title: Shared genetic contributions to anxiety disorders and pathological gambling in a male population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pathological gambling (PG) frequently co-occurs with anxiety disorders. However, the extent to which the co-occurrence is related to genetic or environmental factors across PG and anxiety disorders is not known.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry (n=7869, male twins) were examined in bivariate models to estimate genetic and shared and unique environmental contributions to PG and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and PG and panic disorder (PD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  While both genetic and unique environmental factors contributed individually to PG, GAD, and PD, the best fitting model indicated that the relationship between PG and GAD was attributable predominantly to shared genetic contributions (r(A)=0.53). In contrast, substantial correlations were observed between both the genetic (r(A)=0.34) and unique environmental (r(E)=0.31) contributions to PG and PD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results may be limited to middle aged males.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The existence of shared genetic contributions between PG and both GAD and PD suggests that specific genes, perhaps those involved in affect regulation or stress responsiveness, contribute to PG and anxiety disorders. Overlapping environmental contributions to the co-occurrence of PG and PD suggest that common life experiences (e.g., early life trauma) contribute to both PG and PD. Conversely, the data suggest that distinct environmental factors contribute to PG and GAD (e.g., early onset of gambling in PG). Future studies should examine the relationship between PG and anxiety disorders amongst other populations (women and adolescents) to identify specific genetic and environmental influences that account for the manifestation of these disorders and their co-occurrences.
authors.affiliation: Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, USA.
authors.forename: Justine L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Giddens
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xian
authors.forename: Jeffrey F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Scherrer
authors.forename: Seth A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Eisen
authors.forename: Marc N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Potenza
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000235:genetics*; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000235:genetics; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000235:genetics*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000235:genetics; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics