Where did I leave my keys? A twin study of self-reported memory ratings using the multifactorial memory questionnaire.
Behavior genetics has convincingly shown the importance of genetic factors in objective tests of memory function. However, self-report memory tests have received little attention. This study used items from the Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire (MMQ) to estimate the heritability of self-reported memory contentment and ability in 909 monozygotic (MZ) and 1034 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs aged between 20 and 84 years from the St Thomas' Adult UK Twin Register. Heritability estimates ranged between 37% and 64% for contentment (e.g., reporting to worry about one's memory) and approximately 45% for ability (e.g., reporting a tendency to forget keys). Shared family environmental influences (between 32% and 33%) were found for some abilities (e.g., learning to use a new gadget). Given their clinical significance and ease of administration, these tests could prove to be useful in examining memory functioning in large-scale population studies.
Singer
Jamie J
JJ
Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology Unit, St Thomas Hospital, London, United Kingdom. Jamie.Singer@kcl.ac.uk
MacGregor
Alex J
AJ
Cherkas
Lynn F
LF
Spector
Tim D
TD
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D004200:Diseases in Twins; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D040941:Heredity / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic