Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40645923›Full record

ArticleTranslational psychiatry2025

Genetic and environmental contributions to the link between synaesthesia and neurodevelopmental and psychiatric features: a twin study.

Janina Neufeld, Tessa M van Leeuwen, Ralf Kuja-Halkola, Sebastian Lundström, Henrik Larsson, Paul Lichtenstein, Sven Bölte, David Mataix-Cols, Mark J Taylor

Abstract readTwin Study
In one paragraph

Article in Translational psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
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

9 authors.

Janina NeufeldCenter of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND), Department of Women's and Children's Health, Centre for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden. Janina.Neufeld@ki.se.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7743-526X
Tessa M van LeeuwenTilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Department of Communication and Cognition, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7810-6348
Ralf Kuja-HalkolaDepartment of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3765-2067
Sebastian LundströmGillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7235-8499
Henrik LarssonDepartment of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6851-3297
Paul LichtensteinDepartment of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3037-5287
Sven BölteCenter of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND), Department of Women's and Children's Health, Centre for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4579-4970
David Mataix-ColsDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4545-0924
Mark J TaylorDepartment of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5161-4182

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Synaesthesia is a sensory phenomenon where specific inputs such as written letters or tastes automatically trigger additional sensations (for instance colours). The phenomenon is more common in people on the autism spectrum compared to the general population and seems also to be associated with other neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions and features. We assessed the associations between self-reported synaesthesia and eight psychiatric / neurodevelopment features in 18-year-old twins and estimated the genetic and environmental contributions to these associations using classical twin modelling. All of the neurodevelopmental / psychiatric features (related to autism, ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression, psychotic-like experiences, eating disorders, and (hypo-)mania) correlated positively with self-reported synaesthesia. The strongest association was found with obsessive-compulsive features (r = 0.28). Genetic factors explained more than 50% of most these associations. Environmental factors that are not shared by twins (non-shared environment) influenced the associations to different degrees, while the influence of environmental factors that are shared by twins was estimated to be negligible. Rather than being specifically linked to autism, synaesthesia seems to be associated with a wider range of neurodevelopmental / psychiatric features, and especially obsessive-compulsive features. Genetic factors play a predominant role in most of these associations, suggesting that synaesthesia might share part of its genetic causes with several neurodevelopmental / psychiatric conditions.

Indexed as

Diseases in TwinsGene-Environment InteractionMental DisordersNeurodevelopmental DisordersSynesthesiaAdolescentAutism Spectrum DisorderFemaleHumansMaleObsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Identifiers

PMID40645923
PMCPMC12254358

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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.