Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25985137›Full record

SynthesisNature genetics2015

Meta-analysis of the heritability of human traits based on fifty years of twin studies.

Tinca J C Polderman, Beben Benyamin, Christiaan A de Leeuw, Patrick F Sullivan, Arjen van Bochoven, Peter M Visscher, Danielle Posthuma

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisTwin Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Nature genetics, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 924 papers, 14 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
924citing papers in PubMed, 14 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

924 citing papers in PubMed, 14 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  19. Anthropometric differences between twins at birth and their association with later cognitive performance.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2026
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864 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

7 authors.

Tinca J C PoldermanDepartment of Complex Trait Genetics, VU University, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Beben BenyaminQueensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Christiaan A de Leeuw1] Department of Complex Trait Genetics, VU University, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. [2] Institute for Computing and Information Sciences, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Patrick F Sullivan1] Center for Psychiatric Genomics, Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. [2] Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. [3] Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Arjen van BochovenFaculty of Sciences, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Peter M Visscher1] Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. [2] University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Danielle Posthuma1] Department of Complex Trait Genetics, VU University, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. [2] Department of Clinical Genetics, VU University Medical Center, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000000175822365

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Despite a century of research on complex traits in humans, the relative importance and specific nature of the influences of genes and environment on human traits remain controversial. We report a meta-analysis of twin correlations and reported variance components for 17,804 traits from 2,748 publications including 14,558,903 partly dependent twin pairs, virtually all published twin studies of complex traits. Estimates of heritability cluster strongly within functional domains, and across all traits the reported heritability is 49%. For a majority (69%) of traits, the observed twin correlations are consistent with a simple and parsimonious model where twin resemblance is solely due to additive genetic variation. The data are inconsistent with substantial influences from shared environment or non-additive genetic variation. This study provides the most comprehensive analysis of the causes of individual differences in human traits thus far and will guide future gene-mapping efforts. All the results can be visualized using the MaTCH webtool.

Indexed as

Cluster AnalysisGene-Environment InteractionGenetic Association StudiesGenetic HeterogeneityGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseHumansModels, GeneticTwins, DizygoticTwins, Monozygotic

Identifiers

PMID25985137

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

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.