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A Developmental Hypothesis for Adult Blood Pressure

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

J.K. Hewitt*
Affiliation:
Department of Human Genetics, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, USA Department of Psychology, University of Birmingham, UK
D. Carroll
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Birmingham, UK
J. Sims
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Birmingham, UK
L.J. Eaves
Affiliation:
Department of Human Genetics, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, USA
*
Dept. of Human Genetics, Box 33, MCV Station, Richmond VA 23298, U.S.A.

Abstract

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Observed increases in phenotypic variance for blood pressure during adulthood are a predictable consequence of an a priori model for developmental change and continuity previously applied to cognitive development. The implications of this model for genetic and environmental covariances depend on the mechanism which maintains developmental continuity. Using data from young adult twins and their parents, it is shown how traditionally estimated genetic and environmental parameters may be reinterpreted in the light of the developmental model. Illustrative data suggest a hypothesis that genetic effects on blood pressure are largely temporally pleiotropic, acting consistently but not cumulatively throughout adulthood, while environmental influences act haphazardly but their effects are transmitted forward with high fidelity.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1987

References

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