Washington State Twin RegistryPublications

Publications

  • Epigenome-Wide Association Study of Systemic Effects of Obesity Susceptibility in Human Twins Duncan GE, Avery A, Maamar MB, Nilsson EE, Beck D, Skinner MK. The current study was designed to use an epigenome-wide association approach (EWAS) to identify potential systemic DNA methylation alterations that are associated with obesity using 22 discordant twin pairs. Buccal cells (from a cheek swab) were used as a non-obesity relevant purified marker […]
  • Quasi-causal associations between chronotype and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms: A twin study McCall CA, Turkheimer E, Tsang S, Avery A, Duncan GE, Watson NF. Objective The evening (“night owl”) chronotype is associated with greater severity and lifetime prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms compared to morning or intermediate chronotypes. This twin study investigated the gene-environment relationships between chronotype, recent PTSD symptoms, and lifetime intrusive symptoms. Methods […]
  • Cross-Sectional Study of Location-Based Built Environments, Physical Activity, Dietary Intake, and Body Mass Index in Adult Twins Duncan GE, Sun F, Avery AR, Hurvitz PM, Moudon AV, Tsang S, Williams BD. We examined relationships between walkability and health behaviors between and within identical twin pairs, considering both home (neighborhood) walkability and each twin’s measured activity space. Continuous activity and location data (via accelerometry and GPS) were obtained in 79 pairs over 2 […]
  • Sex differences in lifetime prevalence of low back pain: A multinational study of opposite-sex twin pairs Calais-Ferreira L, Pozzobon D, Pinheiro MB, Blyth FM, Ordoñana JR, Duncan GE, Hopper JL, Ferreira PH, Ferreira ML. Background Low back pain (LBP) is more likely to occur in people with a family history of this condition, highlighting the importance of accounting for familial factors when studying the individual risk of LBP. We conducted a […]
  • Epigenome-wide association study of physical activity and physiological parameters in discordant monozygotic twins Duncan GE, Avery A, Thorson JLM, Nilsson EE, Beck D, Skinner MK. An epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) was performed on buccal cells from monozygotic-twins (MZ) reared together as children, but who live apart as adults. Cohorts of twin pairs were used to investigate associations between neighborhood walkability and objectively measured physical activity (PA) levels. Due […]
  • Cross-sectional associations between neighbourhood walkability and objective physical activity levels in identical twins Duncan GE, Avery AR, Hurvitz P, Vernez-Moudon A, Tsang S Objectives  Physical activity is a cornerstone of chronic disease prevention and treatment, yet most US adults do not perform levels recommended for health. The neighborhood–built environment (BE) may support or hinder physical activity levels. This study investigated whether identical twins who reside in more walkable […]
  • Measuring and modelling perceptions of the built environment for epidemiological research using crowd-sourcing and image-based deep learning models Larkin A, Krishna A, Chen L, Amram O, Avery AR, Duncan GE, Hystad P. Background Perceptions of the built environment, such as nature quality, beauty, relaxation, and safety, may be key factors linking the built environment to human health. However, few studies have examined these types of perceptions due to the difficulty in quantifying them […]
  • Bring Your Own Location Data: Use of Google Smartphone Location History Data for Environmental Health Research Hystad P, Amram O, Oje F, Larkin A, Boakye K, Avery A, Gebremedhin A, Duncan G. Background Environmental exposures are commonly estimated using spatial methods, with most epidemiological studies relying on home addresses. Passively collected smartphone location data, like Google Location History (GLH) data, may present an opportunity to integrate existing long-term time-activity data. Objectives […]
  • Positive lifestyle behaviours and emotional health factors are associated with low back pain resilience Roberts KE, Beckenkamp PR, Ferreira ML, Duncan GE, Calais-Ferreira L, Gatt JM, Ferreira P. Purpose To evaluate the relationship between lifestyle behaviours, emotional health factors, and low back pain (LBP) resilience. Methods This retrospective longitudinal study utilised 1,065 twins with a recent history of LBP from the Washington State Twin Registry. A lifestyle behaviour score […]
  • Changing genetic architecture of body mass index from infancy to early adulthood: an individual based pooled analysis of 25 twin cohorts Silventoinen K, Li W, Jelenkovic A, Sund R, Yokoyama Y, Aaltonen S, Piirtola M, Sugawara M, Tanaka M, Matsumoto S, Baker LA, Tuvblad C, Tynelius P, Rasmussen F, Craig JM, Saffery R, Willemsen G, Bartels M, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Martin NG, Medland SE, Montgomery GW, Lichtenstein P, Krueger RF, McGue M, Pahlen S, Christensen K, […]
  • The pillars of health: influence of multiple lifestyle behaviors on body mass index and depressive symptoms in adult twins Duncan GE, Avery AR, Tsang S, Watson NF, Williams BD, Turkheimer E. Background Guidelines promoting healthy lifestyles are cornerstones of chronic disease prevention and treatment. The purpose of this study is to investigate independent and joint associations of five key health behaviors with health outcomes (body mass index (BMI kg/m2) and depressive symptoms) in adult […]
  • Do married and/or cohabiting individuals fare better during the COVID-19 pandemic? Satisfaction with life and depression among adult twins in the United States Tsang S, Avery AR, Duncan GE Due to social distancing measures implemented to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals are spending more time isolated at home with limited physical social interactions. The current study investigated whether marriage and/or cohabitation is associated with satisfaction with life and depression among 732 adult same-sex twin pairs (monozygotic and dizygotic) […]
  • Changes in physical activity levels and mental health during COVID-19: Prospective findings among adult twin pairs Duncan GE, Avery AR, Tsang S, Williams BD, Seto E. Background Physical distancing and other COVID-19 pandemic mitigation strategies have negatively impacted physical activity (PA) levels and mental health in cross-sectional studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between changes in PA and mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, following implementation […]
  • Reassessing relationships between appetite and adiposity in people at risk of obesity: a twin study using fMRI Sewaybricker LE, Melhorn SJ, Rosenbaum JL, Askren MK, Tyagi V, Webb MF, De Leon MRB, Grabowski TJ, Schur EA Background Neuroimaging studies suggest that appetitive drive is enhanced in obesity. Objective To test if appetitive drive varies in direct proportion to the level of body adiposity after accounting for genetic factors that contribute to both […]
  • Differences in Stress and Anxiety Among Women With and Without Children in the Household During the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic Avery AR, Tsang S, Seto EYW, Duncan GE The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns have had a disproportionate impact on parents of children under 18, particularly women. Mandatory school closures and loss of childcare resulted in parents balancing work, teaching, and childcare needs. A number of studies have examined changes in mental health of parents, […]
