Researchers have identified genetic factors that trigger symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, and anxiety.

The international study led by King’s College London, UK, examined how individuals’ varying sensitivity to environmental factors can influence levels of ADHD symptoms, autistic traits, anxiety and depression symptoms, psychotic experiences and neuroticism.

Researchers from 23 universities around the world combined data from up to 21,792 identical twins (10,896 pairs) from 11 studies to discover genetic variants linked with environmental sensitivity. This is the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) of identical twins to date.