Kendler K S, Karkowski L M, Corey L A, Neale M C
Department of Psychiatry, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298-0126, USA.
Am J Psychiatry. 1998 Sep;155(9):1234-40. doi: 10.1176/ajp.155.9.1234.
While family and twin studies suggest that retrospectively reported premenstrual symptoms are heritable, these studies have not accounted for the unreliability of such measures. In addition, we know little about the relationship of the familial risk factors for premenstrual symptoms and major depression.
Lifetime major depression and premenstrual-related tiredness, sadness, and irritability were assessed twice over 6 years in 1,312 menstruating female twins ascertained from a population-based twin register. A twin-measurement model--which permits estimation of the etiologic roles of genetic and environmental factors with correction for errors of measurement or short-term temporal fluctuations--was applied to these data.
A single premenstrual symptom factor was found that was moderately stable over time. The best-fitting twin-measurement model estimated the heritability of the stable component of premenstrual symptoms at 56% and showed no impact of family-environmental factors. A bivariate twin-measurement model estimated that the genetic and environmental risk factors for lifetime major depression contributed only modestly to the etiology of premenstrual syndrome. No evidence was found for significant biases in the twin method.
Retrospectively reported premenstrual-related symptoms of depression and anxiety are moderately stable over time and, when correction is made for this level of stability, substantially heritable. The genetic and environmental risk factors for these premenstrual symptoms and lifetime major depression are not closely related.
虽然家族研究和双生子研究表明，回顾性报告的经前症状具有遗传性，但这些研究并未考虑此类测量方法的不可靠性。此外，我们对经前症状的家族风险因素与重度抑郁症之间的关系了解甚少。
从一个基于人群的双生子登记处选取了1312名有月经的女性双生子，在6年时间里对她们的终生重度抑郁症以及与经前相关的疲劳、悲伤和易怒情况进行了两次评估。对这些数据应用了双生子测量模型——该模型允许在对测量误差或短期时间波动进行校正的情况下，估计遗传和环境因素的病因学作用。
发现了一个单一的经前症状因素，该因素随时间推移具有中等稳定性。拟合度最佳的双生子测量模型估计，经前症状稳定成分的遗传度为56%，且未显示出家庭环境因素的影响。一个双变量双生子测量模型估计，终生重度抑郁症的遗传和环境风险因素对经前综合征病因的影响仅为中等程度。未发现双生子方法存在显著偏差的证据。
回顾性报告的与经前相关的抑郁和焦虑症状随时间推移具有中等稳定性，并且在对这种稳定性水平进行校正后，具有较高的遗传性。这些经前症状和终生重度抑郁症的遗传和环境风险因素并非密切相关。
