Cognitive functioning in older twins: the Older Australian Twins Study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the concordance rates of common medical conditions and neurocognitive performance in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) older twins.


METHODS
Twins aged ≥ 65 years and living in the three Eastern states of Australia were recruited through the Australian Twin Registry and underwent detailed neuropsychological and medical assessment.


RESULTS
Assessments were conducted on 113 MZ and 96 DZ twin pairs, with a mean age of 70.5 years. MZ twins were more concordant than DZ twins for hypertension and asthma. MZ twins had higher correlations than DZ twins on most neuropsychological tests, with the exception of some tests related to processing speed. The concordance rate for mild cognitive impairment or dementia was 76.2% in MZ twins and 42.9% in DZ twins, a non-significant difference.


CONCLUSIONS
Except for some aspects of processing speed, most cognitive functions in older individuals show significant heritability. The heritability of neurocognitive disorders is, however, low.
Brain and Ageing Research Program, School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, and Neuropsychiatric Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. p.sachdev@unsw.edu.au
Perminder S
PS
Sachdev
Teresa
T
Lee
Andrea
A
Lammel
John
J
Crawford
Julian N
JN
Trollor
Margaret J
MJ
Wright
Henry
H
Brodaty
David
D
Ames
Nicholas G
NG
Martin
D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D003071:Cognition; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic