TY - JOUR
T1 - Neuroticism, major depression and gender
T2 - A population-based twin study
AU - Fanous, A.
AU - Gardner, C. O.
AU - Prescott, C. A.
AU - Cancro, R.
AU - Kendler, K. S.
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - Background. A portion of the genetic risk factors for the personality trait neuroticism (N) may also increase risk for major depression (MD). Females have both higher levels of N and higher rates of MD than males, suggesting that these traits may be more genetically correlated in females. Methods. Structured interviews, including a lifetime assessment for MD by DSM-III-R criteria, were administered to 863 male-male MZ (monozygotic), 649 male-male DZ (dizygotic), 506 female-female MZ, 345 female-female DZ, and 1408 opposite-sex twin pairs. N was assessed using the short-form of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. A sex-limited Cholesky model was fitted which allowed us to decompose into additive genetic, common environmental, and individual-specific environmental components two main classes of correlations: within-sex between-variable and between-sex within-variable. Results. Our best-fitting model contained only additive genetic and individual-specific environmental factors for both N and MD. The within-sex genetic correlations between N and MD were estimated at + 0.68 in men and + 0.49 in women. This model fitted only slightly better than one in which the N-MD within-sex genetic correlation was constrained to be equal across the sexes, and estimated at + 0.55. There may be sex-specific genes influencing both N and MD. Conclusion. Our best-fitting model failed to establish a significant sex difference in the genetic correlation between N and MD. These results, as well as evidence for sex-specific genetic factors for both traits, have implications for the diagnosis, classification, and treatment of the affective disorders, and molecular genetic approaches to the study of these traits.
AB - Background. A portion of the genetic risk factors for the personality trait neuroticism (N) may also increase risk for major depression (MD). Females have both higher levels of N and higher rates of MD than males, suggesting that these traits may be more genetically correlated in females. Methods. Structured interviews, including a lifetime assessment for MD by DSM-III-R criteria, were administered to 863 male-male MZ (monozygotic), 649 male-male DZ (dizygotic), 506 female-female MZ, 345 female-female DZ, and 1408 opposite-sex twin pairs. N was assessed using the short-form of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. A sex-limited Cholesky model was fitted which allowed us to decompose into additive genetic, common environmental, and individual-specific environmental components two main classes of correlations: within-sex between-variable and between-sex within-variable. Results. Our best-fitting model contained only additive genetic and individual-specific environmental factors for both N and MD. The within-sex genetic correlations between N and MD were estimated at + 0.68 in men and + 0.49 in women. This model fitted only slightly better than one in which the N-MD within-sex genetic correlation was constrained to be equal across the sexes, and estimated at + 0.55. There may be sex-specific genes influencing both N and MD. Conclusion. Our best-fitting model failed to establish a significant sex difference in the genetic correlation between N and MD. These results, as well as evidence for sex-specific genetic factors for both traits, have implications for the diagnosis, classification, and treatment of the affective disorders, and molecular genetic approaches to the study of these traits.
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U2 - 10.1017/S003329170200541X
DO - 10.1017/S003329170200541X
M3 - Article
C2 - 12102386
AN - SCOPUS:0036012856
SN - 0033-2917
VL - 32
SP - 719
EP - 728
JO - Psychological Medicine
JF - Psychological Medicine
IS - 4
ER -