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PubMed1987

Health assessment in the Framingham Offspring Study: a research proposal.

This paper proposes that a broader health assessment be made in the Framingham Offspring/Spouse Study than is undertaken in the Framingham Study. The Offspring Study is composed of the children (and their spouses) of the members of the original Framingham Study cohort. The Offspring population has a broader age range and an average age that is approximately 30 years younger than the original parent cohort. Therefore, mortality and morbidity measures, which were used as indices of health status for the parent cohort and which focus on the negative "sickness" component of health, are less appropriate for use in this relatively healthy population. Thus, we propose a broader conceptual framework of health that emphasizes the positive "wellness" side of the health continuum. The essential components of the comprehensive health index we describe include global health perceptions, measures of physical, mental, and social functioning across valued social roles, the ability to withstand stress as mediated by the coping process and social resources, and the assessment of genetic, behavioral, and physiological risk factors. One purpose of the proposal is to stimulate discussion in the hope of achieving general agreement regarding a shared conceptual frame of reference that would guide the development and testing of a reliable and valid health status instrument.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1985

Exploratory behavior of two species of murid rodents, Acomys cahirinus and Mus musculus: a comparative study.

The exploratory behavior of two species of murid rodents, Acomys cahirinus and Mus musculus, was compared in four experiments: In the first, the responses of the two species to a novel arena were studied. Mus was found to take longer to enter the arena, and to spend more time in the relatively familiar or safer start box, than was Acomys. The results suggest that Acomys may persevere longer in exploring particular areas, whereas Mus appear to explore in the open arena by using frequent shifts of attention. The second experiment investigated species differences in response to the addition of a small novel object. Although the species did respond differently, the major species differences seemed to be related more to the open arena than to the object. The third experiment tested the hypothesis that both species would explore more if there was somewhere to hide (e.g., an artificial burrow) than if there was not. It was found that Acomys treated the available artificial burrow as another novel object, while Mus, as predicted, spent more time hiding inside it than did Acomys. The fourth experiment investigated burrow use when a model "predator" was introduced: Both species increased their use of the burrow but some species differences were found. Mus responded to the model more by freezing, or running immediately into the burrow; Acomys responded more by fleeing.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Pain imaging: future applications to integrative clinical and basic neurobiology.

We have entered a new era in understanding CNS circuitry involved in acute and chronic pain. The ability to objectively measure a pain or analgesic state of the brain using non-invasive methods that define neural activation provides the possibility for top-down approaches to drug discovery. These brain maps represent the specific brain state. In the future, correlations with such states and behavioral, genetic, epigenetic or other chemical markers may help define specific diagnostic tools and novel approaches to drug discovery.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Historical review of research on protein kinase C in learning and memory.

1. In 1977, the discovery of a new type of kinase was reported, which turned out to be a receptor for phorbol esters. Thereafter, several mechanisms regulating PKC activity and various PKC subtypes have been discovered. 2. A role for PKC in synaptic plasticity and information storage has been postulated in the mid-1980s. An important role for PKC has since been suggested in several learning and memory models, in which persistent changes in the activation of PKC outlasting the initial stimulating event are thought to be crucial. 3. A vast number of experiments have further substantiated a role of PKC in learning and memory using, molecular genetic, behavioral, pharmacological, electrophysiological or immunocytochemical approaches in the late 1980s and the 1990s. PKC research of the past decade or so of has shown some exciting aspects of the putative role of PKC in synaptic plasticity and information storage. 4. The authors have provided highlights (Table 1) on research on PKC.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

P300 amplitude in adolescent twins discordant and concordant for alcohol use disorders.

The sons of alcoholics have repeatedly been found to have reduced P300 amplitude. Further, quantitative behavioral genetic and molecular genetic studies indicating a genetic influence on P300 amplitude have fueled speculation that this component may be a biological vulnerability marker for alcoholism. To further explore this possibility, we examined P300 in adolescent twin pairs from an epidemiological sample who were (a) discordant for alcohol abuse/dependence, (b) concordant for alcohol abuse/dependence, or (c) concordant for the absence of alcohol abuse/dependence and other relevant disorders. For discordant pairs, the alcohol abusing/dependent twins' amplitude did not differ from that of non-alcoholic co-twins. Pairs free of psychopathology had greater amplitudes than both alcoholism discordant and concordant pairs. P300 amplitude was more similar in monozygotic than dizygotic discordant pairs, suggesting a genetic influence on P300 amplitude in this group. The findings are consistent with P300 amplitude being a marker of vulnerability to alcohol use disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Confirmatory factor analysis of reading and mathematics performance: a twin study.

