The Minnesota Twin Family Study (MTFS)
Participation
We couldn't do our research without the help and contributions of all our participants- without you our research would not be possible, and we can't thank you enough! Click here to read more about participation in our twin family study.
The Study
The MTFS began in 1989, when it enrolled 1,400 pairs of identical and same-sex fraternal twins and their families from throughout the upper Midwest. Twins were identified through public birth records and invited to participate with their parents in a full-day intake assesment. Two groups of Minnesota-born twins were enrolled; twins were either age 11 or 17 at the time of their intake assessment. Beginning in 2000, the MTFS enrolled an additional 500 pairs of twins and their parents into the MCTFR. These new twins visited the study along with at least one parent for an intake assessment around age 11. We hope to follow these twins as they pass from childhood to adolescence and adulthood, measuring mental, physical, and social changes. By combining results across all age groups, we hope to paint a comprehensive picture of both normal development over the years of 11 to 29, as well as some of the difficulties people commonly experience during this important developmental period.