Studies of Twins: Can they Shed Light on the Fetal Origins of Adult Disease Hypothesis?

Morley, Ruth; Dwyer, Terry; Carlin, John B.

doi:10.1375/twin.6.6.520

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Maternal weight did not differ between the groups in our study. The higher proportion of twin pregnancies in the LW groups is in good agreement with the human situation (Morley et al 2003) and experimental studies in sheep (for review see Luther et al 2005). Reduced fetal weights, however, cannot be explained by twin pregnancies alone, as we did not find fetal weight differences in singletons and twins at 0.76 gestation.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Fetal body weight and the development of the control of the cardiovascular system in fetal sheep

Frasch

Müller

Wicher

et al. 2007

The Journal of Physiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Reduced birth weight predisposes to cardiovascular diseases in later life. We examined in fetal sheep at 0.76 (n = 18) and 0.87 (n = 17) gestation whether spontaneously occurring variations in fetal weight affect maturation of autonomic control of cardiovascular function. Fetal weights at both gestational ages were grouped statistically in low (LW) and normal weights (NW) (P < 0.01). LW fetuses were within the normal weight span showing minor growth dysproportionality at 0.76 gestation favouring heart and brain, with a primary growth of carcass between 0.76 and 0.87 gestation (P < 0.05). While twins largely contributed to LW fetuses, weight differences between singletons and twins were absent at 0.76 and modest at 0.87 gestation, underscoring the fact that twins belong to normality in fetal sheep not constituting a major malnutritive condition. Mean fetal blood pressure (FBP) of all fetuses was negatively correlated to fetal weight at 0.76 but not 0.87 gestation (P < 0.05). At this age, FBP and baroreceptor reflex sensitivity were increased in LW fetuses (P < 0.05), suggesting increased sympathetic activity and immaturity of circulatory control. Development of vagal modulation of fetal heart rate depended on fetal weight (P < 0.01). These functional associations were largely independent of twin pregnancies. We conclude, low fetal weight within the normal weight span is accompanied by a different trajectory of development of sympathetic blood pressure and vagal heart rate control. This may contribute to the development of elevated blood pressure in later life. Examination of the underlying mechanisms and consequences may contribute to the understanding of programming of cardiovascular diseases.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Fetal body weight and the development of the control of the cardiovascular system in fetal sheep

Frasch

Müller

Wicher

et al. 2007

The Journal of Physiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The authors therefore suggested that the intrauterine environment was critical for the attained adult height (Loos et al., ). The hypothesis of prenatal programming (Barker, ; Morley et al., ) is one of the most credible explanations for the association between birth weight and health. It is usually suspected that the process in which the stimulus or aggression (against the constraints of space and nourishing supplies) experienced by the fetus at critical developmental periods would have repercussions on the structure, organs' role, organ systems, and tissues.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Twins share the same maternal environment, however, its influence may differently affect both fetuses, because each one has its own fetoplacental environment. Because MZ share the same set of genes identical by descent, the association between intra‐pair differences in birth size and adult outcomes are due, mainly, to environmental differences (including fetoplacental influences) (Morley et al., ). It has to be acknowledged that assessing and estimating neuromotor performance or motor coordination functions in children and adolescents are challenging tasks given the difficulty in finding coherent test batteries that are easily applied, clinically sound and relevant, psychometrically valid and reliable where normative data for a wide range of ages is provided.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between birth weight and neuromotor performance: A twin study

Lópes

Tani

Katzmarzyk

et al. 2013

Scandinavian Med Sci Sports

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Studies have shown important associations between low birth weight (BW), a variety of morbidities, and reduced motor performance. Using a twin sample, this study aimed to verify (a) the magnitude of the association between BW and neuromotor performance (NMP); (b) if the NMP of twins is within the normal range; and (c) if monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins' intra-pair similarities in NMP are of equal magnitude. We sampled 191 twins (78 MZ; 113 DZ distinguished through their DNA), aged 8.9 ± 3.1 years with an average BW of 2246.3 ± 485.4 g; gestational characteristics and sports practices were also assessed. The Zurich Neuromotor test battery, comprising five main tasks, was used; Twins NMP assessments were highly reliable (intra-rater reli-ability: 0.76-0.99). BW accounted for up to 11% of the total variance of NMP across the zygosity groups. Between 32.7% and 76.9% of children were below the 10th percentile for tasks requiring timing of performance (purely motor task, adaptive fine motor task, dynamic, and static balance), while less than 6.4% of children were below the 10th percentile for associated movements. MZ twins NMP intraclass correlations showed greater simi-larity than DZ twins in three of the five tasks, suggesting the importance of genetic factors in NMP.

show abstract

“…Morley et al (355) have argued that twin pregnancies should be used to study the early origins of adult disease, as "the nutritional supply line will be more stretched." They also argue that a comparison of twins with singletons allow easier identification of maternal factors that influence later health.…”

Section: Twin Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental Origins of the Metabolic Syndrome: Prediction, Plasticity, and Programming

McMillen

Robinson²

2005

Physiological Reviews

1,689

1,352

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The "fetal" or "early" origins of adult disease hypothesis was originally put forward by David Barker and colleagues and stated that environmental factors, particularly nutrition, act in early life to program the risks for adverse health outcomes in adult life. This hypothesis has been supported by a worldwide series of epidemiological studies that have provided evidence for the association between the perturbation of the early nutritional environment and the major risk factors (hypertension, insulin resistance, and obesity) for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome in adult life. It is also clear from experimental studies that a range of molecular, cellular, metabolic, neuroendocrine, and physiological adaptations to changes in the early nutritional environment result in a permanent alteration of the developmental pattern of cellular proliferation and differentiation in key tissue and organ systems that result in pathological consequences in adult life. This review focuses on those experimental studies that have investigated the critical windows during which perturbations of the intrauterine environment have major effects, the nature of the epigenetic, structural, and functional adaptive responses which result in a permanent programming of cardiovascular and metabolic function, and the role of the interaction between the pre- and postnatal environment in determining final health outcomes.

show abstract

Studies of Twins: Can they Shed Light on the Fetal Origins of Adult Disease Hypothesis?

Cited by 7 publications

References 39 publications

Fetal body weight and the development of the control of the cardiovascular system in fetal sheep

Fetal body weight and the development of the control of the cardiovascular system in fetal sheep

Association between birth weight and neuromotor performance: A twin study

Developmental Origins of the Metabolic Syndrome: Prediction, Plasticity, and Programming

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About