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
17076916
TITLE
Contrasting models of genetic co-morbidity for cannabis and other illicit drugs in adult Australian twins.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND NlmCategory: BACKGROUND
The use of cannabis and other illicit drugs (OIDs) and their co-morbid misuse are frequently reported in the literature. Correlated vulnerabilities and causal or gateway influences have been implicated in this association. We investigated the source of this co-morbidity between cannabis use (experimentation, early and repeated use, and problems) and OID experimentation and problems using genetic models proposed by Neale and Kendler (American Journal of Human Genetics 1995, 57, 935-953).
METHOD NlmCategory: METHODS
In a sample of 4152 same-sex male and female adult Australian twin individuals, we fit 13 genetically informative models of co-morbidity to data on experimentation, early use, repeated use of cannabis and co-morbid OID experimentation, and to abuse/dependence (A/D) problems with cannabis and OIDs.
RESULTS NlmCategory: RESULTS
Model-fitting results suggest that common genetic, shared and unique environmental factors are responsible for the association between cannabis experimentation, early use, repeated use and A/D problems and OID experimentation or problems. The liability causation model, which is a reduced form of the correlated vulnerabilities model, also fit very well. In women, we found evidence for high-risk cannabis experimenters and repeated users to be at increased risk for OID experimentation, despite being below the risk threshold on the liability distribution for OID experimentation (extreme multiformity).
CONCLUSIONS NlmCategory: CONCLUSIONS
Co-morbid cannabis and OID use and misuse are due partly to a common predisposition to substance use disorders. Putative causal effects could not be ruled out. These models warrant further research, so that features of the correlated vulnerabilities model and the gateway models can be studied jointly in a single series of adaptive nested models.
DATE PUBLISHED
2007 Jan
HISTORY
PUBSTATUS PUBSTATUSDATE
aheadofprint 2006/11/01
pubmed 2006/11/02 09:00
medline 2007/11/14 09:00
entrez 2006/11/02 09:00
AUTHORS
NAME COLLECTIVENAME LASTNAME FORENAME INITIALS AFFILIATION AFFILIATIONINFO
Agrawal A Agrawal A A Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. arpana@wustl.edu
Lynskey MT Lynskey M T MT
Bucholz KK Bucholz K K KK
Martin NG Martin N G NG
Madden PA Madden P A F PA
Heath AC Heath A C AC
INVESTIGATORS
JOURNAL
VOLUME: 37
ISSUE: 1
TITLE: Psychological medicine
ISOABBREVIATION: Psychol Med
YEAR: 2007
MONTH: Jan
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, N.I.H., Extramural
Twin Study
COMMENTS AND CORRECTIONS
GRANTS
GRANTID AGENCY COUNTRY
AA07728 NIAAA NIH HHS United States
AA10249 NIAAA NIH HHS United States
AA11998 NIAAA NIH HHS United States
AA13321 NIAAA NIH HHS United States
DA12854 NIDA NIH HHS United States
DA18267 NIDA NIH HHS United States
DA18660 NIDA NIH HHS United States
GENERAL NOTE
KEYWORDS
MESH HEADINGS
DESCRIPTORNAME QUALIFIERNAME
Adolescent
Adult
Age of Onset
Australia epidemiology
Comorbidity epidemiology
Diseases in Twins genetics
Female genetics
Genetic Predisposition to Disease genetics
Humans genetics
Male genetics
Marijuana Abuse genetics
Models, Genetic genetics
Risk Factors genetics
Social Environment genetics
Street Drugs genetics
Substance-Related Disorders genetics
SUPPLEMENTARY MESH
GENE SYMBOLS
CHEMICALS
REGISTRYNUMBER NAMEOFSUBSTANCE
0 Street Drugs
OTHER ID's