| 1. |
- Havland, Ida, et al.
(författare)
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The observed association between maternal anxiety and adolescent asthma : children of twin design suggest familial effects
- 2013
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Ingår i: PLoS One. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. - 1932-6203. ; 42
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Previous studies indicate that maternal anxiety is associated with asthma in the adolescent child, but mechanisms are unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between maternal anxiety and maternal, self- and register-based report of asthma in the adolescent child, and whether the association remains after control of familial confounding (shared environmental and genetic factors). METHOD: From the Twin and Offspring Study of Sweden, 1691 mothers (1058 twins) and their adolescent child were included. The association between maternal self-reported anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) somatic or psychic anxiety) and asthma based on subjective (maternal or child report) or objective (register-based diagnosis and medication) measures were analysed using logistic regression. The children-of-twins design was used to explore whether genes or environment contribute to the association. RESULTS: Maternal BAI anxiety (OR 2.02, CI 1.15-3.55) was significantly associated with adolescent asthma reported by the mother. Maternal KSP somatic anxiety (OR 1.74, CI 1.04-2.91) and psychic anxiety (OR 1.74, CI 1.05-2.86) was significantly associated with breathlessness reported by the adolescent child. In contrast, maternal anxiety was not associated with increased risk for the register-based outcomes of asthma diagnosis or medication. The results remained also after adjusting for covariates and the children-of-twins analyses which indicate that the association was due to familial confounding. CONCLUSIONS: We found some associations between maternal anxiety and subjectively reported offspring asthma or breathlessness which may be due to familial effects. A likely candidate for explaining this familial confounding is heritable personality traits associated with both anxiety and subjective measures of asthma.
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| 2. |
- Jonsson, Lina, 1982, et al.
(författare)
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Association between ASMT and autistic-like traits in children from a Swedish nationwide cohort
- 2014
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Ingår i: Psychiatric Genetics. - Stockholm : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0955-8829 .- 1473-5873. ; 24:1, s. 21-27
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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.
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| 3. |
- Magnusson, Patrik K. E., et al.
(författare)
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The Swedish Twin Registry : establishment of a biobank and other recent developments
- 2013
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Ingår i: Twin Research and Human Genetics. - Cambridge, United Kingdom : Cambridge University Press. - 1832-4274 .- 1839-2628. ; 16:1, s. 317-329
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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.
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| 4. |
- Santtila, Pekka, et al.
(författare)
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The Dopamine Transporter Gene (DAT1) Polymorphism is Associated with Premature Ejaculation.
- 2010
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Ingår i: The journal of sexual medicine. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1743-6109 .- 1743-6095. ; 7:4 pt1, s. 1538-1546
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ABSTRACT Introduction. Previous research has suggested brain dopamine (DA) neurotransmission to be involved in the control of ejaculation. Furthermore, previous studies indicate a partly hereditary background to premature ejaculation. Aim. To investigate whether the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) polymorphism is associated with premature ejaculation. Methods. Retrospective self-reports of four indicators reflecting ejaculatory function-anteportal ejaculation, number of penile thrusts, ejaculation latency time, and feeling of control over ejaculation-and saliva samples for DNA analysis were obtained from 1,290 men (M = 26.9, standard deviation = 4.7 years; range 18-45) with sexual experience. Main Outcome Measures. Calculations of allelic effects were computed using the Generalized Estimating Equations module of SPSS 17. Results. Carriers of the 10R10R genotype had scores indicating a lower threshold to ejaculate on each of the indicators compared to the combined 9R9R/9R10R carrier group. The differences were significant both for the composite score and for anteportal ejaculation, number of thrusts, and feeling of control over ejaculation, but not for ejaculation latency time. The effect of the polymorphism remained significant after controlling for age, homosexual experience, having a regular sexual partner, level of sexual desire, and frequency of sexual activity, hence suggesting that it is not secondary to an association between the studied polymorphism and some other aspect of sexual behavior, but due to a specific influence of DA on ejaculation. Conclusions. The findings of the present study support results of previous studies indicating involvement of dopaminergic neurotransmission in ejaculation. Santtila P, Jern P, Westberg L, Walum H, Pedersen CT, Eriksson E, and Sandnabba NK. The dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) polymorphism is associated with premature ejaculation. J Sex Med **;**:**-**.
