Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Behav Genet. 2010 Mar;40(2):167-77. doi: 10.1007/s10519-009-9330-8. Epub 2010 Jan 29.
We examined the longitudinal genetic architecture of three parameters of functional brain connectivity. One parameter described overall connectivity (synchronization likelihood, SL). The two others were derived from graph theory and described local (clustering coefficient, CC) and global (average path length, L) aspects of connectivity. We measured resting state EEG in 1,438 subjects from four age groups of about 16, 18, 25 and 50 years. Developmental curves for SL and L indicate that connectivity is more random at adolescence and old age, and more structured in middle-aged adulthood. Individual variation in SL and L were moderately to highly heritable at each age (SL: 40-82%; L: 29-63%). Genetic factors underlying these phenotypes overlapped. CC was also heritable (25-49%) but showed no systematic overlap with SL and L. SL, CC, and L in the alpha band showed high phenotypic and genetic stability from 16 to 25 years. Heritability for parameters in the beta band was lower, and less stable across ages, but genetic stability was high. We conclude that the connectivity parameters SL, CC, and L in the alpha band show the hallmarks of a good endophenotype for behavior and developmental disorders.
我们研究了三个功能连接参数的纵向遗传结构。一个参数描述了整体连接（同步可能性，SL）。另外两个参数来自图论，描述了连接的局部（聚类系数，CC）和全局（平均路径长度，L）方面。我们在四个年龄组（约 16、18、25 和 50 岁）的 1438 名受试者中测量了静息状态 EEG。SL 和 L 的发展曲线表明，连接在青春期和老年期更为随机，而在中年期更为结构化。在每个年龄阶段，SL 和 L 的个体变异具有中等至高的遗传性（SL：40-82%；L：29-63%）。这些表型背后的遗传因素相互重叠。CC 也具有遗传性（25-49%），但与 SL 和 L 没有系统重叠。alpha 波段的 SL、CC 和 L 具有从 16 岁到 25 岁的高表型和遗传稳定性。beta 波段参数的遗传率较低，且随年龄变化的稳定性较低，但遗传稳定性较高。我们得出结论，alpha 波段的 SL、CC 和 L 等连接参数具有行为和发育障碍良好的内表型特征。
