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JournalISSN: 0001-8244

Behavior Genetics 

Springer Science+Business Media
About: Behavior Genetics is an academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Twin study & Population. It has an ISSN identifier of 0001-8244. Over the lifetime, 2863 publications have been published receiving 115899 citations.


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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Data from the Virginia 30,000, including twins and their parents, siblings, spouses, and children, were analyzed using a structural equation model (Stealth) and no evidence was found for a special MZ twin environment, thereby supporting the equal environment assumption.
Abstract: We review the literature on the familial resemblance of body mass index (BMI) and other adiposity measures and find strikingly convergent results for a variety of relationships. Results from twin studies suggest that genetic factors explain 50 to 90% of the variance in BMI. Family studies generally report estimates of parent–offspring and sibling correlations in agreement with heritabilities of 20 to 80%. Data from adoption studies are consistent with genetic factors accounting for 20 to 60% of the variation in BMI. Based on data from more than 25,000 twin pairs and 50,000 biological and adoptive family members, the weighted mean correlations are .74 for MZ twins, .32 for DZ twins, .25 for siblings, .19 for parent–offspring pairs, .06 for adoptive relatives, and .12 for spouses. Advantages and disadvantages of twin, family, and adoption studies are reviewed. Data from the Virginia 30,000, including twins and their parents, siblings, spouses, and children, were analyzed using a structural equation model (Stealth) which estimates additive and dominance genetic variance, cultural transmission, assortative mating, nonparental shared environment, and special twin and MZ twin environmental variance. Genetic factors explained 67% of the variance in males and females, of which half is due to dominance. A small proportion of the genetic variance was attributed to the consequences of assortative mating. The remainder of the variance is accounted for by unique environmental factors, of which 7% is correlated across twins. No evidence was found for a special MZ twin environment, thereby supporting the equal environment assumption. These results are consistent with other studies in suggesting that genetic factors play a significant role in the causes of individual differences in relative body weight and human adiposity.

1,567 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Procedures are given, using sib pairs, for estimating linkage between a knownm-allele locus and a hypothesized two-alleel locus that governs a quantitative trait.
Abstract: Procedures are given, using sib pairs, for estimating linkage between a knownm-allele locus and a hypothesized two-allele locus that governs a quantitative trait. Random mating and linkage equilibrium are assumed. Also given are parametric and nonparametric methods for detecting linkage when the trait in question is governed by several two-allele loci, provided there is no epistasis.

1,354 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This book contains the papers and conference proceedings from a symposium of epideiiologists, physiologists, and physicians involved in research into the role of aluminiumi as an environmental toxin in human pathology, with a particular focus on therole of aluminium in Alzheimer's disease.

1,047 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that the behavior genetics of personality is alive and flourishing but that there remains ample scope for new growth and that much social science research is seriously compromised if it does not incorporate genetic variation in its explanatory models.
Abstract: There is abundant evidence, some of it reviewed in this paper, that personality traits are substantially influenced by the genes. Much remains to be understood about how and why this is the case. We argue that placing the behavior genetics of personality in the context of epidemiology, evolutionary psychology, and neighboring psychological domains such as interests and attitudes should help lead to new insights. We suggest that important methodological advances, such as measuring traits from multiple viewpoints, using large samples, and analyzing data by modern multivariate techniques, have already led to major changes in our view of such perennial puzzles as the role of "unshared environment" in personality. In the long run, but not yet, approaches via molecular genetics and brain physiology may also make decisive contributions to understanding the heritability of personality traits. We conclude that the behavior genetics of personality is alive and flourishing but that there remains ample scope for new growth and that much social science research is seriously compromised if it does not incorporate genetic variation in its explanatory models.

1,009 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that, even with moderately sized samples, the effects of age and sex can best be adjusted for through a twin-based approach.
Abstract: For most psychological, physiological, and medical variables there are substantial age and sex effects. In assessing twin similarity for these variables, one can either fail to adjust for the effects of age and sex, adjust for these effects using normative data, or use information in the twin sample to define an age-sex adjustment. It is shown that failing to correct for age and sex effects when they exist will result in overestimation of the twin intraclass correlation. Using normative data to define an age-sex adjustment will also result in overestimation of the twin intraclass correlation, although the magnitude of this overestimation is slight for moderate-sized normative samples and virtually nonexistent for large normative samples. Using a twin-based age-sex adjustment will lead to an underestimation of the twin intraclass correlation, but this underestimation can be corrected for through proper specification of the degrees of freedom for the between-pairs mean square. Illustration of the effects of age-sex adjustment are provided as well as the results of a computer simulation comparison of the various approaches. It is concluded that, even with moderately sized samples, the effects of age and sex can best be adjusted for through a twin-based approach.

739 citations

Performance
Metrics
No. of papers from the Journal in previous years
YearPapers
202318
202239
202162
202039
201944
201840