title: Heritability of the limbic networks.
abstract: Individual differences in cognitive ability and social behaviour are influenced by the variability in the structure and function of the limbic system. A strong heritability of the limbic cortex has been previously reported, but little is known about how genetic factors influence specific limbic networks. We used diffusion tensor imaging tractography to investigate heritability of different limbic tracts in 52 monozygotic and 34 dizygotic healthy adult twins. We explored the connections that contribute to the activity of three distinct functional limbic networks, namely the dorsal cingulum ('medial default-mode network'), the ventral cingulum and the fornix ('hippocampal-diencephalic-retrosplenial network') and the uncinate fasciculus ('temporo-amygdala-orbitofrontal network'). Genetic and environmental variances were mapped for multiple tract-specific measures that reflect different aspects of the underlying anatomy. We report the highest heritability for the uncinate fasciculus, a tract that underpins emotion processing, semantic cognition, and social behaviour. High to moderate genetic and shared environmental effects were found for pathways important for social behaviour and memory, for example, fornix, dorsal and ventral cingulum. These findings indicate that within the limbic system inheritance of specific traits may rely on the anatomy of distinct networks and is higher for fronto-temporal pathways dedicated to complex social behaviour and emotional processing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and Natbrainlab, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK, NEMo Laboratory, Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy, sanja.budisavljevic@gmail.com m.catani@iop.kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Sanja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Budisavljevic
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and Natbrainlab, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: Jamie M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kawadler
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and Natbrainlab, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: Flavio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dell'Acqua
authors.affiliation: Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre.
authors.forename: Frühling V
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Rijsdijk
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, and.
authors.forename: Fergus
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kane
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, and.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Picchioni
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, and.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McGuire
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, and Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK, Department of Psychology, and State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, and.
authors.forename: Timothea
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toulopoulou
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Georgiades
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: Sridevi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalidindi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kravariti
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: Robin M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and.
authors.forename: Declan G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and Natbrainlab, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK, National Autism Unit, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Beckenham, UK.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Craig
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and Natbrainlab, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Catani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D040582:Inheritance Patterns; D008032:Limbic System / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D012042:Registries; D014427:Twins / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cingulum; diffusion tractography; fornix; heritability; limbic system; uncinate fasciculus