Autistic traits in the general population - A twin study
Autistic traits in the general population - A twin study
复制标题
DOI：
10.1001/archpsyc.60.5.524
复制
发表时间：
2003-05-01
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Todd, RD
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Constantino, JN;Todd, RD
背景资料：最近的研究表明，自闭症不是一个离散的障碍，自闭症先证者的家庭成员表现出自闭症症状的可能性增加，严重程度范围很广，通常低于自闭症谱系障碍的诊断阈值。目的：为了使用一种新建立的自闭症特征的定量测量方法来检查自闭症特征在普通人群中的分布和遗传结构，社会反应量表（前称社会互惠量表）。从一项大型流行病学研究（密苏里州双胞胎研究）的参与者中随机选择的7至15岁的双胞胎。每对双胞胎中的一位父母完成了每个孩子的社会反应量表。结果：社会反应量表所测得的自闭症特质呈连续分布，且具有中度至高度的遗传性。孤独症特征的严重程度等于或高于先前发表的广泛性发育障碍患者的平均水平，未另行说明，发现1.4%的男孩和0.3%的女孩。结构方程模型显示没有证据表明存在的性别特异性遗传影响，并建议特定的机制，女性可能相对保护的脆弱性自闭症traits.Conclusions：这些数据表明，自闭症谱系障碍的社会缺陷的特点是常见的。鉴于这些特征的连续分布，在广泛性发育障碍的“受影响”与“未受影响”的研究名称之间进行截断可能是任意的。影响自闭症特征的基因似乎是相同的，男孩和女孩。女孩自闭症特征的患病率（和严重程度）较低可能是对早期环境影响的敏感性增加的结果，这些影响有助于促进社会能力。
Background: Recent research has indicated that autism is not a discrete disorder and that family members of autistic probands have an increased likelihood of exhibiting autistic symptoms with a wide range of severity, often below the threshold for a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder.Objective: To examine the distribution and genetic structure of autistic traits in the general population using a newly established quantitative measure of autistic traits, the Social Responsiveness Scale (formerly known as the Social Reciprocity Scale).Methods: The sample consisted of 788 pairs of. twins aged 7 to 15 years, randomly selected from the pool of participants in a large epidemiologic study (the Missouri Twin Study). One parent of each pair of twins completed the Social Responsiveness Scale on each child. The data were subjected to structural equation modeling.Results: Autistic traits as measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale were continuously distributed and moderately to highly heritable. Levels of severity of autistic traits at or above the previously published mean for patients with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified were found in 1.4% of boys and 0.3% of girls. Structural equation modeling revealed no evidence for the existence of sex-specific genetic influences, and suggested specific mechanisms by which females may be relatively protected from vulnerability to autistic traits.Conclusions: These data indicate that the social deficits characteristic of autism spectrum disorders are common. Given the continuous distribution of these traits, it may be arbitrary where cutoffs are made between research designations of being "affected" vs "unaffected" with a pervasive developmental disorder. The genes influencing autistic traits appear to be the same,for boys and girls. Lower prevalence (and severity) of autistic traits in girls may be the result of increased sensitivity to early environmental influences that operate to promote social competency.