title: The genetic basis for cognitive ability, memory, and depression symptomatology in middle-aged and elderly chinese twins.
abstract: The genetic influences on aging-related phenotypes, including cognition and depression, have been well confirmed in the Western populations. We performed the first twin-based analysis on cognitive performance, memory and depression status in middle-aged and elderly Chinese twins, representing the world's largest and most rapidly aging population. The sample consisted of 384 twin pairs with a median age of 50 years. Cognitive function was measured using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale; memory was assessed using the revised Wechsler Adult Intelligence scale; depression symptomatology was evaluated by the self-reported 30-item Geriatric Depression (GDS-30)scale. Both univariate and multivariate twin models were fitted to the three phenotypes with full and nested models and compared to select the best fitting models. Univariate analysis showed moderate-to-high genetic influences with heritability 0.44 for cognition and 0.56 for memory. Multivariate analysis by the reduced Cholesky model estimated significant genetic (rG = 0.69) and unique environmental (rE = 0.25) correlation between cognitive ability and memory. The model also estimated weak but significant inverse genetic correlation for depression with cognition (-0.31) and memory (-0.28). No significant unique environmental correlation was found for depression with other two phenotypes. In conclusion, there can be a common genetic architecture for cognitive ability and memory that weakly correlates with depression symptomatology, but in the opposite direction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics,School of Public Health,Shandong University,Jinan,Shandong,China.
authors.forename: Chunsheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Qingdao Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Qingdao,China.
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Qingdao Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Qingdao,China.
authors.forename: Fuling
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Qingdao Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Qingdao,China.
authors.forename: Xiaocao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Qingdao Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Qingdao,China.
authors.forename: Haiping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Qingdao Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Qingdao,China.
authors.forename: Yaoming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.affiliation: Qingdao Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Qingdao,China.
authors.forename: Shaojie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics,School of Public Health,Shandong University,Jinan,Shandong,China.
authors.forename: Zengchang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health,Qingdao University Medical College,Qingdao,China.
authors.forename: Dongfeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics,School of Public Health,Shandong University,Jinan,Shandong,China.
authors.forename: Zhongtang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Genetics,Odense University Hospital,Odense,Denmark.
authors.forename: Shuxia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology,Biostatistics and Biodemography,Institute of Public Health,University of Southern Denmark,Odense,Denmark.
authors.forename: Jacob V B
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Hjelmborg
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Genetics,Odense University Hospital,Odense,Denmark.
authors.forename: Kaare
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Genetics,Odense University Hospital,Odense,Denmark.
authors.forename: Qihua
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D008957:Models, Genetic; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010641:Phenotype; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012042:Registries; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000235:genetics*; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: twin model