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A Comparison of Twin and Sibling Studies for a Developmental Theory of Schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Max Pollack ,
Margaret G. Woerner  and
Donald F. Klein
Max Pollack*
Affiliation:
Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, N.Y. and Queens, College of the City University of New York, Flushing, N.Y.
Margaret G. Woerner
Affiliation:
Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, N.Y. and Queens, College of the City University of New York, Flushing, N.Y.
Donald F. Klein
Affiliation:
Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, N.Y. and Queens, College of the City University of New York, Flushing, N.Y.
*
Dept. of Psychology, Queens College of the City University of New York, Flushing. N. Y. 11367, USA

Extract

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Studies have clearly established that the concordance rate for schizophrenia is much higher in MZ than DZ twins. Beyond this, it is difficult to generalize the findings to singletons. Analyzing the reports of MZ twins discordant for schizophrenia, Stabenau and Pollin (1967) view the differences between the index case and his nonschizophrenic cotwin, as stemming from an early biological defect or immaturity, which, in interaction with parental handling and other environmental response, may lead to socio-psychological incompetency and, in turn, to gross schizophrenic symptomatology.

In a previous study (Pollack et al, 1966), comparing schizophrenic patients and their nonschizophrenic sibs, we found that patients showed significant psychological (social and personality) deviations from the preschool age through adolescence. We did not obtain significant differences on the biological and very early developmental variables that clearly distinguished the discordant twins. These include birth weight, paranatal complications or motor development, such as age of walking. In contrast, Lane and Albee (1966) found schizophrenic index cases to be lighter at birth than their sibs, confirming the finding for twins. The clinical significance of this difference is debatable, since the index cases did not differ from national norms.

Type
Session 17 - Twin Studies in Psychiatry and Neuropathology
Information
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae: twin research , Volume 19 , Issue 1-2 , April 1970 , pp. 303 - 304
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1970

References

Lane, E., Albee, G. (1966). Comparative birth weights of schizophrenics and their siblings. J. Psychol., 64: 277–281.Google Scholar
Pollack, M., Woerner, M. G., Goodman, W., Greenberg, I. (1966). Childhood development patterns of hospitalized adult schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic patients and their siblings. Amer. J. Orthopsychiat., 36: 510–517.Google Scholar
Rosanoff, A. J., Handy, L. M., Plesset, I. R., Brush, S. (1934). The etiology of so-called schizophrenic psychoses. Amer. J. Psychiat., 91: 247–283.Google Scholar
Shields, J. (1968). Summary of the genetic evidence. J. Psychiat. Res., 6: 95–126.Google Scholar
Stabenau, J. R., Pollin, W. (1967). Early characteristics of monozygotic twins discordant for schizophrenia. Arch. Gen. Psychiat. (Chicago), 17: 723–734.Google Scholar