Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T19:45:33.541Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Heritability of Substance Use in the NAS-NRC Twin Registry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

D. Carmelli ,
G.E. Swan ,
D. Robinette  and
R.R. Fabsitz
D. Carmelli*
Affiliation:
SRI International, Menlo Park, California
G.E. Swan
Affiliation:
SRI International, Menlo Park, California
D. Robinette
Affiliation:
National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
R.R. Fabsitz
Affiliation:
National Heart, Lung, andBlood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
*
SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park CA 94025, USA

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

This study examines the heritability of cigarette smoking, alcohol, and coffee consumption in 4,960 adult, male twin pairs (2,390 MZ and 2,570 DZ pairs) participants in an epidemiologic survey of the NAS-NRC Twin Registry conducted in the USA during 1972-73. Heritability estimates for smoking, alcohol and coffee use were calculated both before and after adjustment for shared variance between these behaviors and other demographic characteristics including socioeconomic status and an occupational adjustment score. The objective of the analysis was to determine the impact of adjustment for covariates on heritability estimates of smoking, alcohol and coffee use. Before adjustment, genetic effects in smoking, alcohol and coffee use accounted for 53%, 36%, and 45% of the variance, respectively. After adjustment, the corresponding estimates were 35%, 29%, and 36%. The fact that these estimates remained significant after adjustment for covariates leads to increased confidence about the role of genetic factors in substance use behaviors.

Keywords

SmokingAlcoholCoffeeHeritabilityCovariate-adjustment
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae: twin research , Volume 39 , Issue 1 , January 1990 , pp. 91 - 98
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1990

References

REFERENCES

1.Austin, MA, King, MC, Bawol, RD, Hulley, SB, Friedman, GD (1987): Risk factors for coronary heart disease in adult female twins. Am J Epidemiol 125:308–318.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Carmelli, C, Rosenman, RH, Chesney, MA, Fabsitz, R, Borhani, N (1988): Genetic heritability and shared environmental influences of Type A measures in the NHLBI Twin Study. Am J Epidemiol 127:1041–1052.Google Scholar
3.Cederlof, SR, Epstein, FH, Frieberg, L, Hrubec, Z, Radford, EP (1971): Twin registries in the study of chronic disease. Acta Med Scand Suppl 523.Google Scholar
4.Christian, JC, Kang, KE, Norton, JA Jr (1974): Choice of an estimate of genetic variance from twin data. Am J Hum Genet 26:154–161.Google Scholar
5.Falconer, DS (1981): Introduction to Quantitative Genetics, 2nd Ed. London: Longmans.Google Scholar
6.Heath, AC, Neale, MC, Hewitt, JK, Eaves, LJ, Fulker, DW (1989): Testing structural equation models for twin data using LISREL. Behav Genet 19:9–35.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Hrubec, Z, Neel, JV (1978): The National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council Twin Registry: Ten years of operation. In Nance, WE (ed): Twin Research, Part B: Biology and Epidemiology. New York: Alan R Liss, pp 153–172.Google Scholar
8.Hughes, JR (1986): Genetics of smoking: A brief review. Behav Ther 17:335–345.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Istvan, J, Matarazzo, JD (1984): Tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine use: A review of their interrelationships. Psychol Bull 95:301–326.Google Scholar
10.Jablon, S, Neel, JV, Gershowitz, H, Atkinson, GF (1967): The NAS-NRC twin panel: Methods of construction of the panel, zygosity diagnosis, and proposed use. Am J Hum Genet 19:133–161.Google Scholar
11.Jardine, R, Martin, NG (1984): Causes of variation in drinking habits in a large twin sample. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 33:435–450.Google Scholar
12.Kaprio, J, Koskenvuo, M, Sarna, S (1981): Cigarette smoking, use of alcohol, and leisure-time physical activity among same-sexed adult male twins. In Gedda, L, Parisi, P, Nance, WE (eds): Twin Research 3: Part C, Epidemiological and Clinical Studies. New York: Alan R Liss, pp 37–46.Google Scholar
13.Kaprio, J, Koskenvuo, M, Langinvainio, H, Romanov, K, Sarna, S, Rose, RJ (1987): Genetic influences on use and abuse of alcohol: A study of 5,638 adult Finnish twin brothers. Alcohol Clin Exper Res 11:349–356.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14.Kaprio, J, Koskenvuo, M (1988): A prospective study of psychological and socioeconomic characteristics, health behavior and morbidity in cigarette smokers prior to quitting compared to persistent smokers and non-smokers. Clin Epidemiol 41:139–150.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15.Partanen, J, Brunn, K, Markkanen, T (1966): Inheritance of Drinking Behavior: A Study of Intelligence, Personality and Use of Alcohol of Adult Twins. Oslo: The Finnish Foundation for Alcohol Studies.Google Scholar
16.Pedersen, N (1981): Twin similarity for usage of common drugs. In Gedda, L, Parisi, P, Nance, WE (eds): Twin Research 3: Part C, Epidemiological and Clinical Studies. New York: Alan R Liss, pp 53–59.Google Scholar