Journal
BEHAVIOR GENETICS
Volume 50, Issue 4, Pages 233-246Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10519-019-09986-3
Keywords
Autism spectrum disorder; ASD; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Autistic traits; Twins; Comorbidity; Health; Neurology
Funding
- Karolinska Institute
- Swedish Research Council
- Vinnova
- Formas
- FORTE
- Swedish Brain foundation (Hjarnfonden)
- Stockholm Brain Institute
- Autism and Asperger Association Stockholm
- Queen Silvia Jubilee Fund
- Solstickan Foundation
- PRIMA Child and Adult Psychiatry
- Pediatric Research Foundation at Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital
- Sallskapet Barnavard
- Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research
- Jerring Foundation
- Swedish Order of Freemasons
- Kempe- Carlgrenska Foundation
- Sunnderdahls Handikappsfond
- Jeansson Foundation
- EU-AIMS (European Autism Intervention)
- Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking [115300]
- European Union
- new IMI initiative-EU AIMS-2-TRIALS
- Autism Speaks
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This study used a twin cohort to investigate the association of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autistic traits with somatic health. A total of 344 twins (172 pairs; mean age 15.56 +/- 5.62 years) enriched for ASD and other neurodevelopmental conditions were examined. Medical history and current physical problems were collected with a validated questionnaire to determine twin's somatic health. The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2) was used to measure the participant's severity of autistic traits. Identified somatic health issues with significant within-twin pair differences were tested in relation to both ASD diagnosis and autistic traits in a co-twin control model. Twins with ASD exhibited more neurological and immunological health problems compared to those without ASD (p = 0.005 and p = 0.004, respectively). The intra-pair differences of neurological conditions and SRS-2 score were significantly correlated in monozygotic twins differing for autism traits (r = 0.40, p = 0.001), while the correlation was not found for immunological problems. In addition, a conditional model for analysis of within-twin pair effects revealed an association between neurological problems and clinical ASD diagnosis (Odds ratio per neurological problem 3.15, p = 0.02), as well as autistic traits (beta = 10.44, p = 0.006), after adjusting for possible effects of co-existing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and general intellectual abilities. Our findings suggest that neurological problems are associated with autism, and that non-shared environmental factors contribute to the overlap for both clinical ASD and autistic traits. Further population-based twin studies are warranted to validate our results and examine in detailed the shared genetic and environmental contributions of neurological problems and ASD.
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