Genetic influences on developmental smoking trajectories.

ABSTRACT: To investigate the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors on smoking trajectory membership and to test whether individual smoking trajectories represent phenotypical thresholds of increasing genetic risk along a common genetic liability dimension.Prospective study of a birth cohort of female like-sex twin pairs.Participants completed diagnostic interview surveys four times from adolescence (average age 16) to young adulthood (average age 25).Female twins who had smoked ?100 cigarettes life-time (n = 1466 regular smokers).Number of cigarettes smoked per day during the heaviest period of smoking (two waves) or during the past 12 months (two waves).A four-trajectory class solution provided the best fit to cigarette consumption data and was characterized by low (n = 564, 38.47%), moderate (n = 366, 24.97%) and high-level smokers (n = 197, 13.44%), and smokers who increased their smoking from adolescence to young adulthood (n =339, 23.12%). The best genetic model fit was a three-category model that comprised the low, a combined increasing + moderate and high trajectories. This trajectory categorization was heritable (72.7%), with no evidence for significant contribution from shared environmental factors.The way in which smoking patterns develop in adolescence has a high level of heritability.

SUBMITTER: Lessov-Schlaggar CN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3412932 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature