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Generalist genes and learning disabilities.

Robert Plomin1, Yulia Kovas

  • 1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, United Kingdom. r.plomin@iop.kcl.ac.uk

Psychological Bulletin
|August 3, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Genetic research reveals that genes influencing common learning disabilities like language, reading, and math impairments largely overlap with those affecting typical learning abilities, impacting multiple facets and types of learning. This suggests a generalist gene effect.

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Area of Science:

  • Quantitative genetics
  • Developmental psychology
  • Behavioral genetics

Background:

  • Traditional diagnoses of learning disabilities often assume specific etiological pathways.
  • Recent advances in quantitative genetics offer new insights into the genetic underpinnings of learning abilities and disabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review quantitative genetic research on learning disabilities.
  • To determine if genes associated with learning disabilities act specifically or generally.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent quantitative genetic research.
  • Analysis of genetic correlations between learning abilities and disabilities.
  • Examination of genetic overlap across different learning disabilities.

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Main Results:

  • Genes influencing common learning disabilities (language, reading, mathematics) are largely the same genes responsible for normal variation in learning abilities.
  • Genes affecting one aspect of a learning disability tend to affect other aspects of the same disability.
  • Genes associated with one type of learning disability are likely to be associated with other types of learning disabilities.

Conclusions:

  • Genetic influences on common learning disabilities are predominantly generalist, not specialist.
  • These findings have significant implications for understanding the genetic architecture of learning and for fields like molecular genetics, neuroscience, and psychology.