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Genetic and Environmental Variation in Continuous Phenotypes in the ABCD Study®.

Hermine H M Maes1,2,3, Dana M Lapato4, J Eric Schmitt5

  • 1Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, PO Box 980033, Richmond, VA, 23298-0033, USA. hmaes@vcu.edu.

Behavior Genetics
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Summary

This study provides initial heritability estimates for diverse human traits using twin data from the ABCD Study, creating an online resource for future behavior genetic research.

Keywords:
ABCDAdolescenceChildrenCognitionCognitive abilitiesEnvironmentFAIR dataGeneticsHeritabilityNeuroscienceOpen sciencePersonalityPsychiatric disordersSubstance useTwin

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Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Genetics
  • Human Trait Variation
  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychopathology

Background:

  • Twin studies are crucial for understanding the genetic and environmental influences on human traits.
  • The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study® offers a unique opportunity for population-based twin research.
  • Existing twin data lacks comprehensive heritability estimates for many phenotypes assessed in the ABCD Study.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To estimate the heritability of a wide range of phenotypes within the ABCD Study using a consistent variance estimation approach.
  • To establish an accessible online resource for researchers, providing genetic and environmental variation estimates for ABCD Study data.
  • To ensure data and methodology are sound for future behavior genetic studies.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from 772 twin pairs (aged 9-10 years) with genotypically confirmed zygosity.
  • Application of an unconstrained variance approach for direct estimation of genetic and environmental influences.
  • Statistical control for effects of site, race/ethnicity, age, and sex.

Main Results:

  • Provided initial heritability estimates for over 14,500 phenotypic features, including neuroimaging, neurocognition, personality, and psychopathology.
  • Demonstrated broad consistency with existing literature while offering novel estimates for understudied phenotypes.
  • Developed an online tool presenting twin correlations and genetic/environmental variation estimates for 53,172 variables.

Conclusions:

  • The ABCD Study twin data provides a valuable resource for behavior genetic research, offering robust heritability estimates.
  • The online tool facilitates access to these estimates, supporting future meta-analyses and diverse research questions.
  • Findings support the utility of the ABCD Study dataset for investigating the etiology of human traits.