Psychoses of the Schizophrenic Spectrum in Twins

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• The diagnostic dilemma in psychiatry.
• The nature - nurture controversy.
• Methods of clinical genetics in psychiatry.
• General remarks on twin origination.
• Biology of twin origination.
• Frequency of twin births.
• The twins method in research.
• Characteristics of the twin constellation.
• The methodological basis of twin research.
• Classical twin studies in schizophrenia research.
• Severity of illness and concordance rates.
• Concordance/discordance and familial pattern.
• Concordance/discordance and handedness.
• Concordance rate of dizygotic twins and other sibling morbidity rate.
• Monozygotic twins reared apart.
• Frequency of schizophrenia in twins.
• Studies of monozygotic twin pairs discordant for schizophrenia.
• Further questions.
• Methodology of a systematic twin study.
• Twin survey methodology and zygosity diagnosis.
• Methodology of psychiatric diagnostics.
• Determining the criteria for concordance/discordance.
• Selection of further test variables.
• Results.
• Results of the twin survey and zygosity diagnosis.
• Psychiatric diagnoses.
• Demographic data of the subjects.
• Concordance rates.
• Case studies.
• Summary of the family history.
• Birth history in the intra-pair comparison.
• Role assignment in the twin constellation.
• Handedness of test persons.
• Discussion.
• Role assignment (dominant/subordinate) and handedness .....
• Comparability of diagnoses.
• Demographic data in polydiagnostic comparison.
• Varying genetic dispositions.
• The absence of schizophrenic subgroups among twins.
• The influence of pre- and perinatal complications.
• The role of prenatal developmental disorders.
• Acknowledgements.