Biological Psychology, VU University, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Nat Rev Genet. 2012 Sep;13(9):640-53. doi: 10.1038/nrg3243. Epub 2012 Jul 31.
The classical twin study has been a powerful heuristic in biomedical, psychiatric and behavioural research for decades. Twin registries worldwide have collected biological material and longitudinal phenotypic data on tens of thousands of twins, providing a valuable resource for studying complex phenotypes and their underlying biology. In this Review, we consider the continuing value of twin studies in the current era of molecular genetic studies. We conclude that classical twin methods combined with novel technologies represent a powerful approach towards identifying and understanding the molecular pathways that underlie complex traits.
经典的双胞胎研究几十年来一直是生物医学、精神医学和行为研究的有力启发式方法。全球的双胞胎登记处已经收集了数以万计的双胞胎的生物材料和纵向表型数据，为研究复杂表型及其潜在生物学提供了宝贵的资源。在这篇综述中，我们考虑了双胞胎研究在当前分子遗传学研究时代的持续价值。我们的结论是，经典的双胞胎方法结合新的技术代表了一种强大的方法，可以识别和理解复杂特征背后的分子途径。
