Age effects on autism heritability and etiological stability of autistic traits

Bibliographic Data

ID21344167
AuthorsMiriam I Martini (0000-0003-3654-4088, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden, corresponding author), Agnieszka Butwicka (0000-0002-7247-2141, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden), Ebba Du Rietz (0000-0002-3427-0792, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden), Aleksandra Kanina (0000-0001-7753-560X, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden), Mina A Rosenqvist (0000-0002-2788-2061, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden), Henrik Larsson (0000-0002-6851-3297, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden), Paul Lichtenstein (0000-0003-3037-5287, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden), Mark J Taylor (0000-0001-5161-4182, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden)
Year2024
Volume65
Issue9
Pages1135-1144
Publication date2024-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-9630 • E-ISSN: 1469-7610
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jcpp.13949
PMID38239074
OpenAlexW4391032383
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited56

BACKGROUND: Autism and autistic traits onset in childhood but persist into adulthood. Little is known about how genetic and environmental factors influence autism and autistic traits into adulthood. We aimed to determine age effects on the heritability of clinically diagnosed autism and the etiological stability of autistic traits from childhood to adulthood using twin methods. METHODS: From 23,849 twin pairs in the Swedish Twin Register born between 1959 and 2010, we identified 485 individuals (1.01%, 31.5% female) with a clinical autism diagnosis. We estimated and compared the relative contribution of genetic, shared, and nonshared environmental influences to autism in childhood and adulthood. We further used multivariate twin analysis with four measurement points among 1,348 twin pairs in the longitudinal Twin Study of Child and Adolescent Development to assess the phenotypic and etiological stability of autistic traits - measured with three scales from the Child Behavior Checklist - from childhood to adulthood. RESULTS: Autism heritability was comparable from childhood, (96% [95% CI, 76-99%]) to adulthood (87% [67-96%]). Autistic traits were moderately stable (phenotypic correlation = 0.35-0.61) from childhood to adulthood, and their heritability varied between 52 and 71%. We observed stable as well as newly emerging genetic influences on autistic traits from ages 8-9 to 19-20, and unique nonshared environmental influences at each age. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic factors are important for autism and autistic traits in adulthood and separate genetic studies in adults are warranted

Autism · Autism spectrum disorder · Autistic traits · Biology · Developmental disorder · Developmental psychology · Etiology · Heritability · Psychiatry · Twin study · Young adult · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues · Genetics · Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders · Psychology

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