  • Educational attainment of same-sex and opposite-sex dizygotic twins: An individual-level pooled study of 19 twin cohorts Silventoinen K, Bogl LH, Jelenkovic A, et al. Comparing twins from same- and opposite-sex pairs can provide information on potential sex differences in a variety of outcomes, including socioeconomic-related outcomes such as educational attainment. It has been suggested that this design can be applied to examine the putative role of intrauterine exposure to testosterone for […]
  • GPS-based built environment measures associated with adult physical activity Boakye KA, Amram O, Schuna JM, Duncan GE, Hystad P. Studies often rely on home locations to access built environment (BE) influences on physical activity (PA). We use GPS and accelerometer data collected for 288 individuals over a two-week period to examine eight GPS-derived BE characteristics and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and light-to-moderate-vigorous PA (LMVPA). NDVI, […]
  • Measurement of neighborhood-based physical activity bouts Duncan GE, Hurvitz PM, Moudon AV, Avery AR, Tsang S. This study examined how buffer type (shape), size, and the allocation of activity bouts inside buffers that delineate the neighborhood spatially produce different estimates of neighborhood-based physical activity. A sample of 375 adults wore a global positioning system (GPS) data logger and accelerometer over 2 […]
  • Genetic and environmental influences on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and disinhibited eating behaviors Afari N, Gasperi M, Dochat C, Wooldridge JS, Herbert MS, Schur EA, Buchwald DS. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eating disorders (ED) frequently co-occur, but the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. EDs are characterized by features of maladaptive eating behaviors including disinhibited eating and cognitive dietary restraint. Identifying the genetic overlap between PTSD symptoms […]
  • Is COVID-19 keeping us up at night? Stress, anxiety, and sleep among adult twins Tsang S, Avery AR, Seto EYW, Duncan GE In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a variety of social distancing measures to mitigate the virus outbreak have been implemented. These measures may have unintended consequences on individuals’ well-being, such as increased stress, anxiety, and sleep disruptions. We investigated the extent to which individuals’ mental health status […]
  • Fear and depression linked to COVID-19 exposure A study of adult twins during the COVID-19 pandemic Tsang S, Avery AR, Duncan GE. Millions of people have been impacted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic worldwide. High infection rates and death tolls, combined with social distancing measures, may have unintended psychological consequences on individuals. The goal of this study was to examine the interrelations between COVID-19 exposure, fear of COVID-19, and depression […]
  • Association Between Low Back Pain and Body Mass Index in Adult Twins: An analysis of monozygotic and dizygotic twins of the Washington State Twin Registry Liechty A, Tsang S, Turkheimer E, Duncan GE. Background Context LBP is a common and significant cause of disability worldwide, however; questions about cause still remain. Purpose To investigate the association between low back pain (LBP), body mass index (BMI), and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in a twin sample. Study Design Cross sectional […]
  • Stress, Anxiety, and Change in Alcohol Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings Among Adult Twin Pairs Avery AR, Tsang S, Seto EYW, Duncan GE. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted the lives of people worldwide since being declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Social restrictions aimed at flattening the curve may be associated with an increase in stress and anxiety, which may increase the use of alcohol as a coping […]
  • Central and Peripheral Symptoms in Network Analysis are Differentially Heritable A Twin Study of Anxious Misery Olatunji BO, Christian C, Strachan E, Levinson CA. Background Evidence suggests that depression and anxiety disorders are genetically based. Although symptoms of these internalizing disorders tend to correlate, the degree to which the related symptoms are heritable is unclear. This overlap has been conceptualized as Anxious Misery and existing research examining similar constructs of negative […]
  • Perceived change in physical activity levels and mental health during COVID-19: Findings among adult twin pairs Duncan GE, Avery AR, Seto E, Tsang S Background Physical distancing and other COVID-19 pandemic mitigation strategies may have unintended consequences on a number of health behaviors and health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between perceived change in physical activity or exercise and mental health outcomes over the short-term […]
  • Psychometric and Classification Properties of the Peas in a Pod Questionnaire Avery AR, Turkheimer E, Tsang S, Duncan GE We examined the item properties of the Two Peas Questionnaire (TPQ) among a sample of same-sex twin pairs from the Washington State Twin Registry. With the exception of the ‘two peas’ item, three of the mistakenness items showed differential item functioning. Results showed that the monozygotic (MZ) […]
  • Genetic and environmental variation in educational attainment: an individual-based analysis of 28 twin cohorts Silventoinen K, Jelenkovic A, Sund R, et al. We investigated the heritability of educational attainment and how it differed between birth cohorts and cultural-geographic regions. A classical twin design was applied to pooled data from 28 cohorts representing 16 countries and including 193,518 twins with information on educational attainment at 25 years of age or […]
  • Associations between changes in resilient coping and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms Sinclair VG, Adams SM, Dietrich M. The pervasive, damaging nature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) presents enormous clinical challenges. Understanding the relationship between patients’ perceptions of PTSD symptoms and resilient coping strategies may prompt investigation of clinical interventions that improve adaptive, resilient coping skills. In this study, we examined whether changes in resilient coping were […]
  • Heritability of affectionate communication: A twins study Floyd K, York C, Ray CD. Using a twin study design, we explored the extent to which affectionate communication is a heritable behavioral trait. Participants (N = 928) were 464 adult twin pairs (229 monozygotic, 235 dizygotic) who provided data on their affectionate communication behaviors. Through ACE modeling, we determined that approximately 45% of the variance in trait expressed […]
  • Neighborhood Deprivation Moderates Shared and Unique Environmental Influences on Hazardous Drinking: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Co-Twin Study Rhew IC, Fleming CB, Tsang S, Horn E, Kosterman R, Duncan GE. Background There has been increased interest in the interplay of genetic and environmental factors in the development of problematic alcohol use, including socioeconomic conditions of the neighborhood. Using a co-twin design, we examined the extent to which contributions of genetic, shared environmental, and […]
  • Transcriptomic and methylomic features in asthmatic and non-asthmatic twins Dhondalay GKR, Bunning B, Bauer RN, Barnathan ES, Maniscalco C, Baribaud F, Nadeau KC, Andorf S. Asthma is the most prevalent chronic lung inflammatory disorder characterized by reversible airflow obstruction, affecting 358 million people worldwide, with aggravating factors like obesity, attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder, socioeconomic status like poor healthcare affordability and facility, smoking and alcohol intake. RNA sequencing […]
