Familial correlations of variables from the craniofacial complex in a Venezuelan isolate of African origin

Familial aggregation for 33 different variables from the craniofacial complex was estimated through intraclass correlation coefficients for four different relationships: parent-offspring paris, sibs, cousins and unrelated pairs. The population chosen for the study was La Sabana, D.F., a Venezuelan isolate of Negroid origin. The general tendency observed among the different correlations was as anticipated: sibs show higher correlations than cousins and these were higher than for unrelated pairs. Parent-offspring correlations were lower than expected. The significant correlations observed among sibs for 17 of the variables indicate aggregation due to genetic and/or common environmental factors. On the other hand, little genetic determination was detected for sella-C point distance or for upper dental arch depth both of which show intraclass sib correlations ≤0.1.