environmental etiologies behind ASDs and ALTs. DESIGN: A nationwide twin study. PARTICIPANTS: Consenting parents of all Swedish twins aged 9 and 12 years, born between July 1, 1992, and December 31, 2001 (n = 19 208), were interviewed by telephone to screen for child psychiatric conditions, including ASDs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Two validated cutoffs for ASDs, 2 cutoffs encompassing the normal variation, and 1 continuous measure of ALTs were used with DeFries-Fulker extreme-end analyses and standard twin study methods. RESULTS: We discerned a strong correlation between the 4 cutoffs and the full variation of ALTs. The correlation was primarily affected by genes. We also found that the heritability for the 4 cutoffs was similar. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate an etiological similarity between ASDs and ALTs in the normal variation and, with results from previous studies, our data suggest that ASDs and ALTs are etiologically linked.
|
|
| 6. |
- Quinn, Patrick D., et al.
(författare)
-
Childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and the development of adolescent alcohol problems : A prospective, population-based study of Swedish twins
- 2016
-
Ingår i: American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B. - Hoboken, USA : John Wiley & Sons. - 1552-4841 .- 1552-485X. ; 171:7, s. 958-970
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk of problematic alcohol and other substance use in adolescence. This study used data from an ongoing, prospective, population-based twin study of Swedish children and adolescents to evaluate the extent to which the association between ADHD symptoms and alcohol problems reflects a unique source of genetic or environmental risk related to ADHD versus a broader predisposition to youth externalizing behavior. We used all available data from same-sex monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins on ADHD symptoms in childhood (age 9/12; N = 15,549) and alcohol problems in late adolescence (age 18; N = 2,564). Consistent with prior longitudinal studies, the phenotypic association between hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptoms and alcohol problems was small in magnitude, whereas the association for inattentive symptoms was even weaker. Additive genetic influences explained 99.8% of the association between hyperactive/impulsive symptoms and alcohol problems. Furthermore, we found that the genetic risk specifically associated with hyperactive/impulsive symptoms was attenuated when estimated in the context of externalizing behavior liability during childhood, of which ADHD symptoms were specific expressions. In sensitivity analyses exploring hyperactivity in mid-adolescence, we found a similar pattern of genetic associations. These results are consistent with previous findings of genetically driven overlap in the etiology of ADHD and problematic alcohol use. At least some of this co-occurrence may result from a general predisposition to externalizing behaviors in youth. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
|
|
| 7. |
- Törn, Peggy, et al.
(författare)
-
Childhood neurodevelopmental problems and adolescent bully victimization : population-based, prospective twin study in Sweden
- 2015
-
Ingår i: European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. - New York, USA : Springer. - 1018-8827 .- 1435-165X. ; 24:9, s. 1049-1059
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bully victimization is a common problem among children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder. Previous research was mostly cross-sectional and seldom accounted for co-morbid psychopathology, which makes it difficult to draw conclusions about causality and specificity of any association. Using a genetically informative prospective design, we investigated the association between various neurodevelopmental problems (NDPs) in childhood and bully victimization in adolescence, and the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to this association. We obtained parent-reports of NDPs at age 9/12 years and self-reported bully victimization at age 15 for 3,921 children participating in the The Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (CATSS). Structural equation modelling was used to control for NDP co-morbidity and bully victimization at baseline. Cholesky decomposition was used to analyse genetic and environmental contributions to observed associations. Because most of the NDPs were associated to later bully victimization, a common effect of all NDPs was summarized into a general NDP factor. Controlling for this general factor, only problems with social interaction and motor control uniquely predicted subsequent bully victimization in girls. General and unique associations were influenced by both genetic and unique environmental factors. NDPs in general and social interaction and motor problems in particular predicted later bully victimization. The longitudinal design and twin analyses indicated that these associations might be causal. Knowledge of these vulnerabilities may be important when designing risk assessment and prevention strategies.
|
|
| 8. |
- Baldwin, J. R., et al.
(författare)
-
A genetically informed Registered Report on adverse childhood experiences and mental health
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Nature Human Behaviour. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-3374. ; 7:2, s. 269-290
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Children who experience adversities have an elevated risk of mental health problems. However, the extent to which adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) cause mental health problems remains unclear, as previous associations may partly reflect genetic confounding. In this Registered Report, we used DNA from 11,407 children from the United Kingdom and the United States to investigate gene-environment correlations and genetic confounding of the associations between ACEs and mental health. Regarding gene-environment correlations, children with higher polygenic scores for mental health problems had a small increase in odds of ACEs. Regarding genetic confounding, elevated risk of mental health problems in children exposed to ACEs was at least partially due to pre-existing genetic risk. However, some ACEs (such as childhood maltreatment and parental mental illness) remained associated with mental health problems independent of genetic confounding. These findings suggest that interventions addressing heritable psychiatric vulnerabilities in children exposed to ACEs may help reduce their risk of mental health problems.
|
|
| 9. |
- Baldwin, Jessie R., et al.
(författare)
-
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Mental Health : A Genetically Informed Study
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Behavior Genetics. - : Springer. - 0001-8244 .- 1573-3297. ; 51:6, s. 691-692
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Children exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have an elevated risk of mental health problems, but it is unclear whether these associations reflect genetic confounding. We tested (1) whether children with genetic liability to psychopathology are more likely to experience ACEs, and (2) the extent to which the associations between ACEs and mental health are genetically confounded. Par-ticipants were 6411 children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). ACEs (including maltreatment, domestic violence, and parental psychopathology, substance abuse, criminality, and separation) were prospectively measured through parent reports at multiple assessments between birth and age 9. Internalizing and externalizing problems at age 9 were assessed through parent reports on the Development and Wellbeing Assessment. We derived polygenic scores for a range of psychiatric disorders. Children with greater genetic liability to psychopathology had a small elevation in risk of ACEs (pooled odds ratio = 1.05, 95% CI 1.01–1.09). Measured polygenic scores accounted for a very small proportion of the associations between ACEs with internalizing problems (pooled average across ACEs = 3.6%) and externalizing problems (pooled average = 4.8%). However, latent polygenic scores capturing SNP heritability in mental health outcomes explained a larger proportion of the associations between ACEs with internalizing problems (pooled average = 63%) and externalizing problems (pooled average = 17%). Risk of mental health problems in children exposed to ACEs is partly, but not completely driven by pre-existing genetic liability to psychopathology. Assuming the absence of nongenetic confounding, these findings are consistent with a partly causal effect of ACEs on mental health.
|
|
| 10. |
- Butwicka, Agnieszka, et al.
(författare)
-
Increased Risk for Substance Use-Related Problems in Autism Spectrum Disorders : A Population-Based Cohort Study
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Journal of autism and developmental disorders. - New York, USA : Springer. - 0162-3257 .- 1573-3432. ; 47:1, s. 80-89
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite limited and ambiguous empirical data, substance use-related problems have been assumed to be rare among patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Using Swedish population-based registers we identified 26,986 individuals diagnosed with ASD during 1973-2009, and their 96,557 non-ASD relatives. ASD, without diagnosed comorbidity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or intellectual disability, was related to a doubled risk of substance use-related problems. The risk of substance use-related problems was the highest among individuals with ASD and ADHD. Further, risks of substance use-related problems were increased among full siblings of ASD probands, half-siblings and parents. We conclude that ASD is a risk factor for substance use-related problems. The elevated risks among relatives of probands with ASD suggest shared familial (genetic and/or shared environmental) liability.
|
|