  • Insomnia and posttraumatic stress symptoms: Evidence of shared etiology Cox RC, Taylor S, Strachan E, Olatunji BO. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and insomnia are comorbid clinical conditions that are thought to result from genetic and environmental effects. Though studies have established the heritability of these disorders independently, no study to date has examined the genetic contributions to the relation between insomnia and PTSD symptoms […]
  • The Effect of Twin Sex on Menstrual Characteristics Kowynia E, Jahanfar S. Background and objectives The purpose of this project is to evaluate the association between twin sex discordance and menstrual characteristics. We hypothesize that sharing the uterus with a male twin can change ovulation programming, hence changing the menstrual cycle characteristics during adulthood. This project could be novel in discovering new physiological […]
  • Global metabolic profiling to model biological processes of aging in twins Bunning BJ, Contrepois K, Lee-McMullen B, Dhondalay GKR, Zhang W, Tupa D, Raeber O, Desai M, Nadeau KC, Snyder MP, Andorf S. Aging is intimately linked to system-wide metabolic changes that can be captured in blood. Understanding biological processes of aging in humans could help maintain a healthy aging trajectory and promote longevity. We performed […]
  • Genome-wide profiling of DNA methylome and transcriptome in peripheral blood monocytes for major depression: A Monozygotic Discordant Twin Study Zhu Y, Strachan E, Fowler E, Bacus T, Roy-Byrne P, Zhao J. DNA methylation plays an important role in major depressive disorder (MDD), but the specific genes and genomic regions associated with MDD remain largely unknown. Here we conducted genome-wide profiling of DNA methylation (Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip) and gene expression (RNA-seq) in peripheral blood monocytes […]
  • Cohort Profile: TWINS study of environment, lifestyle behaviours and health Duncan GE, Avery A, Hurvitz PM, Moudon AV, Tsang S, Turkheimer E. The role of built and social environments in supporting healthy lifestyles has received increased attention over the past decade, as research and prevention paradigms have shifted from a focus on individual-level behaviour change to macro-level influences embedded within social-ecological models of health that […]
  • Sleep Duration and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Twin Study McCall CA, Turkheimer E, Tsang S, Avery A, Duncan GE, Watson NF. Study Objectives Long and short sleep duration are associated with greater risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, it is unknown how genetic and environmental influences impact this relationship. Thus, we investigated the association between sleep duration and PTSD symptoms using twin […]
  • The CODATwins Project: The Current Status and Recent Findings of COllaborative Project of Development of Anthropometrical Measures in Twins Silventoinen K, Jelenkovic A, Yokoyama Y, Sund R, Sugawara M, Tanaka M, Matsumoto S, Bogl LH, Freitas DL, Maia JA, Hjelmborg JVB, Aaltonen S, Piirtola M, Latvala A, Calais-Ferreira L, Oliveira VC, Ferreira PH, Ji F, Ning F, Pang Z, Ordoñana JR, Sánchez-Romera JF, Colodro-Conde L, Burt SA, Klump KL, Martin NG, Medland SE, Montgomery […]
  • The Washington State Twin Registry: 2019 Update Duncan GE, Avery AR, Strachan E, Turkheimer E, Tsang S. It has been over 5 years since the last special issue of Twin Research and Human Genetics on ‘Twin Registries Worldwide: An Important Resource for Scientific Research’ was published. Much progress has been made in the broad field of twin research since that time, and the current […]
  • Probabilistic walking models using built environment and sociodemographic predictors Moudon AV, Huang R, Stewart OT, Cohen-Cline H, Noonan C, Hurvitz PM, Duncan GE. Background Individual sociodemographic and home neighborhood built environment (BE) factors influence the probability of engaging in health-enhancing levels of walking or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Methods are needed to parsimoniously model the associations. Methods Participants included 2392 adults drawn from a […]
  • Salience network connectivity is reduced by a meal and influenced by genetic background and hypothalamic gliosis Sewaybricker LE, Melhorn SJ, Askren MK, Webb MF, Tyagi V, De Leon MRB, Grabowski TJ, Seeley WW, Schur EA. BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES The salience network (SN) comprises brain regions that evaluate cues in the external environment in light of internal signals. We examined the SN response to meal intake and potential genetic and acquired influences on SN […]
  • Heritability of Type 2 Diabetes in the Washington State Twin Registry Avery AR, Duncan GE Approximately 12% of U.S. adults have type 2 diabetes (T2D). Diagnosed T2D is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors including age and lifestyle. In adults 45 years and older, the Discordant Twin (DISCOTWIN) consortium of twin registries from Europe and Australia showed a moderate-to-high contribution of genetic factors […]
  • A twin study of genetic influences on nephrolithiasis in women and men Goldfarb DS, Avery AR, Beara-Lasic L, Duncan GE, Goldberg J. Background Nephrolithiasis is a complex phenotype influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Previously we found a genetic component to stone disease using a sample of male twin pairs. We now report on the genetic contribution to stones in a sample of female and male […]
  • Viral genetics modulate orolabial HSV-1 shedding in humans Ramchandani MS, Jing L, Russell RM, Tran T, Laing KJ, Magaret AS, Selke S, Cheng A, Huang ML, Xie H, Strachan E, Greninger AL, Roychoudhury P, Jerome KR, Wald A, Koelle DM. BACKGROUND Orolabial herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection has wide severity spectrum in immunocompetent persons. To study the role of viral genotype […]
  • Plantar pressures in identical and non-identical twins Telfer S, Bigham JJ, Sudduth ASM. Identifying environmental risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders is challenging due to the number of potential confounders. Twins are of particular interest for researchers interested in studying these types of problems due to their inherent control for the influence of genetic factors. In twin studies, this population can allow environmental […]
  • Familial factors predicting recovery and maintenance of physical activity in people with low back pain: insights from a population-based twin study Zadro JR, Shirley D, Duncan GE, Ferreira PH. BACKGROUND It is unknown how familial factors influence the recovery from low back pain (LBP) and the maintenance activity behaviours. We aimed to investigate whether individual and within-family physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour influenced recovery from LBP, and maintenance of PA and sedentary behaviour in people […]
  • Usability of a Personal Air Pollution Monitor: Design-Feedback Iterative Cycle Study Duncan GE, Seto E, Avery AR, Oie M, Carvlin G, Austin E, Shirai JH, He J, Ockerman B, Novosselov I. Background There is considerable evidence that exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution is associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes. However, true exposure-outcome associations are hampered by measurement issues, including compliance and […]
