Skip to main content
PMC home page
American Journal of Human Genetics logoLink to American Journal of Human Genetics
. 1994 Nov;55(5):1050–1053.

A familial association between twinning and upper-neural tube defects.

B H Garabedian 1, F C Fraser 1
PMCID: PMC1918317  PMID: 7977342

Abstract

An increased twinning rate has been observed in the near relatives (sibs, parents, and aunts and uncles) of probands with neural tube defects (NTDs) occurring at the level of the 11th thoracic vertebra and above (upper NTDs). The twin rate was more than double that of the near relatives of probands with lower NTDs and of those of probands with Mendelian disorders (the controls). The excess twinning was same sex and can therefore consist of either MZ or same-sex DZ twins. Furthermore, upper-NTD families with twins had a higher NTD-sibling occurrence rate than did families without twins. These findings, if corroborated, may imply an etiology common to twinning and NTDs and can perhaps be applied in counseling NTD families.

Full text

PDF
1050

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Boklage C. E. On the distribution of nonrighthandedness among twins and their families. Acta Genet Med Gemellol (Roma) 1981;30(3):167–187. doi: 10.1017/s0001566000007649. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bomsel-Helmreich O., Papiernik-Berkhauer E. Delayed ovulation and monozygotic twinning. Acta Genet Med Gemellol (Roma) 1976;25:73–76. doi: 10.1017/s000156600001388x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Corey L. A., Winter R., Eaves L. J., Golden W., Nance W. E. The MZ half-sib design: an approach for the examination of the etiology of congenital malformations. Prog Clin Biol Res. 1980;46:437–454. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cornel M. C., ten Kate L. P., te Meerman G. J. Association between ovulation stimulation, in vitro fertilisation, and neural tube defects? Teratology. 1990 Sep;42(3):201–203. doi: 10.1002/tera.1420420302. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Derom C., Vlietinck R., Derom R., Van den Berghe H., Thiery M. Increased monozygotic twinning rate after ovulation induction. Lancet. 1987 May 30;1(8544):1236–1238. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(87)92688-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Edwards R. G., Mettler L., Walters D. E. Identical twins and in vitro fertilization. J In Vitro Fert Embryo Transf. 1986 Apr;3(2):114–117. doi: 10.1007/BF01139357. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Elwood J. M. Changes in the twinning rate in Canada 1926-70. Br J Prev Soc Med. 1973 Nov;27(4):236–241. doi: 10.1136/jech.27.4.236. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ferm V. H. Conjoined twinning in mammalian teratology. Arch Environ Health. 1969 Sep;19(3):353–357. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1969.10666856. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Field B., Kerr C. Letter: Twinning and neural-tube defects. Lancet. 1974 Oct 19;2(7886):964–965. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(74)91185-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Garabedian B. H., Fraser F. C. Upper and lower neural tube defects: an alternate hypothesis. J Med Genet. 1993 Oct;30(10):849–851. doi: 10.1136/jmg.30.10.849. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hall J. G., Friedman J. M., Kenna B. A., Popkin J., Jawanda M., Arnold W. Clinical, genetic, and epidemiological factors in neural tube defects. Am J Hum Genet. 1988 Dec;43(6):827–837. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Harlap S., Shahar S., Baras M. Overripe ova and twinning. Am J Hum Genet. 1985 Nov;37(6):1206–1215. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Harvey M. A., Huntley R. M., Smith D. W. Familial monozygotic twinning. J Pediatr. 1977 Feb;90(2):246–247. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(77)80640-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ingalls T. H., Philbrook F. R., Majima A. Conjoined twins in zebra fish. Arch Environ Health. 1969 Sep;19(3):344–352. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1969.10666855. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. James W. H. Excess of like sexed pairs of dizygotic twins. Nature. 1971 Jul 23;232(5308):277–278. doi: 10.1038/232277a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Journel H., Roussey M., Dabadie A., Le Marec B. Malformations du tube neural et jumeaux. J Gynecol Obstet Biol Reprod (Paris) 1985;14(7):819–827. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kaufman M. H., O'Shea K. S. Induction of monozygotic twinning in the mouse. Nature. 1978 Dec 14;276(5689):707–708. doi: 10.1038/276707a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Lancaster P. A. Congenital malformations after in-vitro fertilisation. Lancet. 1987 Dec 12;2(8572):1392–1393. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(87)91277-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Layde P. M., Erickson J. D., Falek A., McCarthy B. J. Congenital malformation in twins. Am J Hum Genet. 1980 Jan;32(1):69–78. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Milunsky A., Derby L. E., Jick H. Ovulation induction and neural tube defects. Teratology. 1990 Nov;42(5):467–467. doi: 10.1002/tera.1420420502. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Müller F., O'Rahilly R. The development of the human brain, the closure of the caudal neuropore, and the beginning of secondary neurulation at stage 12. Anat Embryol (Berl) 1987;176(4):413–430. doi: 10.1007/BF00310083. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Parisi P., Gatti M., Prinzi G., Caperna G. Familial incidence of twinning. Nature. 1983 Aug 18;304(5927):626–628. doi: 10.1038/304626a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Park C. H., Stewart W., Khoury M. J., Mulinare J. Is there etiologic heterogeneity between upper and lower neural tube defects? Am J Epidemiol. 1992 Dec 15;136(12):1493–1501. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a116470. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Segreti W. O., Winter P. M., Nance W. E. Familial studies of monozygotic twinning. Prog Clin Biol Res. 1978;24(Pt B):55–60. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Shapiro L. R., Zemek L., Shulman M. J. Familial monozygotic twinning: an autosomal dominant form of monozygotic twinning with variable penetrance. Prog Clin Biol Res. 1978;24(Pt B):61–63. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Toriello H. V., Higgins J. V. Possible causal heterogeneity in spina bifida cystica. Am J Med Genet. 1985 May;21(1):13–20. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.1320210103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Van Allen M. I., Kalousek D. K., Chernoff G. F., Juriloff D., Harris M., McGillivray B. C., Yong S. L., Langlois S., MacLeod P. M., Chitayat D. Evidence for multi-site closure of the neural tube in humans. Am J Med Genet. 1993 Oct 1;47(5):723–743. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.1320470528. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. WITSCHI E. Overripeness of the egg as a cause of twinning and teratogenesis: a review. Cancer Res. 1952 Nov;12(11):763–786. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Windham G. C., Bjerkedal T. Malformations in twins and their siblings, Norway, 1967-79. Acta Genet Med Gemellol (Roma) 1984;33(1):87–95. doi: 10.1017/s0001566000007558. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Human Genetics are provided here courtesy of American Society of Human Genetics

RESOURCES