title: Panic attacks: a twin study.
abstract: The role of genetic factors in panic disorder (PD) and sporadic panic attacks (SPAs) was investigated. A total of 120 twins recruited from the general population were interviewed for the presence of anxiety disorders and SPAs. A significantly higher concordance among MZ than DZ twins was found for PD (73% vs. 0%) but not for SPAs (57% vs. 43%). These results confirm a significant role of genetic factors in PD but suggest that genetic factors might not be crucial for the development of SPAs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatric Sciences, Istituto Scientifico H. San Raffaele, University of Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perna
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caldirola
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arancio
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bellodi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004200:Diseases in Twins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology