The heritability of testosterone: A study of Dutch adolescent twins and their parents
Open accessAbstract
The heritability of total plasma testosterone levels, determined from blood samples, was examined in 160 adolescent twin pairs and their parents. Subjects were tested as part of a larger study of cardiovascular risk factors, conducted in Amsterdam. Each subject provided a sample of blood which was assayed to measure testosterone concentrations. Correlations of testosterone in monozygotic twins were higher than in dizygotic twins. No resemblance was found between testosterone values in fathers and those in their children and a moderate correlation was seen between mothers and their daughters. The lack of resemblance between family members of opposite sex suggests that different genetic factors influence plasma testosterone concentrations in men and women. In adolescent men, approximately 60% of the variance in testosterone levels is heritable. The lack of father-son resemblance suggests that different genetic factors may be expressed in adolescence and adulthood. In women, 40% of the variance in testosterone levels is heritable, both in adolescence and in adulthood.
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- Authors
- Harris, J. A., Vernon, P. A., & Boomsma, D. I.
- Affiliations
- Western University (CA)
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Harris, Julie Aitken
- ORCID
- Boomsma, Dorret I.
- Venue
- Behavior Genetics
- Published
- 1998-05
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 165-171
- ISSN
- 0001-8244 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-3297
- OpenAlex
- W1602339315
- Cited by
- 166
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 1.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- research.vu.nl
- Licence
- Locations
- Behavior Genetics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- VU Research Portal (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- Digital Academic REpository of VU University Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Hormonal and reproductive studies
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
- Keywords
- testosterone, heritability, monozygotic twins, dizygotic twins, parent-offspring resemblance, sex differences, adolescent boys, adolescent girls, plasma testosterone
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Cross-Sectional Studies, Family Health, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Models, Genetic, Parents, Sex Factors, Testosterone, Twins, Dizygotic, Twins, Monozygotic, Cohort Studies, Chi-Square Distribution, Likelihood Functions
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