Genetic and environmental influences on behavioral disinhibition.

Comorbidity among childhood disruptive behavioral disorders is commonly reported in both epidemiologic and clinical studies. These problems are also associated with early substance use and other markers of behavioral disinhibition. Previous twin research has suggested that much of the covariation between antisocial behavior and alcohol dependence is due to common genetic influences. Similar results have been reported for conduct problems and hyperactivity. For the present study, an adolescent sample consisting of 172 MZ and 162 DZ twin pairs, recruited through the Colorado Twin Registry and the Colorado Longitudinal Twin Study were assessed using standardized psychiatric interviews and personality assessments. DSM-IV symptom counts for conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, along with a measure of substance experimentation and novelty seeking, were used as indices of a latent behavioral disinhibition trait. A confirmatory factor model fit to individual-level data showed a strong common factor accounting for 16-42% of the observed variance in each measure. A common pathway model evaluating the genetic and environmental architecture of the latent phenotype suggested that behavioral disinhibition is highly heritable (a(2) = 0.84), and is not influenced significantly by shared environmental factors. A residual correlation between conduct disorder and substance experimentation was explained by shared environmental effects, and a residual correlation between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and novelty seeking was accounted for by genetic dominance. These results suggest that a variety of adolescent problem behaviors may share a common underlying genetic risk.

[1]  Neuroticism, extraversion, and related traits in adult twins reared apart and reared together. , 1988, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[2]  J. Biederman,et al.  Comorbidity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with conduct, depressive, anxiety, and other disorders. , 1991, The American journal of psychiatry.

[3]  J. Newman,et al.  Reaction to punishment in extraverts and psychopaths: Implications for the impulsive behavior of disinhibited individuals , 1987 .

[4]  P. Szatmari,et al.  ADDH and conduct disorder: degree of diagnostic overlap and differences among correlates. , 1989, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[5]  D. Farrington,et al.  Long-term criminal outcomes of hyperactivity-impulsivity-attention deficit and conduct problems in childhood. , 1990 .

[6]  T. Achenbach,et al.  Comorbidity of empirically based syndromes in matched general population and clinical samples. , 1994, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[7]  J. Kagan,et al.  Individual differences during the second year of life: The MacArthur Longitudinal Twin Study: Individual differences in infancy: Reliability, stability, prediction , 1990 .

[8]  A. Caspi,et al.  The continuity of maladaptive behavior: From description to understanding in the study of antisocial behavior. , 1995 .

[9]  A. Alterman,et al.  Neuropsychological deficits in alcoholics: etiological considerations. , 1984, Journal of studies on alcohol.

[10]  D W Fulker,et al.  The familial aggregation of depressive symptoms, antisocial behavior, and alcohol abuse. , 1997, American journal of medical genetics.

[11]  D. Boomsma,et al.  Familial resemblances in alcohol use: genetic or cultural transmission? , 1996, Journal of studies on alcohol.

[12]  R. Cadoret,et al.  Adoption study demonstrating two genetic pathways to drug abuse. , 1995, Archives of general psychiatry.

[13]  R. Herning,et al.  EEG and brainstem auditory evoked response potentials in adult male drug abusers with self-reported histories of aggressive behavior , 1989, Biological Psychiatry.

[14]  Cognitive function, cardiovascular reactivity, and behavior in boys at high risk for alcoholism. , 1995 .

[15]  M. McGue,et al.  Sex differences and nonadditivity in heritability of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire Scales. , 1997, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[16]  K. Hornik,et al.  The Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire as a predictor of relapse in detoxified alcohol dependents. The European Fluvoxamine in Alcoholism Study Group. , 1999, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research.

[17]  T. Moffitt,et al.  Neuropsychological deficit and self-reported delinquency in an unselected birth cohort. , 1988, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[18]  Terrie E. Moffitt,et al.  The neuropsychology of conduct disorder , 1993, Development and Psychopathology.

[19]  G. O'brien,et al.  Hyperactivity: prevalence and relationship with conduct disorder. , 1995, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[20]  A. Pickles,et al.  Genetic and environmental influences on the covariation between hyperactivity and conduct disturbance in juvenile twins. , 1996, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[21]  R. Pihl,et al.  Cognitive function, cardiovascular reactivity, and behavior in boys at high risk for alcoholism. , 1995, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[22]  D. Czechowicz,et al.  Adolescent Drug Abuse: Clinical Assessment and Therapeutic Interventions. Proceedings of a meeting. Bethesda, Maryland, May 13-14, 1993. , 1995, NIDA research monograph.

[23]  K. Kendler,et al.  Latent class analysis of Temperance Board registrations in Swedish male–male twin pairs born 1902 to 1949: searching for subtypes of alcoholism , 1998, Psychological Medicine.

[24]  S. Faraone,et al.  Differential heritability of adult and juvenile antisocial traits. , 1995, Archives of general psychiatry.

[25]  L. Eaves,et al.  A Twin Study of Drinking and Smoking Onset and Latencies from First Use to Regular Use , 1999, Behavior genetics.

[26]  R. Loeber,et al.  Substance use and its relationship to conduct problems and delinquency in young boys , 1991, Journal of youth and adolescence.

[27]  R. Barkley,et al.  The response of aggressive and nonaggressive ADHD children to two doses of methylphenidate. , 1989, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[28]  R. Nichols,et al.  The diagnosis of twin zygosity. , 1966, Acta genetica et statistica medica.

[29]  C. L. Martin,et al.  Treated delinquent boys' substance use: onset, pattern, relationship to conduct and mood disorders. , 1995, Drug and alcohol dependence.

[30]  Genetic and Environmental Structure of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire: Three or Four Temperament Dimensions? , 1996 .

[31]  C. Robert Cloninger,et al.  Neurogenetic adaptive mechanisms in alcoholism. , 1987, Science.

[32]  J. Fawcett,et al.  Treatment attrition among alcohol-dependent men: is it related to novelty seeking personality traits? , 1999, Journal of clinical psychopharmacology.

[33]  Patrick M. O'Malley,et al.  National Survey Results on Drug Use from the Monitoring the Future Study, 1975-1998. Volume I: Secondary School Students. , 1999 .

[34]  L. Eaves Dominance alone is not enough , 1988, Behavior genetics.

[35]  D. Carmelli,et al.  Genetic influence on smoking--a study of male twins. , 1992, The New England journal of medicine.

[36]  Gunnar Blom,et al.  Statistical Estimates and Transformed Beta-Variables. , 1960 .

[37]  E. Coccaro Neurotransmitter Correlates of Impulsive Aggression in Humans , 1996, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[38]  R. Barkley,et al.  Frontal lobe functions in attention deficit disorder with and without hyperactivity: A review and research report , 1992, Journal of abnormal child psychology.

[39]  L J Horwood,et al.  Prevalence and comorbidity of DSM-III-R diagnoses in a birth cohort of 15 year olds. , 1993, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[40]  R. Anton,et al.  Childhood hyperactivity, gender, and Cloninger's personality dimensions in alcoholics. , 1997, Addictive behaviors.

[41]  R. Cadoret,et al.  Genetic and environmental factors in alcohol abuse and antisocial personality. , 1987, Journal of studies on alcohol.

[42]  N. Martin,et al.  The inheritance of alcohol consumption patterns in a general population twin sample: II. Determinants of consumption frequency and quantity consumed. , 1991, Journal of studies on alcohol.

[43]  J. Biederman,et al.  Does ADHD affect the course of substance abuse? Findings from a sample of adults with and without ADHD. , 1998, The American journal on addictions.

[44]  J. Biederman,et al.  Conduct and oppositional disorder in clinically referred children with attention deficit disorder: a controlled family study. , 1987, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[45]  A. Pickles,et al.  Genetics and developmental psychopathology: 1. Phenotypic assessment in the Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent Behavioral Development. , 1997, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[46]  K. Bucholz,et al.  Common genetic vulnerability for nicotine and alcohol dependence in men. , 1999, Archives of general psychiatry.

