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Twin-singleton differences in brain structure using structural equation modelling.

H E Hulshoff Pol1, Daniëlle Posthuma, Wim F C Baaré

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands. h.e.hulshoff@azu.nl

Brain : a Journal of Neurology
|February 15, 2002
PubMed
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Second-born twins show smaller intracranial volume than first-born twins and siblings, suggesting altered early development. Despite this, twin studies remain reliable for generalizing brain volume heritability to the singleton population.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Human Genetics
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Twin studies are crucial for understanding genetic influences on brain morphology.
  • Concerns exist regarding the generalizability of twin study findings due to environmental differences between twins and singletons.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether twin-singleton differences impact the interpretation of genetic contributions to brain volume variation.
  • To assess the influence of birth order, zygosity, and twin-sibling status on brain morphology.

Main Methods:

  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans of 112 twin pairs and 34 siblings (mean age 30.7 years).
  • Maximum-likelihood model fitting to analyze variances related to birth order, zygosity, and twin-singleton status.
  • Comparison of intracranial volume, grey matter, white matter, and ventricle volumes.

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Main Results:

  • Homogeneous variances observed across birth order, zygosity, and twin-singleton status.
  • Second-born twins had smaller intracranial volume than first-born twins and siblings.
  • Differences in grey and white matter volumes between groups were not significant after correcting for intracranial volume.

Conclusions:

  • Second-born twins exhibit reduced intracranial volume, potentially due to suboptimal perinatal environments.
  • Despite birth order effects, twin studies provide reliable and generalizable estimates of brain volume heritability for the singleton population.