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J Appl Physiol (September 5, 2003). doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00660.2003
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Submitted on June 26, 2003
Accepted on September 2, 2003

The contribution of genetic and environmental effects to postural balance in older female twins

Satu Pajala1*, Pertti Era2, Markku Koskenvuo3, Jaakko Kaprio4, Asko Tolvanen5, Eino Heikkinen1, Kristina Tiainen1, and Taina Rantanen1

1 Department of Health Sciences and Finnish Centre for Interdisciplinary Gerontology, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla, Finland
2 LIKES-Research Centre for Sports and Health Sciences, Jyvaskyla, Finland; Finnish Brain Research Center NEURON, Kuopio, Finland
3 Department of Public Health, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
4 Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Mental Health, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland
5 Department of Psychology, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla, Finland

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: saarvone{at}sport.jyu.fi.

Aim of the present study was to determine the relative roles of genetic and environmental influences on postural balance in older women. The participants were 97 monozygotic (MZ) and 102 dizygotic (DZ) female twins aged 64 to 76 years. Postural sway was measured during side-by-side stance with eyes open and eyes closed, and semi-tandem stance with eyes open on a force platform. Sway data were condensed into four first order and one second order latent factors. The second order factor, named BALANCE, incorporates sway data from multiple tests and thus best describes the phenotype of postural balance. The contribution of genetic and environmental influences on the variability of the latent factors was assessed using structural equation modeling. Additive genetic influences accounted for 34% and shared environmental influences accounted for 24% of the total variance in the BALANCE factor. In the current study, postural balance in older women had a moderate genetic component. Genetic influences on postural balance may be mediated through gene variation in the systems that control posture. The finding that individual environmental influences accounted for almost half of the variance in postural balance points to the potential of targeted interventions to maintain and improve balance control in older persons.




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