New developments in the genetics of psychiatric comorbidity

A growing literature indicates that, in late childhood, adolescence and adulthood, genetic liabilities for psychopathology are largely nonspecific and that a general factor of psychopathology (“p”) is negatively associated... [ view full abstract ]

A growing literature indicates that, in late childhood, adolescence and adulthood, genetic liabilities for psychopathology are largely nonspecific and that a general factor of psychopathology (“p”) is negatively associated with intelligence. This symposium brings together four papers that seek to further elucidate these patterns. Harden presents results of an analysis of nearly 2000 twins ages 8 to 18 years from the Texas Twin Project, reporting cross-cutting associations between low intelligence and executive functioning, on the one hand, and a range of psychiatric symptomologies on the other hand. These associations are primarily mediated by shared genetic etiology between a general dimension of cognitive function and a general factor of psychopathology. Tucker-Drob examines the g factor – p factor association in the first 6 years of life. He uses integrative data anlaysis to examine genetic and environmental links between psychopathology and cognitive ability in the Texas “tiny” Twin Project and the twin subsample of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort. Waldman uses both simulation and analysis of empirical data from approximately 1,600 twins ages 9 – 17 years to examine the robustness of the General Factor of Psychopathology and its external correlates to model specification. Finally, Isvoranu provides an overview of how genetic risk scores can be incorporated into formal graph theoretic model of symptom networks to represent how genetic influences on psychiatric symptom comorbidity might arise dynamically over time.