Abstract
In this chapter we shall explore the genetic origins of individual differences in cardiovascular reactivity by examining studies that have employed the classical twin design to investigate the genetic and environmental determination of individual variation in cardiovascular response to psychological challenge. While the following research provides a good example of how behavior genetics can usefully be employed in behavioral medicine, it is not the only case of the successful marriage of these two disciplines. Other instances include the study of metabolic rate (Hewitt et al., 1991), obesity (Fabsitz et al., 1992; Stunkard et al., 1986; see also Stunkard, 1991), type A behavior (Sims et al., 1991; Tambs et al., 1992), and addictive behaviors including smoking (Carmelli et al., 1992) and drinking (Heath et al., 1991). The interfacing of behavior genetic analysis strategies and behavioral medicine experimental paradigms is likely to increase in the future as the power of these genetic strategies is realized more and more by researchers in behavioral medicine (see Turner et al., 1993a).
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Further Reading
Carmelli, D., Ward, M.M., Reed, T., Grim, C.E., Harshfield, G.A., and Fabsitz, R.R. (1991). Genetic effects on cardiovascular responses to cold and mental activity in late adulthood. American Journal of Hypertension, 4, 239–244.
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Rose, R.J. (1992). Genes, stress, and cardiovascular reactivity. In J.R. Turner, A. Sherwood, and K.C. Light (Eds.), Individual differences in cardiovascular response to stress (pp. 87–102 ). New York: Plenum.
Turner, J.R., Carroll, D., Sims, J., Hewitt, J.K., and Kelly, K.A. (1986). Temporal and inter-task consistency of heart rate reactivity during active psychological challenge: A twin study. Physiology and Behavior, 38, 641–644.
Turner, J.R., and Hewitt, J.K. (1992). Twin studies of cardiovascular response to psychological challenge: A review and suggested future directions. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 14, 12–20.
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© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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Turner, J.R. (1994). Genetic Determinants of Individual Differences in Cardiovascular Reactivity. In: Cardiovascular Reactivity and Stress. The Springer Series in Behavioral Psychophysiology and Medicine. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9579-0_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9579-0_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
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