Conversations in twin research

This series of papers [ISSN: 2652-5518] aims to showcase the diverse application of the twin method to the research and health professionals' community, and to start a conversation regarding use of this approach in all areas of research, including education, early life origins of chronic disease, clinical trials and population health research.

Issue 1: Twin research designs and analytic approaches

The aim of this article is to summarise different types of research study designs involving twins and the ways in which these can be used to address different specific research questions. We describe ... Read more >

Issue 2: Historical perspectives on twins and twin research

Twins feature in the mythology of many ancient cultures. The scientific value of twins has been understood for millennia. Systematic twin research has a history of nearly 150 years. ... Read more >

Issue 3: School achievement in literacy and numeracy

Twin studies show that genes explain half or more of the variability in children’s achievements in literacy, language and numeracy … but genes are not destiny! Environmental influences can be very... Read more >

Issue 4: Understanding early life origins of chronic disease

Many risks for chronic disease derive from genes or from the environment encountered in early life – including in the womb ... Read more >

Issue 5: The importance of zygosity knowledge for twins and science

Accurate knowledge of zygosity is important for a range of medical reasons, including the estimation of disease risk and tissue compatibility. ... Read more >

Issue 6: Conducting clinical trials in twin populations

This article discusses the design and implementation of randomised controlled trials which involve only twins, of which very few have been conducted. We outline specific designs that can be used, and ... Read more >