[The presence of a psychiatric diagnosis could alter the epigenetic clock in monozygotic twins].

Background: The acceleration of the epigenetic clock has been associated with a reduction in life expectancy. Individuals diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder have a reduction in life expectancy, and some studies have correlated it with accelerated aging.
Objective: The present study aims to explore whether the presence of any psychiatric disorder could accelerate the epigenetic clock in monozygotic twins.
Methods: A total of 15 pairs of monozygotic twins were included. Epigenetic age in peripheral blood cells was estimated by previously published algorithms, using the 450K Beadchip microarray.
Results: We found that in twins with a diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder, the epigenetic clock could increase compared to their twin without a psychiatric disorder.
Discussion and Conclusion: The presence of some psychiatric disorder could accelerate the epigenetic clock in homozygous twins, but studies with larger samples are required to clarify this relationship.
(Copyright © 2021 SEGG. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)