Genetic Epidemiology, Translational Neurogenomics, Psychiatric Genetics and Statistical Genetics Laboratories investigate the pattern of disease in families, particularly identical and non-identical twins, to assess the relative importance of genes and environment in a variety of important health problems.
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PMID
12027042
TITLE
The genetic aetiology of somatic distress.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND NlmCategory: BACKGROUND
Somatoform disorders such as neurasthenia and chronic fatigue syndrome are characterized by a combination of prolonged mental and physical fatigue. This study aimed to investigate the heritability of somatic distress and determine whether this dimension is aetiologically distinct from measures of depression and anxiety.
METHOD NlmCategory: METHODS
Measures of anxiety, depression, phobic anxiety, somatic distress and sleep difficulty were administered in a self-report questionnaire to a community-based sample of 3469 Australian twin individuals aged 18 to 28 years. Factor analysis using a Promax rotation, produced four factors: depression, phobic anxiety, somatic distress and sleep disturbance. Multivariate and univariate genetic analyses of the raw categorical data scores for depression, phobic anxiety and depression were then analysed in Mx1.47.
RESULTS NlmCategory: RESULTS
Univariate genetic analysis revealed that an additive genetic and non-shared environmental (AE) model best explained individual differences in depression and phobic anxiety scores, for male and female twins alike, but could not resolve whether additive genes or shared environment were responsible for significant familial aggregation in somatic distress. However, multivariate genetic analysis showed that an additive genetic and non-shared environment (AE) model best explained the covariation between the three factors. Furthermore, 33 % of the genetic variance in somatic distress was due to specific gene action unrelated to depression or phobic anxiety. In addition, 74% of the individual environmental influence on somatic distress was also unrelated to depression or phobic anxiety.
CONCLUSION NlmCategory: CONCLUSIONS
These results support previous findings that somatic symptoms are relatively aetiologically distinct both genetically and environmentally from symptoms of anxiety and depression.
DATE PUBLISHED
2000 Sep
HISTORY
PUBSTATUS PUBSTATUSDATE
pubmed 2002/05/25 10:00
medline 2002/06/26 10:01
entrez 2002/05/25 10:00
AUTHORS
NAME COLLECTIVENAME LASTNAME FORENAME INITIALS AFFILIATION AFFILIATIONINFO
Gillespie NA Gillespie N A NA Queensland Institute of Medical Research, University of Queensland, Joint Genetics Program, Brisbane, Australia.
Zhu G Zhu G G
Heath AC Heath A C AC
Hickie IB Hickie I B IB
Martin NG Martin N G NG
INVESTIGATORS
JOURNAL
VOLUME: 30
ISSUE: 5
TITLE: Psychological medicine
ISOABBREVIATION: Psychol Med
YEAR: 2000
MONTH: Sep
DAY:
MEDLINEDATE:
SEASON:
CITEDMEDIUM: Print
ISSN: 0033-2917
ISSNTYPE: Print
MEDLINE JOURNAL
MEDLINETA: Psychol Med
COUNTRY: England
ISSNLINKING: 0033-2917
NLMUNIQUEID: 1254142
PUBLICATION TYPE
PUBLICATIONTYPE TEXT
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
Twin Study
COMMENTS AND CORRECTIONS
GRANTS
GRANTID AGENCY COUNTRY
AA04535 NIAAA NIH HHS United States
AA07728 NIAAA NIH HHS United States
AA10249 NIAAA NIH HHS United States
GENERAL NOTE
KEYWORDS
MESH HEADINGS
DESCRIPTORNAME QUALIFIERNAME
Adolescent
Adult
Arousal genetics
Australia genetics
Depressive Disorder psychology
Diseases in Twins psychology
Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic psychology
Female psychology
Genetic Predisposition to Disease genetics
Humans genetics
Male genetics
Models, Genetic genetics
Neurasthenia psychology
Phobic Disorders psychology
Risk Factors psychology
Social Environment psychology
Somatoform Disorders psychology
SUPPLEMENTARY MESH
GENE SYMBOLS
CHEMICALS
OTHER ID's