  • Hypothalamic Gliosis by MRI and Visceral Fat Mass Negatively Correlate with Plasma Testosterone Concentrations in Healthy Men Berkseth KE, Rubinow KB, Melhorn SJ, Webb MF, De Leon MRB, Marck BT, Matsumoto AM, Amory JK, Page ST, Schur EA. Objective This study aimed to determine whether a relationship was evident between gliosis in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) and plasma testosterone concentrations in men. Methods A total of 41 adult men (aged 18-50 years) […]
  • Study Design and Rationale for the Mood and Methylation Study: A Platform for Multi-Omics Investigation of Depression in Twins Strachan E, Zhao J, Roy-Byrne PP, Fowler E, Bacus T. Major depression is a complex disorder with no single, direct causal mechanism. Morbidity has been linked to genetic processes, developmental history, and unique environmental exposures. Epigenetic mechanisms, especially DNA methylation, are also likely important factors in the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD). A community-based […]
  • DNA methylation associated with healthy aging of elderly twins Kim S, Wyckoff J, Morris AT, Succop A, Avery A, Duncan GE, Michal Jazwinski S. Variation in healthy aging and lifespan is ascribed more to various non-genetic factors than to inherited genetic determinants, and a major goal in aging research is to reveal the epigenetic basis of aging. One approach to this goal is to […]
  • Childhood Trauma, DNA Methylation of Stress-related Genes, and Depression: Findings from Two Monozygotic Twin Studies Peng H, Zhu Y, Strachan E, Fowler E, Bacus T, Roy-Byrne P, Goldberg J, Vaccarino V, Zhao J. Objective DNA methylation has been associated with both early life stress and depression. This study examined the combined association of DNA methylation at multiple CpG probes in five stress-related genes with depressive symptoms, and tested whether these […]
  • Using Smart City Technology to Make Healthcare Smarter Cook DJ, Duncan G, Sprint G, Fritz R. Smart cities use information and communication technologies (ICT) to scale services include utilities and transportation to a growing population. In this article we discuss how smart city ICT can also improve healthcare effectiveness and lower healthcare cost for smart city residents. We survey current literature and introduce […]
  • Differential models of twin correlations in skew for body-mass index (BMI) Tsang S, Duncan GE, Dinescu D, Turkheimer E. Background Body Mass Index (BMI), like most human phenotypes, is substantially heritable. However, BMI is not normally distributed; the skew appears to be structural, and increases as a function of age. Moreover, twin correlations for BMI commonly violate the assumptions of the most common variety of the […]
  • Associations between social capital and depression: A study of adult twins Cohen-Cline H, Beresford SA, Barrington W, Matsueda R, Wakefield J, Duncan GE. Social capital is associated with depression independently of individual-level risk factors. We used a sample of 1586 same-sex twin pairs to test the association between seven measures of social capital and two related measures of neighborhood characteristics with depressive symptoms accounting for uncontrolled […]
  • Associations between neighbourhood characteristics and depression: a twin study Cohen-Cline H, Beresford SAA, Barrington WE, Matsueda RL, Wakefield J, Duncan GE. Background Depression is an important contributor to the global burden of disease. Besides several known individual-level factors that contribute to depression, there is a growing recognition that neighbourhood environment can also profoundly affect mental health. This study assessed associations between three neighbourhood constructs-socioeconomic […]
  • FTO genotype impacts food intake and corticolimbic activation Melhorn SJ, Askren MK, Chung WK, Kratz M, Bosch TA, Tyagi V, Webb MF, De Leon MRB, Grabowski TJ, Leibel RL, Schur EA. Background Variants in the first intron of the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene increase obesity risk. People with “high-risk” FTO genotypes exhibit preference for high-fat foods, reduced satiety responsiveness, and greater […]
  • Examination of Cross-Sectional Associations of Neighborhood Deprivation and Alcohol Outlet Density With Hazardous Drinking Using a Twin Design Rhew IC, Kosterman R, Duncan GE, Mair C. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine whether neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation and alcohol outlet density are associated with hazardous drinking using a co-twin design to control for confounding because of genetic and shared environmental factors. Method The study sample included cross-sectional data from 1,996 same-sex […]
  • What Twin Studies Tell Us About Brain Responses to Food Cues Schur E, Carnell S. Purpose of Review Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) using visual food cues provides insight into brain regulation of appetite in humans. This review sought evidence for genetic determinants of these responses. Recent Findings Echoing behavioral studies of food cue responsiveness, twin study approaches detect significant inherited influences on brain response to […]
  • Education in Twins and Their Parents Across Birth Cohorts Over 100 years: An Individual-Level Pooled Analysis of 42-Twin Cohorts Silventoinen K, Jelenkovic A, Hopper JL, Busjahn A, Cozen W, Mack TM, Sumathipala A, Harris JR, Goldberg JH, Harden KP, Duncan GE, Buchwald D, Turkheimer E, Kaprio J, et al. Whether monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins differ from each other in a variety of phenotypes is important for genetic twin modeling and for inferences […]
  • Cross-sectional association between soda consumption and body mass index in a community-based sample of twins Eney AE, Tsang S, Delaney JA, Turkheimer E, Duncan GE. Background Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda, have been shown to play an important role in weight gain. Although soda consumption has been associated with body mass index (BMI) in many studies, it has been difficult to ascertain a true causal relationship between soda […]
  • Differences in genetic and environmental variation in adult body mass index by sex, age, time period, and region: an individual-based pooled analysis of 40 twin cohorts Silventoinen K, Jelenkovic A, Cozen W, Mack T, Sumathipala A, Christensen K, Busjahn A, Duncan GE, Buchwald D, Goldberg JH, Hopper JL, Sung J, Turkheimer E, Kaprio J, et al. Background  Genes and the environment contribute to variation in adult body mass index [BMI (in kg/m2)], but factors modifying these variance components are poorly understood. […]
  • Trust is heritable, whereas distrust is not Reimann M, Schilke O, Cook KS. Why do people distrust others in social exchange? To what degree, if at all, is distrust subject to genetic influences, and thus possibly heritable, and to what degree is it nurtured by families and immediate peers who encourage young people to be vigilant and suspicious of others? Answering these questions could provide fundamental clues […]
  • Genetic and Environment Influences on Sleep, Pain, and Depression Symptoms in a Community Sample of Twins Gasperi M, Herbert M, Schur E, Buchwald D, Afari N. Objective We used quantitative genetic methods to evaluate whether sleep quality, pain, and depression symptoms share a common genetic diathesis, to estimate the genetic and environmental sources of covariance among these symptoms, and to test for possible causal relationships. Methods A community sample of 400 […]
