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Longitudinal stability of the CBCL-juvenile bipolar disorder phenotype: A study in Dutch twins

Dorret I Boomsma1, Irene Rebollo, Eske M Derks

  • 1Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. dorret@psy.vu.nl

Biological Psychiatry
|June 1, 2006
PubMed

Insights

The Child Behavior Checklist-juvenile bipolar disorder phenotype (CBCL-JBD) shows high developmental stability in children. Genetic factors significantly contribute to this stability across childhood, increasing with age.

Area of Science:

  • Child psychology
  • Behavioral genetics
  • Psychiatric epidemiology

Background:

  • The Child Behavior Checklist-juvenile bipolar disorder phenotype (CBCL-JBD) is a validated measure of childhood behavior.
  • This phenotype predicts DSM-IV bipolar disorder and is distinct from other childhood syndromes.
  • Its genetic underpinnings differ from those of inattentive, aggressive, or anxious-depressed syndromes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the developmental stability of the CBCL-JBD phenotype from ages 7 to 12 years.
  • To investigate the genetic architecture of the CBCL-JBD phenotype over time.
  • To analyze a large, population-based twin sample for longitudinal behavioral genetics insights.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal analysis of Dutch twin pairs (N=8013).
  • Decomposition of CBCL-JBD phenotype stability into genetic and environmental influences.
  • Examination of monozygotic and dizygotic twin data.

Main Results:

  • Heritability of CBCL-JBD increases with age (63% to 75%).
  • Shared environmental influences decrease with age (20% to 8%).
  • Phenotype stability is high (correlations .66–.77), primarily driven by genetic factors; no sex differences observed.

Conclusions:

  • Childhood CBCL-JBD stability is largely attributed to additive genetic effects (approx. 80%).
  • Genetic factors play a crucial role in the persistence of this behavioral phenotype.
  • The findings highlight the enduring genetic influence on juvenile bipolar disorder traits.
Abstract

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