VCU Study: Genetic factors may influence common fears
Sathya Achia Abraham
VCU Communications and Public Relations
(804) 827-0890
sbachia@vcu.edu
4/7/2008
As we move
from childhood to young adulthood, the genes that influence our common fears of
rats, the dark, or flying change considerably over time rather than staying
static, according to a new study by Virginia Commonwealth
University researchers.
The results of the
research, led by Kenneth S. Kendler,
M.D., professor of psychiatry and human genetics in VCU's School of Medicineare reported in the April 7 issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.
"The genome
is a dynamic place," said Kendler. "Evolution has likely shaped our genomes to
adapt to changing developmental situations. For example, what an 8-year-old child
should be afraid of is not the same as that of a 20-year-old young adult. Our
genome reflects that difference."
VCU
researchers, together with researchers from the Karolinska Institute and Uppsala University in Sweden, evaluated fear
factors among 2,500 twin pairs born between 1985 and 1986. The twin pairs were from
the Swedish Twin Study of Child and Adolescent Development.
All participants completed a questionnaire containing 13
items regarding fear of particular situations, animals and blood or injuries.
Participants were asked to rate the intensity of fear on a scale from 0 (no
fear) to 10 (maximal fear). Additionally, their parents were asked to rate their
child's fear intensity using the same scale. The sample was assessed at ages
8-9, 13-14, 16-17 and 19-20.
The study
was supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Swedish
Council for Working Life and Social Research and the Swedish Research Council.
Collaborating
with Kendler were VCU researchers Charles Gardner, Ph.D., Lindon Eaves, Ph.D.,
DSc., Michael Neale, Ph.D; Peter Annas, Ph.D., with Uppsala University in
Sweden; and Paul Lichtenstein, Ph.D., with the Karolinska Institute in
Stockholm Sweden.
- About VCU and the VCU Medical Center
Virginia Commonwealth University is a major, urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research. Located on two downtown campuses in Richmond, VCU enrolls more than 32,000 students in 211 certificate and degree programs in the arts, sciences and humanities. Sixty-nine of the programs are unique in Virginia, many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU’s 13 schools and one college. MCV Hospitals and the health sciences schools of Virginia Commonwealth University compose the VCU Medical Center, one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers. For more, see www.vcu.edu.
