Narrow-sense heritability estimates for nerve conduction velocity and residual latency in mice.

Abstract

Conduction velocity (CV) and residual latency (RL; delay at the neuromuscular junction) were determined in the tail nerves of 1366 HS mice distributed in 230 families. The mean CV was 25.76 m/s, with a range from 17.44 to 34.62 m/s. The mean RL was .93 ms, with a range from .63 to 1.32 ms. Estimates of narrow-sense heritabilities (h n 2 ) were obtained by regressing midoffspring means on midparent means. Theh n 2 estimate for CV was .228±.053 (p<.0001); that for RL was .069±.053 (p=.20). The CV estimate agrees with previous estimates from mice; reasons are given whyh n 2 in humans should be appreciably greater. Since human intelligence appears to be correlated with information processing speed, and brain CV should be a component of this speed, CV may have some important implications for intelligence.