  • Neighborhood walkability moderates the association between low back pain and physical activity: A co-twin control study Zadro JR, Shirley D, Pinheiro MB, Bauman A, Duncan GE, Ferreira PH. The aim of this study was to investigate whether neighborhood walkability moderates the association between low back pain (LBP) and physical activity (PA), using a co-twin design to control for genetics and shared environmental factors. A cross-sectional analysis was performed on 10,228 twins […]
  • Does the sex of one’s co-twin affect height and BMI in adulthood? A study of dizygotic adult twins from 31 cohorts Bogl LH, Jelenkovic A, Christensen K, Cozen W, Mack TM, Duncan GE, Buchwald D, Hopper JL, Silventoinen K, Kaprio J, et al. Background The comparison of traits in twins from opposite-sex (OS) and same-sex (SS) dizygotic twin pairs is considered a proxy measure of prenatal hormone exposure. To examine possible prenatal hormonal influences on anthropometric […]
  • Neighborhood deprivation and depression in adult twins: genetics and gene×environment interaction Strachan E, Duncan G, Horn E, Turkheimer E. Background Depression is a significant problem and it is vital to understand its underlying causes and related policy implications. Neighborhood characteristics are implicated in depression but the nature of this association is unclear. Unobserved or unmeasured factors may confound the relationship. This study addresses confounding in a […]
  • Dexamethasone-suppressed Salivary Cortisol and Pain Sensitivity in Female Twins Godfrey KM, Herbert M, Strachan E, Mostoufi S, Crofford LJ, Buchwald D, Poeschla B, Succop A, Afari N. Objectives Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation is associated with chronic pain. Studying pain sensitivity and the HPA axis could elucidate the role of stress in chronic pain development, which might be influenced by familial factors, including genes. Methods […]
  • A Twin Study on Perceived Stress, Depressive Symptoms, and Marriage Beam CR, Dinescu D, Emery R, Turkheimer E. Marriage is associated with reductions in both perceived stress and depressive symptoms, two constructs found to be influenced by common genetic effects. A study of sibling twins was used to test whether marriage decreases the proportion of variance in depressive symptoms accounted for by genetic and environmental […]
  • Transcriptional Signatures of Sleep Duration Discordance in Monozygotic Twins Watson NF, Buchwald D, Delrow JJ, Altemeier WA, Vitiello MV, Pack AI, Bamshad M, Noonan C, Gharib S. Habitual short sleep duration is associated with adverse metabolic, cardiovascular, and inflammatory effects. Co-twin study methodologies account for familial (e.g., genetics and shared environmental) confounding, allowing assessment of subtle environmental effects, such as the effect of habitual […]
  • Genetic and environmental influences on adult human height across birth cohorts from 1886 to 1994 Jelenkovic A, Sumathipala A, Christensen K, Hopper JL, Cozen W, Mack TM, Sung J, Duncan GE, Buchwald D, Harris JR, Goldberg JH, Kaprio J, Silventoinen K, et al. Human height variation is determined by genetic and environmental factors, but it remains unclear whether their influences differ across birth-year cohorts. We conducted an individual-based pooled analysis […]
  • Is Marriage a Buzzkill? A Twin Study of Marital Status and Alcohol Consumption Dinescu D, Turkheimer E, Beam CR, Horn EE, Duncan G, Emery RE. Married adults have consistently been found to drink less than their single or divorced counterparts. This correlation may not be causal, however, as people nonrandomly “select” into marriage and into alcohol use. The current study uses a sample of 2,425 same-sex twin pairs […]
  • Resilient Coping Moderates the Effect of Trauma Exposure on Depression Sinclair VG, Wallston KA, Strachan E. Posttraumatic depression rates are increasing in the United States, and there is a great need to identify malleable factors that could moderate posttraumatic depression levels. The purpose of this study was to examine whether resilient coping moderates the effects of trauma exposure on depression, while controlling for neuroticism-an established […]
  • Genetic and environmental effects on body mass index from infancy to the onset of adulthood: an individual-based pooled analysis of 45 twin cohorts participating in the COllaborative project of Development of Anthropometrical measures in Twins (CODATwins) study Silventoinen K, Jelenkovic A, Busjahn A, Cozen W, Mack TM, Craig JM, Harden KP, Duncan GE, Buchwald D, Goldberg JH, Kaprio J, et al. Background Both genetic and environmental factors are known to affect body mass index (BMI), but detailed understanding of how their effects differ during childhood and adolescence is lacking. Objectives We analyzed […]
  • Genetic and environmental influences on height from infancy to early adulthood: An individual-based pooled analysis of 45 twin cohorts Jelenkovic A, Craig JM, Sumathipala A, Harden KP, Cozen W, Mack TM, Hopper JL, Duncan GE, Buchwald D, Sung J, Harris JR, Busjahn A, Goldberg JH, Kaprio J, Silventoinen K, et al. Height variation is known to be determined by both genetic and environmental factors, but a systematic description of how their influences differ by sex, age and […]
  • Effects of Anxiety on Caloric Intake and Satiety-Related Brain Activation in Women and Men Mestre ZL, Melhorn SJ, Askren MK, Tyagi V, Gatenby C, Young L, Mehta S, Webb MF, Grabowski TJ, Schur EA. Objective To test the relationship of anxiety to caloric intake and food cue perception in women and men. Methods Fifty-five twins (26 complete, 3 incomplete pairs; 51% women) underwent 2 functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) […]
  • Cross Sectional Association between Spatially Measured Walking Bouts and Neighborhood Walkability Hwang LD, Hurvitz PM, Duncan GE Walking is the most popular choice of aerobic physical activity to improve health among U.S. adults. Physical characteristics of the home neighborhood can facilitate or hinder walking. The purpose of this study was to quantify neighborhood walking, using objective methods and to examine the association between counts of walking […]
  • Alterations in Connectivity on Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging with Provocation of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: A MAPP Research Network Feasibility Study of Urological Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndromes Kleinhans NM, Yang CC, Strachan ED, Buchwald DS, Maravilla KR Purpose Urological chronic pelvic pain syndromes have refractory bladder or pelvic pain as the dominant symptom. This has been attributed to changes in the central nervous system caused by a chronic barrage of noxious stimuli. We developed what is to our knowledge a novel challenge […]
  • Brain regulation of appetite in twins Melhorn SJ, Mehta S, Kratz M, Tyagi V, Webb MF, Noonan CJ, Buchwald DS, Goldberg J, Maravilla KR, Grabowski TJ, Schur EA Background Neural responses to highly energetic food cues are robust and are suppressed by eating. It is not known if neural responsiveness to food cues is an inherited trait and possibly even one […]
  • Socioeconomic modifiers of genetic and environmental influences on body mass index in adult twins Dinescu D, Horn EE, Duncan G, Turkheimer E Objective Individual measures of socioeconomic status (SES) suppress genetic variance in body mass index (BMI). Our objective was to examine the influence of both individual-level (i.e., educational attainment, household income) and macrolevel (i.e., neighborhood socioeconomic advantage) SES indicators on genetic contributions to BMI. Method The study used […]
