Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22856370›Full record

SynthesisTwin research and human genetics : the official journal of the International Society for Twin Studies2012

Genetic and environmental influences on neuroimaging phenotypes: a meta-analytical perspective on twin imaging studies.

Gabriëlla A M Blokland, Greig I de Zubicaray, Katie L McMahon, Margaret J Wright

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisTwin Study
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Twin research and human genetics : the official journal of the International Society for Twin Studies, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 128 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
128citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

128 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. [Research progress on genetic effects of the asymmetry of human brain structure revealed by magnetic resonance imaging].Sheng wu yi xue gong cheng xue za zhi = Journal of biomedical engineering = Shengwu yixue gongchengxue zazhi · 2020
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  8. Article
  9. Genetic analysis of imaging-derived phenotypes.Nature reviews. Genetics · 2026
    Review
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  17. Familial transmission of neural representations for mental arithmetic across two generations.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
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68 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Gabriëlla A M BloklandQueensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. gabriella.blokland@qimr.edu.au
Greig I de Zubicaray
Katie L McMahon
Margaret J Wright

Funding

Genetic influences on the brain: A twin imaging studyR01HD050735 · NICHD · QUEENSLAND INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL RESEARCH · PI WRIGHT, MARGARET JANE · 2007 to 2011
$2.6M
NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD050735
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Because brain structure and function are affected in neurological and psychiatric disorders, it is important to disentangle the sources of variation in these phenotypes. Over the past 15 years, twin studies have found evidence for both genetic and environmental influences on neuroimaging phenotypes, but considerable variation across studies makes it difficult to draw clear conclusions about the relative magnitude of these influences. Here we performed the first meta-analysis of structural MRI data from 48 studies on >1,250 twin pairs, and diffusion tensor imaging data from 10 studies on 444 twin pairs. The proportion of total variance accounted for by genes (A), shared environment (C), and unshared environment (E), was calculated by averaging A, C, and E estimates across studies from independent twin cohorts and weighting by sample size. The results indicated that additive genetic estimates were significantly different from zero for all meta-analyzed phenotypes, with the exception of fractional anisotropy (FA) of the callosal splenium, and cortical thickness (CT) of the uncus, left parahippocampal gyrus, and insula. For many phenotypes there was also a significant influence of C. We now have good estimates of heritability for many regional and lobar CT measures, in addition to the global volumes. Confidence intervals are wide and number of individuals small for many of the other phenotypes. In conclusion, while our meta-analysis shows that imaging measures are strongly influenced by genes, and that novel phenotypes such as CT measures, FA measures, and brain activation measures look especially promising, replication across independent samples and demographic groups is necessary.

Indexed as

Gene-Environment InteractionNeuroimagingQuantitative Trait, HeritableAdolescentAdultAgedBrainBrain MappingChildChild, PreschoolDiffusion Tensor ImagingHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMiddle AgedOrgan SizePhenotype

Identifiers

PMID22856370
PMCPMC4291185

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.