Low Birth Weight in MZ Twins Discordant for Birth Weight is Associated with Shorter Telomere Length and lower IQ, but not Anxiety/Depression in Later Life.
Shorter telomere length (TL) has found to be associated with lower birth weight and with lower cognitive ability and psychiatric disorders. However, the direction of causation of these associations and the extent to which they are genetically or environmentally mediated are unclear. Within-pair comparisons of monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins can throw light on these questions. We investigated correlations of within pair differences in telomere length, IQ, and anxiety/depression in an initial sample from Brisbane (242 MZ pairs, 245 DZ same sex (DZSS) pairs) and in replication samples from Amsterdam (514 MZ pairs, 233 DZSS pairs) and Melbourne (19 pairs selected for extreme high or low birth weight difference). Intra-pair differences of birth weight and telomere length were significantly correlated in MZ twins, but not in DZSS twins. Greater intra-pair differences of telomere length were observed in the 10% of MZ twins with the greatest difference in birth weight compared to the bottom 90% in both samples and also in the Melbourne sample. Intra-pair differences of telomere length and IQ, but not of TL and anxiety/depression, were correlated in MZ twins, and to a smaller extent in DZSS twins. Our findings suggest that the same prenatal effects that reduce birth weight also influence telomere length in MZ twins. The association between telomere length and IQ is partly driven by the same prenatal effects that decrease birth weight.
Division of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry,Central Institute of Mental Health,Medical Faculty Mannheim,University of Heidelberg,68159 Mannheim,Germany.
Jana
J
Strohmaier
Biological Psychology,VU University,1081 BT Amsterdam,The Netherlands.
Jenny
J
van Dongen
Biological Psychology,VU University,1081 BT Amsterdam,The Netherlands.
Gonneke
G
Willemsen
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute,Brisbane,QLD 4006,Australia.
Dale R
DR
Nyholt
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute,Brisbane,QLD 4006,Australia.
Gu
G
Zhu
Department of Cardiovascular Sciences,University of Leicester,Leicester LE3 9QP,UK.
Veryan
V
Codd
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics,Royal Children's Hospital,Parkville VIC 3052,Australia.
Boris
B
Novakovic
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute,Brisbane,QLD 4006,Australia.
Narelle
N
Hansell
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute,Brisbane,QLD 4006,Australia.
Margaret J
MJ
Wright
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute,Brisbane,QLD 4006,Australia.
Liz
L
Rietschel
Division of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry,Central Institute of Mental Health,Medical Faculty Mannheim,University of Heidelberg,68159 Mannheim,Germany.
Fabian
F
Streit
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute,Brisbane,QLD 4006,Australia.
Anjali K
AK
Henders
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute,Brisbane,QLD 4006,Australia.
Grant W
GW
Montgomery
Department of Cardiovascular Sciences,University of Leicester,Leicester LE3 9QP,UK.
Nilesh J
NJ
Samani
Virginia Institute of Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics,Richmond,VA 23219-1534,USA.
Nathan A
NA
Gillespie
Brain and Mind Research Institute,University of Sydney,Camperdown NSW 2050,Australia.
Ian B
IB
Hickie
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics,Royal Children's Hospital,Parkville VIC 3052,Australia.
Jeffrey M
JM
Craig
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics,Royal Children's Hospital,Parkville VIC 3052,Australia.
Richard
R
Saffery
Biological Psychology,VU University,1081 BT Amsterdam,The Netherlands.
Dorret I
DI
Boomsma
Division of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry,Central Institute of Mental Health,Medical Faculty Mannheim,University of Heidelberg,68159 Mannheim,Germany.
Marcella
M
Rietschel
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute,Brisbane,QLD 4006,Australia.
Nicholas G
NG
Martin
D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007360:Intelligence / Q000235:genetics*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D059505:Telomere Homeostasis; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000235:genetics; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics*
anxiety/depression