Original ArticlesThe interaction of prematurity with genetic and environmental influences on cognitive development in twins☆,☆☆
Section snippets
Methods
The sampling frame for this study, the Twins Early Development Study, consisted of all twins born in England and Wales in 1994.14 Unlike previous reports,14, 15, 16 this study included twins who were born very premature.
The initial target sample consisted of 3452 families who returned both background information on the twins and their families and test booklets for each twin, which included the cognitive measure and the vocabulary measure described below. At each stage of the study (ie, when
Descriptive Statistics
Fig 1 compares the mean standardized scores for both verbal and non-verbal cognitive measures for high-, medium-, and low-risk groups.The data show a linear relationship between degree of prematurity and mean performance on both outcome measures. These findings are in line with previous reports, which have consistently demonstrated delayed
Discussion
The results of this study are an example of significant genotypeenvironment interactions in humans. Gene-environment interaction refers to genetic differences in sensitivity or susceptibility to environments.13 In this study, gene-environment interaction refers to the interaction between the environmental trauma of prematurity and the magnitude of genetic effects. We found that individual differences in 2-year-old cognitive outcomes of very premature birth are not due to genetic factors. This
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Cited by (34)
Extrauterine environment affects the cortical responses to verbal stimulation in preterm infants
2008, Neuroscience LettersLow birth weight and risk of affective disorders and selected medical illness in offspring at high and low risk for depression
2007, Comprehensive PsychiatryCitation Excerpt :In some twin studies, the interaction of familial history of psychopathology and BW status has been tested. One study found no evidence for a synergistic interaction of BW and parent psychopathology on child psychopathology [34], but other studies reported an antagonistic interaction, in which children with LBW (adjusted for gestational age), compared to those with normal BW, were less sensitive to familial or genetic effects on increased risk of behavioral problems [37] and cognitive development [38]. Twin studies have a methodologic strength over community and/or epidemiologic studies in controlling for extraneous effects.
Environmental moderators of genetic influence on verbal and nonverbal abilities in early childhood
2005, IntelligenceCitation Excerpt :This will be considered in more detail in the Discussion. The results for twin medical risk show the opposite pattern in that group heritability was lower with increased risk, especially at the extremes, a result supporting that found by Koeppen-Schomerus et al. (2000). Educational toys in the home and SES did not yield a systematic pattern of results.
Twins early development study (TEDS): A genetically sensitive investigation of cognitive and behavioral development from childhood to young adulthood
2013, Twin Research and Human GeneticsGenetic and Environmental Correlates of the Nonlinear Recovery of Cognitive Ability in Twins
2021, Developmental Psychology
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This research is part of the Twins’ Early Development Study (TEDS) which is supported by a program grant from the Medical Research Council (UK).
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Reprints not available from author.