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Congenital dermatoglyphic malformations and psychosis: a twin study
A Rosa1, L Fañanas, H S Bracha
1Laboratori d'Antropologia, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.
The American Journal of Psychiatry
|August 31, 2000
Summary
Congenital dermatoglyphic abnormalities, like ridge dissociations and abnormal creases, are more common in individuals with psychotic disorders. These findings suggest early developmental factors may influence psychosis risk.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Previous twin studies indicated a higher prevalence of congenital dermatoglyphic abnormalities in twins with psychotic disorders.
- These abnormalities include ridge dissociations and abnormal palmar flexion creases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To replicate the association between dermatoglyphic abnormalities and psychotic disorders in an independent cohort.
- To investigate the role of early developmental factors in the etiology of psychosis.
Main Methods:
- Assessed ridge dissociations and abnormal palmar flexion creases in monozygotic twin pairs.
- Included pairs concordant (affected in both twins) and discordant (affected in one twin) for psychosis and related disorders.
Main Results:
- The presence of either abnormality was significantly higher in affected twins (37.7%) compared to unaffected discordant twins (20.0%).
- In discordant pairs, dermatoglyphic abnormalities were strongly associated with the presence of psychotic disorder (odds ratio=3.0).
Conclusions:
- Early fetal development factors may increase the risk for psychotic disorder.
- Differential exposure to these early risk factors could explain twin discordance for psychosis.
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