Reading and mathematics performance data from a sample of 264 reading-disabled twin pairs and 182 matched control twin pairs were subjected to multivariate behavior genetic analysis. The factor structure of reading and math performance measures was found to be highly similar for both groups. Consistent with previous findings obtained using alternative methods, a significant heritable component to individual differences in reading performance was found both within the reading-disabled (h2 = 0.78) and control (h2 = 0.74) twin samples. In addition, a substantial genetic influence on mathematics performance was found (h2 = 0.51 and 0.60 in the reading-disabled and control samples, respectively), although shared environmental influences common to both members of a twin pair also contribute significantly to the variance in math scores of both groups (c2 = 0.44 and 0.37). Moreover, genetic influences accounted for 98% of the observed correlation between reading and math performance within the sample of reading-disabled twin pairs, and for 55% of the observed correlation in the control sample. Thus, individual differences in both reading and mathematics performance are highly heritable and appear to be caused by many of the same genetic influences.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

How similar are fluid cognition and general intelligence? A developmental neuroscience perspective on fluid cognition as an aspect of human cognitive ability.

This target article considers the relation of fluid cognitive functioning to general intelligence. A neurobiological model differentiating working memory/executive function cognitive processes of the prefrontal cortex from aspects of psychometrically defined general intelligence is presented. Work examining the rise in mean intelligence-test performance between normative cohorts, the neuropsychology and neuroscience of cognitive function in typically and atypically developing human populations, and stress, brain development, and corticolimbic connectivity in human and nonhuman animal models is reviewed and found to provide evidence of mechanisms through which early experience affects the development of an aspect of cognition closely related to, but distinct from, general intelligence. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of emotion in fluid cognition and on research indicating fluid cognitive deficits associated with early hippocampal pathology and with dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis stress-response system. Findings are seen to be consistent with the idea of an independent fluid cognitive construct and to assist with the interpretation of findings from the study of early compensatory education for children facing psychosocial adversity and from behavior genetic research on intelligence. It is concluded that ongoing development of neurobiologically grounded measures of fluid cognitive skills appropriate for young children will play a key role in understanding early mental development and the adaptive success to which it is related, particularly for young children facing social and economic disadvantage. Specifically, in the evaluation of the efficacy of compensatory education efforts such as Head Start and the readiness for school of children from diverse backgrounds, it is important to distinguish fluid cognition from psychometrically defined general intelligence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

The heritability of personality factors in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Human personality and behavior genetic studies have resulted in a growing consensus that five heritable factors account for most variance in human personality. Prior research showed that chimpanzee personality is composed of a dominance-related factor and five human-like factors--Surgency, Dependability, Emotional Stability, Agreeableness, and Openness. Genetic, shared zoo, and nonshared environmental variance components of the six factors were estimated by regressing squared phenotypic differences of all possible pairs of chimpanzees onto 1 - Rij, where Rij equals the degree of relationship and a variable indicating whether the pair was housed in the same zoo. Dominance showed significant narrow-sense heritability. Shared zoo effects accounted for only a negligible proportion of the variance for all factors.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Genotypic differences between C57BL/6 and A inbred mice in anxiolytic and sedative actions of diazepam.

The role of genotype in susceptibility to the behavioral actions of benzodiazepines is not well characterized. To develop a model for such studies, we have characterized the anxiolytic and sedative activities of diazepam in C57BL/6J and A/J inbred mice. C57BL/6J mice were more responsive than A/J mice to diazepam-induced anxiolytic-like activity in the mirrored chamber aversion assay and the elevated plus-maze assay. Basal activity of the two strains did not differ in either assay. In contrast, the two strains were equally responsive to the anxiolytic effects of the 5-HT1A receptor partial agonist, buspirone. C57BL/6J mice were also more susceptible to the sedative effects of diazepam than were A/J mice. Flumazenil blocked the effects of diazepam in these behavioral assays. Measurement of diazepam and nordiazepam in blood and brain suggested that the response differences are of a pharmacodynamic rather than a pharmacokinetic nature. Taken together, these findings indicate that C57BL/6J and A/J mice provide a valuable tool for behavioral genetic studies of the mechanisms underlying the pharmacological actions of benzodiazepines.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

New concepts of physiology in obese patients.

According to recent statistical observations, obesity is one of the most common and steadily increasing diseases in the United States, with more than 7.5% of the population suffering from its morbid form. Many different studies have been undertaken with a focus on behavioral, genetic, and epidemiological aspects of this serious health concern, but its etiology and characteristics have not yet been fully defined. The obese patient represents multiple problems for the clinical physician. The biggest is the fact that the bariatric patient does not follow the common physiology learned during medical school, and therefore some morbidities and mortalities have been underevaluated and not treated adequately or promptly. To fully understand all the causes relating to the higher incidence of morbidity and mortality in obese patients, further delineation of the underlying pathophysiology is necessary. In the present article, several new physiologic concepts, based on clinical observation and specific to this population, are presented. Further clinical and experimental studies are necessary to further elucidate the etiology and to define all possible contributing factors for a full understanding of this fastest-growing disease of the new century.

