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Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study

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Genetic covariation between brain volumes and IQ, reading performance, and processing speed.

Rebecca S Betjemann¹, Erin Phinney Johnson, Holly Barnard

¹Department of Psychology, D-12, Regis University, 3333 Regis Blvd., Denver, CO 80221, USA. rbetjema@regis.edu

Behavior Genetics

|January 15, 2010

Summary

Genetic factors significantly link brain volume and cognitive abilities in adolescents. Performance IQ showed strong genetic correlations with all brain measures, while verbal IQ and reading ability had more specific genetic links.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Behavioral Genetics
Cognitive Science

Background:

The relationship between brain size and cognitive function is well-established.
However, fewer studies have explored this connection through a genetic lens, especially in non-adult populations.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the genetic and environmental covariance between brain structure and cognitive abilities in adolescents.
To determine if shared genetic influences underlie the observed associations between brain volume and cognition.

Main Methods:

Structural MRI data from four brain regions (total brain volume, neocortex, white matter, prefrontal cortex) were analyzed.
Cognitive measures included verbal IQ (VIQ), performance IQ (PIQ), reading ability, and processing speed.
Multivariate Cholesky decompositions were applied to a sample of 41 MZ and 30 DZ twin pairs.

Main Results:

All brain and cognitive measures demonstrated significant heritability.
Significant genetic covariance, but not environmental covariance, was found between brain volumes and cognitive measures.
Performance IQ (PIQ) showed substantial genetic links with all four brain volume measures (r(g) = .58–.82).

Conclusions:

Genetic factors play a crucial role in the relationship between brain structure and cognitive abilities during adolescence.
Specific cognitive functions, like PIQ and processing speed, are genetically influenced by broader brain structural variations.