  • Sleep Duration and Area-Level Deprivation in Twins Watson NF, Horn E, Duncan GE, Buchwald D, Vitiello MV, Turkheimer E Study Objectives We used quantitative genetic models to assess whether area-level deprivation as indicated by the Singh Index predicts shorter sleep duration and modifies its underlying genetic and environmental contributions. Methods Participants were 4,218 adult twin pairs (2,377 monozygotic and 1,841 dizygotic) from […]
  • Familial Contributions to Self-Reported Sleep and Pain in Female Twins Godfrey KM, Strachan E, Mostoufi S, Poeschla B, Succop A, Afari N The relationship between sleep quality and pain has been studied in populations with chronic pain and in nonclinical populations using experimental paradigms. Little is known about the familial contributions to this relationship. This study examines self-reported sleep quality and pain in a nonclinical […]
  • Zygosity Differences in Height and Body Mass Index of Twins From Infancy to Old Age: A Study of the CODATwins Project Jelenkovic A, Craig JM, Sumathipala A, Harden KP, Cozen W, Mack TM, Hopper JL, Duncan GE, Buchwald D, Sung J, Harris JR, Busjahn A, Goldberg JH, Kaprio J, Silventoinen K, et al. A trend toward greater body size in dizygotic (DZ) than in monozygotic (MZ) twins has been suggested by some but not all studies, and this difference […]
  • Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number in Sleep Duration Discordant Monozygotic Twins Wrede JE, Mengel-From J, Buchwald D, Vitiello MV, Bamshad M, Noonan C, Christiansen L, Christensen K, Watson NF Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number is an important component of mitochondrial function and varies with age, disease, and environmental factors. We aimed to determine whether mtDNA copy number varies with habitual differences in sleep duration within pairs […]
  • In adult twins, visceral fat accumulation depends more on exceeding sex-specific adiposity thresholds than on genetics Bosch TA, Chow L, Dengel DR, Melhorn SJ, Webb M, Yancey D, Callahan H, De Leon MRB, Tyagi V, Schur EA We recently reported sex-specific percent body fat (%BF) thresholds (males = 23%, females = 38%) above which, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) significantly increases. Using monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins, we examined the influence of genetics on regional […]
  • Associations Between Fast-Food Consumption and Body Mass Index: A Cross-Sectional Study in Adult Twins Cohen-Cline H, Lau R, Moudon AV, Turkheimer E, Duncan GE Obesity is a substantial health problem in the United States, and is associated with many chronic diseases. Previous studies have linked poor dietary habits to obesity. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the association between body mass index (BMI) and fast-food consumption among 669 same-sex […]
  • The CODATwins Project The Cohort Description of Collaborative Project of Development of Anthropometrical Measures in Twins to Study Macro-Environmental Variation in Genetic and Environmental Effects on Anthropometric Traits Silventoinen K, Craig JM, Sumathipala A, Harden KP, Cozen W, Mack TM, Hopper JL, Duncan GE, Buchwald D, Sung J, Harris JR, Busjahn A, Goldberg JH, Kaprio J, et al. […]
  • Behavioral and Environmental Modification of the Genetic Influence on Body Mass Index: A Twin Study Horn EE, Turkheimer E, Strachan E, Duncan GE Body mass index (BMI) has a strong genetic basis, with a heritability around 0.75, but is also influenced by numerous behavioral and environmental factors. Aspects of the built environment (e.g., environmental walkability) are hypothesized to influence obesity by directly affecting BMI, by facilitating or inhibiting behaviors such […]
  • Access to green space, physical activity and mental health: a twin study Cohen-Cline H, Turkheimer E, Duncan GE Increasing global urbanisation has resulted in a greater proportion of the world’s population becoming exposed to risk factors unique to urban areas, and understanding these effects on public health is essential. The aim of this study was to examine the association between access to green space and mental health […]
  • Heritability of Pain Catastrophizing and Associations with Experimental Pain Outcomes: A Twin Study Trost Z, Strachan E, Sullivan M, Vervoort T, Avery AR, Afari N This study used a twin paradigm to examine genetic and environmental contributions to pain catastrophizing and the observed association between pain catastrophizing and cold-pressor task (CPT) outcomes. Male and female monozygotic (n = 206) and dizygotic twins (n = 194) from the University […]
  • Quasi-causal associations of physical activity and neighborhood walkability with body mass index: A twin study Duncan GE, Cash SW, Horn EE, Turkheimer E Physical activity, neighborhood walkability, and body mass index (BMI, kg/m(2)) associations were tested using quasi-experimental twin methods. We hypothesized that physical activity and walkability were independently associated with BMI within twin pairs, controlling for genetic and environmental background shared between them. Data were from 6376 (64% female; 58% […]
  • Clinical and evoked pain, personality traits, and emotional states: Can familial confounding explain the associations? Strachan E, Poeschla B, Dansie E, Succop A, Chopko L, Afari N Pain is a complex phenomenon influenced by context and person-specific factors. Affective dimensions of pain involve both enduring personality traits and fleeting emotional states. We examined how personality traits and emotional states are linked with clinical and evoked pain in a twin sample. 99 […]
  • International Network of Twin Registries (INTR): Building a Platform for International Collaboration. Buchwald D, Kaprio J, Hopper J, Sung J, Goldberg J, Fortier I, Busjahn A, Sumathipala A, Cozen W, Mack T, Craig J, Harris J The International Network of Twin Registries (INTR) aims to foster scientific collaboration and promote twin research on a global scale by working to expand the resources of twin registries around the […]
  • Stepping towards causation in studies of neighborhood and environmental effects: How twin research can overcome problems of selection and reverse causation Duncan GE, Mills B, Strachan E, Hurvitz P, Huang R, Moudon AV, Turkheimer E No causal evidence is available to translate associations between neighborhood characteristics and health outcomes into beneficial changes to built environments. Observed associations may be causal or result from uncontrolled confounds related to family upbringing. Twin designs can help neighborhood effects studies […]
  • A twin study of differences in the response of plasma ghrelin to a milkshake preload in restrained eaters Myhre R, Kratz M, Goldberg J, Polivy J, Melhorn S, Buchwald D, Cummings DE, Schur EA Genetic, physiological, and psychological factors can affect food intake, but twin studies can distinguish inherited from environmental contributors. We examined the influence of attempted cognitive control of eating (“restrained eating”) on levels of appetite-regulating hormones. Sixteen female, monozygotic twin pairs, […]
  • Does caregiving cause psychological distress? The case for familial and genetic vulnerabilities in female twins Vitaliano P, Strachan E, Dansie E, Goldberg J, Buchwald D Informal caregiving can be deleterious to mental health, but research results are inconsistent and may reflect an interaction between caregiving and vulnerability to stress.We examined psychological distress among 1,228 female caregiving and non-caregiving twins. By examining monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs discordant for caregiving, we […]
