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
18234996
TITLE
The role of educational attainment in refraction: the Genes in Myopia (GEM) twin study.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE NlmCategory: OBJECTIVE
Educational attainment has been proposed as one of the most consistent environmental risk factors associated with myopia. The Genes in Myopia (GEM) twin study is the first myopia twin study to determine the relative genetic contribution in educational attainment as well as assessing the shared genetic and environmental factors between educational attainment and refraction through structural equation modeling.
METHODS NlmCategory: METHODS
All twins from Victoria aged 18 years or older were invited to participate in this study through the Australian Twin Registry (ATR). Each twin completed a general questionnaire, and a comprehensive eye examination was undertaken. Education level was categorized to provide a level of attainment.
RESULTS NlmCategory: RESULTS
A total of 612 twin pairs with a mean age of 52.36 years were examined. Higher educational attainment was significantly associated with a more myopic refraction (r = -0.21, P < 0.01), with educational attainment explaining 4.41% of the total variance in refraction. Findings from the GEM twin study found that genes (additive genetic effects) explained 69% of the variance in educational attainment and common and unique environmental factors accounted for 20% and 11% of the variance, respectively. Of the genetic influences on refraction, 3.2% were common with those influencing educational attainment.
CONCLUSIONS NlmCategory: CONCLUSIONS
The GEM twin study has shown that educational attainment is strongly influenced by genes, and therefore this risk factor should not solely be considered as an environmental risk factor. The same genetic factors that influence an individual's educational attainment may also be involved in the development of refractive error.
DATE PUBLISHED
2008 Feb
HISTORY
PUBSTATUS PUBSTATUSDATE
pubmed 2008/02/01 09:00
medline 2008/03/14 09:00
entrez 2008/02/01 09:00
AUTHORS
NAME COLLECTIVENAME LASTNAME FORENAME INITIALS AFFILIATION AFFILIATIONINFO
Dirani M Dirani Mohamed M Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. m.dirani@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au
Shekar SN Shekar Sri N SN
Baird PN Baird Paul N PN
INVESTIGATORS
JOURNAL
VOLUME: 49
ISSUE: 2
TITLE: Investigative ophthalmology & visual science
ISOABBREVIATION: Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci.
YEAR: 2008
MONTH: Feb
DAY:
MEDLINEDATE:
SEASON:
CITEDMEDIUM: Print
ISSN: 0146-0404
ISSNTYPE: Print
MEDLINE JOURNAL
MEDLINETA: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci
COUNTRY: United States
ISSNLINKING: 0146-0404
NLMUNIQUEID: 7703701
PUBLICATION TYPE
PUBLICATIONTYPE TEXT
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Twin Study
COMMENTS AND CORRECTIONS
GRANTS
GENERAL NOTE
KEYWORDS
MESH HEADINGS
DESCRIPTORNAME QUALIFIERNAME
Adolescent
Adult
Diseases in Twins genetics
Educational Status genetics
Female genetics
Humans genetics
Male genetics
Middle Aged genetics
Myopia genetics
Prevalence genetics
Questionnaires genetics
Refraction, Ocular genetics
Registries genetics
Twins, Dizygotic genetics
Twins, Monozygotic genetics
SUPPLEMENTARY MESH
GENE SYMBOLS
CHEMICALS
OTHER ID's