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| 5. |
- Walum, Hasse
(författare)
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Genetic and hormonal influences on affiliative behavior in humans
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Affiliative bonds between romantic partners are widespread pan-culturally and an important part of human nature and society. Still, knowledge about the biological correlates of human pair bonds is sparse. Studies in rodents, voles in particular, have shown the neural circuits involving vasopressin and oxytocin, in males and females respectively, to be very important in the formation and regulation of pair-bonding behaviour. Further, both neurobiological and evolutionary studies have shown mate guarding behaviour to be closely linked to pair bonding. In this thesis data from several twin samples from Sweden as well as from a randomized experimental study was used to investigate genetic and hormonal influences on pair-bonding behaviour and jealousy. Primarily, factors related to vasopressin and oxytocin were investigated. Variation in the vasopressin receptor 1a gene and the oxytocin receptor gene was shown to be associated with pair-bonding behaviour in men and women, respectively. Further, intranasally administered oxytocin was shown to influence pair-bonding related behaviour in women. Finally, in accordance with evolutionary theory, men and women scored differently on quantitatively assessed jealousy. This difference was not detected on a genetic level. Genetic modeling analyses did however reveal that about 30% of the variance in jealousy is explained by genetic factors in both men and women. Taken together, these results suggest that the well characterized effect of vasopressin and oxytocin on pair bonding in voles may be of relevance for humans. Also, the results from the quantitative genetics analyses, showing that genes are of importance for jealousy, make it interesting to hypothesize that the genes associated with pair bonding could influence jealousy as well.
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| 6. |
- Walum, Hasse, et al.
(författare)
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Genetic variation in the vasopressin receptor 1a gene (AVPR1A) associates with pair-bonding behavior in humans.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 1091-6490. ; 105:37, s. 14153-14156
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pair-bonding has been suggested to be a critical factor in the evolutionary development of the social brain. The brain neuropeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) exerts an important influence on pair-bonding behavior in voles. There is a strong association between a polymorphic repeat sequence in the 5' flanking region of the gene (avpr1a) encoding one of the AVP receptor subtypes (V1aR), and proneness for monogamous behavior in males of this species. It is not yet known whether similar mechanisms are important also for human pair-bonding. Here, we report an association between one of the human AVPR1A repeat polymorphisms (RS3) and traits reflecting pair-bonding behavior in men, including partner bonding, perceived marital problems, and marital status, and show that the RS3 genotype of the males also affects marital quality as perceived by their spouses. These results suggest an association between a single gene and pair-bonding behavior in humans, and indicate that the well characterized influence of AVP on pair-bonding in voles may be of relevance also for humans.
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| 7. |
- Walum, Hasse, et al.
(författare)
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Variation in the oxytocin receptor gene is associated with pair-bonding and social behavior
- 2012
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Ingår i: Biological Psychiatry. - New York, USA : Elsevier. - 0006-3223 .- 1873-2402. ; 71:5, s. 419-426
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: In specific vole and primate species the neuropeptide oxytocin plays a central role in the regulation of pair-bonding behavior. Here we investigate the extent to which genetic variants in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) are associated with pair-bonding and related social behaviors in humans.Methods: We first genotyped twelve single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TOSS (Twin and Offspring Study in Sweden) (n = 2309) and the TCHAD (Swedish Twin Study of Child and Adolescent Development) (n = 1240), comprising measures of self-reported pair-bonding behavior. In the TOSS sample we further investigated one of the SNPs for measures of marital status and quality. Moreover, in the TCHAD sample we explored the longitudinal relationship between precursors of pair-bonding during childhood and subsequent behavior in romantic relationships. Finally, in the TCHAD study and in the Child and Adolescent Twin Study of Sweden (CATSS) (n = 1771), the association between the same SNP and childhood behaviors was investigated.Results: One SNP (rs7632287) in OXTR was associated with traits reflecting pair-bonding in women in the TOSS and TCHAD samples. In girls the rs7632287 SNP was further associated with childhood social problems, which longitudinally predicted pair-bonding behavior in the TCHAD sample. This association was replicated in the CATSS sample in which an association between the same SNP and social interaction deficit symptoms from the autism spectrum was detected.Conclusion: These results suggest an association between variation in OXTR and human pair-bonding and other social behaviors, possibly indicating that the well-described influence of oxytocin on affiliative behavior in voles could also be of importance for humans.
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| 8. |
- Yao, Shuyang, et al.
(författare)
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Criminal offending as part of an alternative reproductive strategy : investigating evolutionary hypotheses using Swedish total population data
- 2014
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Ingår i: Evolution and human behavior. - : Elsevier BV. - 1090-5138 .- 1879-0607. ; 35:6, s. 481-488
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Criminality is highly costly to victims and their relatives, but often also to offenders. From an evolutionary viewpoint, criminal behavior may persist despite adverse consequences by providing offenders with fitness benefits as part of a successful alternative mating strategy. Specifically, criminal behavior may have evolved as a reproductive strategy based on low parental investment reflected in low commitment in reproductive relationships. We linked data from nationwide total population registers in Sweden to test if criminality is associated with reproductive success. Further, we used several different measures related to monogamy to determine the relation between criminal behavior and alternative mating tactics. Convicted criminal offenders had more children than individuals never convicted of a criminal offense. Criminal offenders also had more reproductive partners, were less often married, more likely to get remarried if ever married, and had more often contracted a sexually transmitted disease than non-offenders. Importantly, the increased reproductive success of criminals was explained by a fertility increase from having children with several different partners. We conclude that criminality appears to be adaptive in a contemporary industrialized country, and that this association can be explained by antisocial behavior being part of an adaptive alternative reproductive strategy.
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