Complex variation in measures of general intelligence and cognitive change
Suzanne J Rowe1, Amy Rowlatt1, Gail Davies2
1The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Plos One
|December 19, 2013
Summary
Regional heritability mapping reveals genetic variation influencing fluid intelligence (gf). A significant region on chromosome 5, including the PRRC1 gene, is associated with gf, offering a candidate for further research.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Combining single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data can reveal more genetic variation than individual SNP effects, aiding in identifying missing heritability.
- Regional heritability mapping analyzes groups of SNPs to capture variation from multiple common or rare variants, offering a comprehensive approach to understanding genetic contributions.
- Cognitive abilities, including crystallized (gc) and fluid intelligence (gf), are complex traits influenced by numerous genetic factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate regional heritability for human cognitive abilities, specifically crystallized and fluid intelligence, across the lifespan.
- To identify specific genomic regions that explain significant portions of the genetic variance associated with cognitive traits.
- To explore the potential role of the PRRC1 gene in fluid intelligence through association analysis and methylation data.
Main Methods:
- Utilized regional heritability mapping by dividing 547,750 SNPs into 10,908 overlapping regions of 101 SNPs to estimate regional genetic variance.
- Analyzed cognitive measures (gc and gf) from 1806 individuals tested in late adulthood and at age 11 to assess cognitive change.
- Estimated empirical significance thresholds using whole genome scans of permuted data and analyzed gene methylation for candidate gene validation.
Main Results:
- A significant region for fluid intelligence (gf) on chromosome 5, encompassing the PRRC1 gene, met the genome-wide 10% empirical significance threshold.
- Analysis of gene methylation in the temporal cortex supported the association between PRRC1 and fluid intelligence (P = 0.004).
- Demonstrated that regional heritability estimates can be overestimated, highlighting the importance of empirical significance thresholds.
Conclusions:
- Regional heritability mapping is a valuable approach for dissecting the genetic architecture of complex cognitive traits.
- The PRRC1 gene emerges as a strong candidate for fluid intelligence, warranting further investigation through high-throughput sequencing.
- This study provides insights into the genetic underpinnings of cognitive variation and change across the human lifespan.
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