Humans↗
PubMed1996

Introduction to the special section on attachment and psychopathology: 2. Overview of the field of attachment.

J. Bowlby (1969) proposed that the child's insistence on maintainance of proximity to protective (parental) figures was attributable to the activities of an attachment behavioral system which regulates primate safety and survival. M. D. S. Ainsworth, M. C. Blehar, E. Waters, and S. Wall's (1978) Strange Situation procedure later delineated 3 categories of 1-year-old response to brief laboratory separations from the parent (secure, avoidant, and resistant), each found systematically related to parent-infant interaction, and predictive of favorable versus unfavorable sequelae in middle childhood. Recently, a fourth, disorganized-disoriented infant Strange Situation category has been identified, and infant attachment has been found to predict child narratives. Additionally, an Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and corresponding system of discourse analysis has been devised that assesses variations in the ability to maintain coherent, collaborative discourse while discussing early relationships and their influences. Among parents, differences in patterning of AAI response predict corresponding forms of infant Strange Situation behavior, both concurrently and before the birth of the first child. Parents who are coherent-collaborative in discussing even highly unfavorable histories have infants who are secure. A strong majority of clinically distressed individuals are insecure with respect to attachment, and special vulnerabilities are appearing in disorganized-disoriented children. Relations to behavior genetics, family interaction patterns, psychophysiology, and treatment outcome studies are emerging or are anticipated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Individual differences in adult ego development: sources of influence in twins reared apart.

A behavior genetic analysis of the personality dimension of ego development, as assessed by the Washington University Sentence Completion Test, was carried out on a sample of 45 pairs of monozygotic twins and 28 pairs of same-sex dizygotic twins. The twins ranged in age from 16 to 70 years at the time of assessment, had been separated during infancy, and had been raised apart in adoptive homes before being reunited in adulthood. Analyses indicated that reared-apart twins were similar in trait levels of ego development and that such similarity could not solely be attributed to measured similarity in cognitive ability, including verbal reasoning. Estimates of broad similarity for ego development (46%) were comparable to values reported for other major personality dimensions. Phenotypic variance in adult levels of ego development appears to have substantial genetic and environmental sources.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

EAS temperaments during the last half of the life span: twins reared apart and twins reared together.

In this first behavioral genetic study of personality in the last half of the life span, results are reported using the powerful adoption/twin design that compares identical and fraternal twins reared apart and identical and fraternal twins reared together. Traits studied were the EAS temperaments (emotionality, activity level, and sociability), traits that show substantial genetic influence in childhood. It was hypothesized that the EAS traits would also show significant genetic influence later in life and that most of the environmental variation would be nonshared--that is, twins reared together would show no greater resemblance for the EAS traits than twins reared apart. Both hypotheses are supported.

Adoption↗
PubMed1988

Genotype-environment interaction in personality development: identical twins reared apart.

The focus of this study is to identify specific genotype-environment (GE) interactions as they contribute to individual differences in personality in later life. In behavioral genetics, GE interaction refers to the possibility that individuals of different genotypes may respond differently to specific environments. A sample of 99 pairs of identical twins reared apart, whose average age is 59 years, has been studied as part of the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA). Hierarchical multiple regression was used to detect interactions between personality and environmental measures after the main effects of genotype and environment were removed. Analyses yield evidence for 11 significant interactions that provide the first evidence for GE interaction in human development using specific environmental measures. Thus, in addition to the main-effect contributions of heredity and environment, GE interactions contribute to individual differences in personality as measured in the second half of the life course.

Adoption↗
PubMed2004

Identifying shared environmental contributions to early substance use: the respective roles of peers and parents.

Although behavior genetic studies have suggested that early substance use is primarily environmentally mediated, no study has sought to identify the specific sources of environmental variance. Using data obtained from multiple informants, this study assessed the contributions of peer deviance and parent-child relationship problems to substance use in 14-year-old male and female twins (N = 1,403) drawn from the Minnesota Twin Family Study (MTFS). All three phenotypes were influenced primarily by shared environmental variance (average c(2) =.51), as was the overlap among them. Moreover, peer deviance and parent-child relationship problems accounted for approximately 77% of the variance in early substance use. Findings also indicated that peer deviance, but not parent-child relationship problems, accounted uniquely for variance in early substance use.

Adolescent↗