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Chronological Parameters, Twin Studies, and Mental Diseases

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

J. D. Rainer
J. D. Rainer*
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Genetics, New York State Psychiatric Institute
*
722 West 168th Street, New York, N.Y. 10032, USA

Summary

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Genetics deals with ordered and directed biological change in time; psychiatry with the development or the breakdown over the human life span of thought, feeling, and social adaptation. With the growing acknowl-edgement of the contribution of the genotype to mental and emotional uniqueness, it is appropriate to con-sider chronological parameters of mental disease in a genetic framework. These parameters include age of onset of illness (in turn affecting clinical characteristics), sequence of morbid signs and symptoms, length of illness, periodicity of illness, and temporal relation of clinical episodes to other biological events. Data are reviewed from twin and family studies, retrospective and ongoing, that relate such time phenomena to genetic factors in psychiatric disorder. Among the conditions to be considered are schizophrenia, manic-depressive psychosis, Huntington's chorea, karyotype abnormalities, presenile and senile disease, and the psychobiological ageing process itself.

Riassunto

Riassunto

La genetica si occupa dei cambiamenti biologici e diretti nel tempo; la psichiatria, dello sviluppo o della scomposizione, nell'arco della vita umana, di pensiero, sensazioni e adattamento sociale. Con l'accresciuto riconoscimento del contributo genotipico all'individualità mentale ed emotiva, diviene appropriato il considerare i parametri cronologici della malattia mentale in un contesto genetistico. Tali parametri comprendono l'età d'insorgenza della malattia (che a sua volta influenza le caratteristiche cliniche), la successione sintoma-tologica, la durata della malattia, la sua periodicità, e le relazioni nel tempo fra episodi clinici ed altri eventi biologici. Vengono passati in rassegna studi gemellari e familiari sia retrospettivi che prospettici, che collegano tali fenomeni temporali ai fattori genetici nella malattia mentale. Fra le condizioni da considerare si trovano schizofrenia, psicosi maniaco-depressiva, corea di Huntington, anomalie cariologiche, malattia senile e psicosenile e lo stesso processo psicobiologico d'invecchiamento.

Résumé

RÉSUMÉ

La génétique s'occupe des changements biologiques et directs dans le temps; la psychiatrie, du développement ou de la répartition, dans les différentes étapes de la vie humaine, de pensée, sensations et adaptation sociale. Alors que la contribution génotypique à l'individualité mentale et émotionnelle devient de plus en plus reconnue, il est approprié de considérer les paramètres chronologiques de la maladie mentale dans un contexte génétique. Ces paramètres comprennent l'âge de début de la maladie (qui à son tour influence les caractéristiques cliniques), la succession symptomatologique, la durée de la maladie et sa périodicité, et les rapports dans le temps entre épisodes cliniques et d'autres événements biologiques. L'auteur passe en revue les études gémellaires et familiales rétrospectives ou perspectives, qui relient ces phénomènes temporels aux facteurs génétiques dans la maladie mentale. Parmi les conditions à considérer se trouvent schizophrénie, psychose maniaco-dépressive, chorée de Huntington, anomalies caryotypiques, maladie sénile et présénile, et même le procès psychobiologique du vieillissement.

Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung

Die Genetik befasst sich mit den biologischen und zeitlich ausgerichteten Veränderungen; die Psychiatrie hingegen beobachtet, wie der Gedanke, die Gefühle und die Anpassung an die Gesellschaft sich im Laufe des menschlichen Lebens entwickeln oder spalten. Nachdem immer mehr erkannt wird, dass der Genotyp wesentlich zur geistigen und seelischen Individualitätsbildung beiträgt, müssen auch die chronologischen Parameter der Geisteskrankheiten vom Erbstandpunkt aus betrachtet werden. Zu diesen Parametern gehören: Auftrittsalter einer Krankheit (von dem dann wieder die klinischen Merkmale abhängen), die Reihenfolge der Krank-heitssymptome, die Krankheitsdauer, ihre Häufigkeit sowie die zeitlichen Beziehungen zwischen den Erkrankungen und anderen biologischen Ereignissen. Es werden sowohl in die Vergangenheit als in die Zukunft gerichtete Zwillings- und Sippen-untersuchungen bei Geisteskrankheiten aufgeführt, wo eine Verbindung zwischen diesen zeitlichen Phänomenen und den Erbfaktoren festgestellt wurde. Die Forschungsgebiete umfassen: Schizophrenie, manisch-depressive Psychose, Huntington'sche Chorea, karyologische Anomalien, senile und psycho-senile Leiden sowie den psychobiologischen Altersprozess selbst.

Type
Research Article
Information
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae: twin research , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , October 1971 , pp. 359 - 372
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1971

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