  • Salivary cortisol and cold pain sensitivity in female twins Godfrey KM, Strachan E, Dansie E, Crofford LJ, Buchwald D, Goldberg J, Poeschla B, Succop A, Noonan C, Afari N There is a dearth of knowledge about the link between cortisol and pain sensitivity. We examined the association of salivary cortisol with indices of cold pain sensitivity in 198 female twins and explored the role of […]
  • Moderation of Genetic and Environmental Influences on Diurnal Preference by Age in Adult Twins Barclay NL, Watson NF, Goldberg J, Buchwald D Diurnal preference changes across the lifespan. However, the mechanisms underlying this age-related shift are poorly understood. The aim of this twin study was to determine the extent to which genetic and environmental influences on diurnal preference are moderated by age. Seven hundred and sixty-eight monozygotic and 674 dizygotic […]
  • Sleep duration and depressive symptoms: a gene-environment interaction Watson NF, Harden KP, Buchwald D, Vitiello MV, Pack AI, Strachan E, Goldberg J We used quantitative genetic models to assess whether sleep duration modifies genetic and environmental influences on depressive symptoms. Participants were 1,788 adult twins from 894 same-sex twin pairs (192 male and 412 female monozygotic [MZ] pairs, and 81 male and 209 female […]
  • Emerging technologies for assessing physical activity behaviors in space and time Hurvitz PM, Moudon AV, Kang B, Saelens BE, Duncan GE Precise measurement of physical activity is important for health research, providing a better understanding of activity location, type, duration, and intensity. This article describes a novel suite of tools to measure and analyze physical activity behaviors in spatial epidemiology research. We use individual-level, high-resolution, objective […]
  • A Twin Study of Genetic Influences on Diurnal Preference and Risk for Alcohol Use Outcomes Watson NF, Buchwald D, Harden KP The population-based University of Washington Twin Registry (UWTR) was used to examine (1) genetic influences on chronobiology and (2) whether these genetic factors influence alcohol-use phenotypes. We used a reduced Horne-Östberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (rMEQ) to survey UWTR participants for diurnal preference. Frequency and quantity of alcohol use, as well as […]
  • Age at dieting onset, body mass index, and dieting practices: A twin study Enriquez E, Duncan GE, Schur E Using a twin study design, we sought to determine whether an early age at dieting onset is a risk factor for higher adult body mass index (BMI) or use of risky dieting practices, independent of genetic and familial factors. Female twins ages 18-60 years (N=950) from the University of Washington […]
  • Adverse childhood experiences, health perception, and the role of shared familial factors in adult twins Mostoufi S, Strachan E, Chopko L, Succop A, Martinez B, Ahumada S, Afari N To examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and health perception in adulthood, and to explore the contribution of shared familial factors to these associations. Data were collected from 180 female twins (90 pairs) from the community-based University of Washington […]
  • Current Smoking as a Predictor of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in Young Adult Twins Holley AL, Law EF, Tham SW, Myaing M, Noonan C, Strachan E, Palermo TM Chronic pain is common during adolescence and young adulthood and is associated with poor quality of life, depression, and functional disability. Recognizing that chronic pain has significant consequences, it is important to identify modifiable health behaviors that may place young adults […]
  • Can familial factors account for the association of body mass index with poor mental health in men or women? Schur E, Godfrey KM, Dansie E, Buchwald D, Pagoto S, Afari N This study examined if associations between body mass index (BMI) and mental and physical health were independent of genetic and familial factors. Data from 2831 twins (66% female) were used in an epidemiological co-twin control design with measures of BMI and mental and physical […]
  • The University of Washington Twin Registry: Poised for the next generation of twin research Strachan E, Hunt C, Afari N, Duncan G, Noonan C, Schur E, Watson N, Goldberg J, Buchwald D The University of Washington Twin Registry is a unique community-based registry of twin pairs who join specifically to participate in scientific research. It was founded in 2002 to serve as a resource for investigators throughout the scientific […]
  • Sleep duration and body mass index in twins: a gene-environment interaction Watson NF, Harden KP, Buchwald D, Vitiello MV, Pack AI, Weigle DS, Goldberg J To examine whether sleep duration modifies genetic and environmental influences on body mass index (BMI), investigators conducted a genotype-environment interaction twin study. the dataset included twin pairs from the University of Washington Twin Registry (1,088 pairs, 604 monozygotic, 484 dizygotic; 66% female; […]
  • Genetic and environmental influences on residential location in the US Duncan GE, Dansie EJ, Strachan E, Munsell M, Huang R, Vernez Moudon A, Goldberg J, Buchwald D We used a classical twin design and measures of neighborhood walkability and social deprivation, using each twin’s street address, to examine genetic and environmental influences on the residential location of 1389 same-sex pairs from a US community-based twin […]
  • The comorbidity of self-reported chronic fatigue syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, and traumatic symptoms Dansie EJ, Heppner P, Furberg H, Goldberg J, Buchwald D, Afari N Data from primary care and community samples suggest higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). This study investigated the co-occurrence of CFS, PTSD, and trauma symptoms and assessed the contribution of familial factors to the association of […]
  • Temporomandibular disorder-type pain and migraine headache in women: a preliminary twin study Plesh O, Noonan C, Buchwald DS, Goldberg J, Afari N To determine whether shared genetic influences are responsible for the association between pain from temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and migraine headache. Data were obtained from 1,236 monozygotic and 570 dizygotic female twin pairs from the University of Washington Twin Registry. TMD pain was assessed with a question […]
  • Acquired differences in brain responses among monozygotic twins discordant for restrained eating Schur EA, Kleinhans NM, Goldberg J, Buchwald DS, Polivy J, Del Parigi A, Maravilla KR We studied whether self-reported intent to exert cognitive control over eating was associated with differences in brain response to food cues, independent of genetic background. Subjects were ten pairs of identical twins in which one twin was a restrained eater […]
  • Is circadian type associated with sleep duration in twins? Watson NF, Buchwald D, Noonan C, Vitiello MV, Pack AI, Goldberg J We used the community-based University of Washington Twin Registry to investigate the genetic association between circadian type and sleep duration. Habitual sleep duration was obtained by self-report and circadian type was measured using a reduced 5-item Horne–Östberg Morningness–Eveningness questionnaire. Univariate and bivariate genetic […]
  • C-Reactive Protein and Pain Sensitivity: Findings from Female Twins Afari N, Mostoufi S, Noonan C, Poeschla B, Succop A, Chopko L, Strachan E Systemic inflammation and pain sensitivity may contribute to the development and maintenance of chronic pain conditions. We examined the relationship between systemic inflammation as measured by C-reactive protein (CRP) and cold pain sensitivity in 198 female twins from the University of Washington […]
