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Predicting educational achievement from DNA
S Selzam1, E Krapohl1, S von Stumm2
1King's College London, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK.
Molecular Psychiatry
|July 20, 2016
Summary
A new genome-wide polygenic score (GPS) for educational attainment significantly predicts educational achievement, explaining up to 9% of variance by age 16. This score also correlates with cognitive ability and socioeconomic status.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral genetics
- Quantitative trait prediction
- Social sciences
Background:
- Genome-wide polygenic scores (GPS) are increasingly used to predict complex traits.
- Previous educational attainment GPS explained 2-4% of variance in educational years.
- The predictive power of updated GPS for educational achievement requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the predictive accuracy of an updated educational attainment GPS.
- To assess the association of this GPS with educational achievement across different ages.
- To examine the relationship between the GPS, cognitive ability, and socioeconomic status.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an independent sample of 5825 UK individuals.
- Tested the association between the latest educational attainment GPS and educational achievement scores at ages 7, 12, and 16.
- Assessed correlations with general cognitive ability and family socioeconomic status.
Main Results:
- The educational attainment GPS explained up to 9% of the variance in educational achievement by age 16.
- This represents the strongest GPS prediction for quantitative behavioral traits to date.
- Individuals in the highest and lowest GPS septiles differed by a full school grade at age 16.
- GPS was associated with general cognitive ability (approx. 3.5%) and family socioeconomic status (approx. 7%).
Conclusions:
- Updated educational attainment GPS demonstrates substantial predictive power for educational achievement over time.
- GPS shows significant associations with cognitive ability and socioeconomic status, highlighting genetic influences on behavioral traits.
- These findings support the potential for widespread use of GPS in predicting genetic risk and resilience in behavioral sciences.
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