[47]  O. Pomerleau,et al.  Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: psychological test profiles in a clinical population. , 1997, The Journal of nervous and mental disease.

[48]  L. Robins,et al.  The reliability of the CIDI-SAM: a comprehensive substance abuse interview. , 1989, British journal of addiction.

[49]  D. Boomsma,et al.  High-yield noninvasive human genomic DNA isolation method for genetic studies in geographically dispersed families and populations. , 1995, American journal of human genetics.

[50]  A. Raine,et al.  Autonomic Nervous System Factors Underlying Disinhibited, Antisocial, and Violent Behavior Biosocial Perspectives and Treatment Implications a , 1996, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[51]  M. Tsuang,et al.  Co-occurrence of abuse of different drugs in men: the role of drug-specific and shared vulnerabilities. , 1998, Archives of general psychiatry.

[52]  S. Hinshaw On the distinction between attentional deficits/hyperactivity and conduct problems/aggression in child psychopathology. , 1987, Psychological bulletin.

[53]  M. Neale,et al.  Environmental and genetic influences on alcohol use in a volunteer sample of older twins. , 1994, Journal of studies on alcohol.

[54]  C. Robert Cloninger,et al.  Genetic and environmental structure of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire: three or four temperament dimensions? , 1996, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[55]  D. Lykken,et al.  Heterogeneity in the inheritance of alcoholism. A study of male and female twins. , 1991, Archives of general psychiatry.

[56]  C. Robert Cloninger,et al.  Predisposition to petty criminality in Swedish adoptees. II. Cross-fostering analysis of gene-environment interaction. , 1982, Archives of general psychiatry.

[57]  N. Martin,et al.  Modeling genetic and environmental influences in the etiology of conduct disorder: a study of 2,682 adult twin pairs. , 1997, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[58]  L. Thompson,et al.  Contribution of ADHD symptoms to substance problems and delinquency in conduct-disordered adolescents , 1996, Journal of abnormal child psychology.

[59]  N. Martin,et al.  Causes of variation in drinking habits in a large twin sample. , 1984, Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae.

[60]  N. Martin,et al.  The inheritance of alcohol consumption patterns in a general population twin sample: I. Multidimensional scaling of quantity/frequency data. , 1991, Journal of studies on alcohol.

[61]  T. Crowley,et al.  Adolescent substance use disorder with conduct disorder and comorbid conditions. , 1995, NIDA research monograph.

[62]  C. Robert Cloninger,et al.  Predisposition to petty criminality in Swedish adoptees. I. Genetic and environmental heterogeneity. , 1982, Archives of general psychiatry.

[63]  D. Kivlahan,et al.  Cloninger's tridimensional theory of personality and psychopathology: applications to substance use disorders. , 1997, Journal of studies on alcohol.

[64]  R. Loeber Natural Histories of Conduct Problems, Delinquency, and Associated Substance Use , 1988 .

[65]  L. DiLalla,et al.  Heterogeneity of causes for delinquency and criminality: Lifespan perspectives , 1989, Development and Psychopathology.

[66]  L. Bierut,et al.  Genetic and environmental contributions to alcohol dependence risk in a national twin sample: consistency of findings in women and men , 1997, Psychological Medicine.

[67]  D. Rowe,et al.  SIBLING EFFECTS ON SUBSTANCE USE AND DELINQUENCY , 1992 .

[68]  H. Akaike Factor analysis and AIC , 1987 .

[69]  N. Martin,et al.  Smoking and intoxication after alcohol challenge in women and men: genetic influences. , 1997, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research.

[70]  Separation of DSM-III attention deficit disorder and conduct disorder: evidence from a family-genetic study of American child psychiatric patients. , 1991, Psychological medicine.

[71]  A. Pickles,et al.  Tobacco, alcohol and drug use in eight- to sixteen-year-old twins: the Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent Behavioral Development. , 1999, Journal of studies on alcohol.

[72]  D. Cicchetti,et al.  Risk, disorder, and adaptation , 1995 .