  • The association of restrained eating with weight change over time in a community-based sample of twins Schur EA, Heckbert SR, Goldberg JH We investigated the association of restrained eating with BMI and weight gain while controlling for the influence of genes and shared environment. Participants were 1,587 twins enrolled in the University of Washington Twin Registry (UWTR). Restrained eating was assessed by the Herman and Polivy Restraint Scale. Height and weight […]
  • Depression and obesity: Do shared genes explain the relationship? Afari N, Noonan C, Goldberg J, Roy-Byrne P, Schur E, Golnari G, Buchwald D Studies have found a modest association between depression and obesity, especially in women. Given the substantial genetic contribution to both depression and obesity, we sought to determine whether shared genetic influences are responsible for the association between these 2 conditions. Data were […]
  • Chronic pain, overweight, and obesity: Findings from a community-based twin registry Wright LJ, Schur E, Noonan C, Ahumada S, Buchwald D, Afari N Chronic pain and obesity, and their associated impairments, are major health concerns. We estimated the association of overweight and obesity with 5 distinct pain conditions and 3 pain symptoms, and examined whether familial influences explained these relationships. We used data collected from 3,471 twins […]
  • Psychological distress in twins with urological symptoms Wright LJ, Noonan C, Ahumada S, Rodriguez MAB, Buchwald D, Afari N Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) is a chronic pain condition with unclear underlying etiology. Our objectives were to determine whether psychological distress was higher in twins with urological symptoms commonly found in IC/PBS than in twins without, and if so, did familial influences […]
  • A twin study of sleep duration and body mass index Watson NF, Buchwald D, Vitiello M, Noonan C, Goldberg J To determine the relative importance of genetic and environmental contributions to the association between sleep duration and body mass index (BMI), twins from the University of Washington Twin Registry, a community-based sample of U.S. twins, provided self-reported height and weight for BMI calculation and habitual […]
  • Genetic and environmental influences on restrained eating behavior Schur E, Noonan C, Polivy J, Goldberg J, Buchwald D We examined the relative contributions of genetic and environmental influences to restrained eating. Restrained eating was assessed by the Restraint Scale in a survey mailed to all twins enrolled in the University of Washington Twin Registry. We used structural equation modeling to estimate genetic and non-genetic […]
  • A twin study of depression and migraine: Evidence for a shared genetic vulnerability Schur E, Noonan C, Buchwald D, Goldberg J, Afari N To determine if shared genetic or environmental vulnerabilities could underlie depression and migraine. Depression and migraine headaches frequently coexist and their comorbidity may be due to shared etiologies. Female twins in the University of Washington Twin Registry responded to a mailed survey regarding their health history. Depression […]
  • Are post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and temporomandibular pain associated? Findings from a community-based twin registry Afari N, Wen Y, Buchwald D, Goldberg J, Plesh O The goals of this study were to determine if symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are related to the pain of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in a community-based sample of female twin pairs, and if so, to ascertain if the association is due to the presence […]
  • Unique environmental effects on physical activity participation: a twin study Duncan GE, Goldberg J, Noonan C, Moudon AV, Hurvitz P, Buchwald D The health benefits of regular physical activity are well established. However, the relative contribution of heritable and environmental factors to physical activity participation remains controversial. Using a cut-point of 60 minutes of total activity per week, data from the GenomEUtwin project revealed consistent […]
  • Twin analyses of fatigue Schur E, Afari N, Goldberg J, Buchwald D, Sullivan PF Prolonged fatigue of ≥1 month duration and chronic fatigue of ≥6 months duration are both commonly seen in clinical practice, yet little is known about the etiology or epidemiology of either symptom. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), while rarer, presents similar challenges in determining cause and […]
  • Feeling bad in more ways than one: comorbidity patterns of medically unexplained and psychiatric conditions Schur E, Afari N, Furberg H, Olarte M, Goldberg J, Sullivan PF, Buchwald D Considerable overlap in symptoms and disease comorbidity has been noted among medically unexplained and psychiatric conditions seen in the primary care setting, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, low back pain, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic tension headache, fibromyalgia, temporomandibular joint disorder, major […]
  • University of Washington Twin Registry: construction and characteristics of a community-based twin registry Afari N, Noonan C, Goldberg J, Edwards K, Gadepalli K, Osterman B, Evanoff C, Buchwald D The University of Washington Twin Registry is a community-based registry of twins identified from the Washington State Department of Licensing. A fortuitous quirk in the Washington State drivers’ license and identification number assignment, and collaborative Washington State laws, permitted […]
  • A twin study of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and chronic widespread pain Arguelles LM, Afari N, Buchwald D, Clauw DJ, Furner S, Goldberg J Previous studies of the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic widespread pain (CWP) or fibromyalgia have not examined the role of familial or genetic factors. The goals of this study were to determine if symptoms of PTSD are related to CWP […]
  • Is the association between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and poor health due to a common familial or genetic factor? Roy-Byrne P, Noonan C, Afari N, Buchwald D, Goldberg J The objective of this study was to identify genetic, familial and environmental contributions to the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and poor health. A community sample of 1852 twin pairs was assessed for symptoms of PTSD [with the Impact of Events Scale (IES)] and […]
  • Genetic and environmental influences on insomnia, daytime sleepiness, and obesity in twins Watson NF, Goldberg J, Arguelles LM, Buchwald D To better understand the relationships of insomnia, sleepiness, and obesity, investigators conducted a classical twin study utilizing the community-based University of Washington Twin Registry. The dataset was comprised of 1042 monozygotic and 828 dizygotic twin pairs. Twins were, on average, 32 years old; 61% were women, and 19.5% were obese, […]
  • Genetic pleiotropy between asthma and obesity in a community-based sample of twins Hallstrand TS, Fischer ME, Wurfel MM, Afari N, Buchwald D, Goldberg J Asthma and obesity are common conditions that are strongly associated. This association might be due to shared genetic or environmental causes. We sought to determine whether a shared genetic cause is responsible for the association between asthma and obesity and to estimate the magnitude […]

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