[73]  R. Forehand,et al.  Juvenile delinquency entry and persistence: do attention problems contribute to conduct problems? , 1991, Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry.

[74]  C. R. Cloninger,et al.  The temperament and character inventory (TCI) : a guide to its development and use , 1994 .

[75]  H. Begleiter,et al.  Neurophysiological correlates of response production and inhibition in alcoholics. , 1997, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research.

[76]  C. Robert Cloninger,et al.  Childhood personality predicts alcohol abuse in young adults. , 1988, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research.

[77]  J. Stevenson Evidence for a genetic etiology in hyperactivity in children , 1992, Behavior genetics.

[78]  M. Neale,et al.  Genetic and environmental influences on lifetime alcohol-related problems in a volunteer sample of older twins. , 1994, Journal of studies on alcohol.

[79]  Dc Washington Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed. , 1994 .

[80]  M. Davies,et al.  The Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-Revised Version (DISC-R): II. Test-retest reliability. , 1993, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[81]  A. Pickles,et al.  Genetics and developmental psychopathology: 2. The main effects of genes and environment on behavioral problems in the Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent Behavioral Development. , 1997, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[82]  E. Hollander,et al.  Neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological findings in conduct disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. , 1994, The Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences.

[83]  M. McGue,et al.  Sex and age effects on the inheritance of alcohol problems: a twin study. , 1992, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[84]  W. Iacono,et al.  Twin concordance for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a comparison of teachers' and mothers' reports. , 1997, The American journal of psychiatry.

[85]  T. Bouchard,et al.  Genes, environment, and personality. , 1994, Science.

[86]  H. Aschauer,et al.  14-70 The tridimensional personality questionnaire as a predictor of relapse in detoxified alcohol dependents , 1997, Biological Psychiatry.

[87]  R. Poland,et al.  Personality profiles and state aggressiveness in Finnish alcoholic, violent offenders, fire setters, and healthy volunteers. , 1994, Archives of general psychiatry.

[88]  A. Bailey,et al.  Genetic factors in child psychiatric disorders--II. Empirical findings. , 1990, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[89]  P. McGuffin,et al.  Childhood hyperactivity scores are highly heritable and show sibling competition effects: Twin study evidence , 1995, Behavior genetics.

[90]  R. Kessler,et al.  A population-based twin study of alcoholism in women. , 1992, JAMA.

[91]  H. Quay,et al.  Response perseveration and delayed responding in undersocialized aggressive conduct disorder. , 1988, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[92]  Hans J. Eysenck,et al.  Genes, culture, and personality : an empirical approach , 1989 .

[93]  G. Vogler,et al.  Methodology for genetic studies of twins and families , 1993 .

[94]  N. Martin,et al.  Testing a model for the genetic structure of personality: a comparison of the personality systems of Cloninger and Eysenck. , 1994, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[95]  L. Robins,et al.  Conduct problems as predictors of substance abuse. , 1990 .

[96]  M. Hesselbrock,et al.  Relationship of family history, antisocial personality disorder and personality traits in young men at risk for alcoholism. , 1992, Journal of studies on alcohol.

[97]  S. Mednick,et al.  Genetic influences in criminal convictions: evidence from an adoption cohort. , 1984, Science.

[98]  G. Weiss,et al.  Psychiatric status of hyperactives as adults: a controlled prospective 15-year follow-up of 63 hyperactive children. , 1985, Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry.

[99]  N. Martin,et al.  Common genetic risk factors for conduct disorder and alcohol dependence. , 1998, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[100]  Philip D. Harvey,et al.  Psychometric vs. attentional correlates of early onset alcohol and substance abuse , 1992, Journal of abnormal child psychology.

[101]  J. L. Walker,et al.  Comparison of specific patterns of antisocial behavior in children with conduct disorder with or without coexisting hyperactivity. , 1987, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[102]  J. Sundet,et al.  Genetic influence on parent-reported attention-related problems in a Norwegian general population twin sample. , 1996, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.