Abstract
Twin-study research suggests that many (but not all) of the same genes contribute to genetic influence on diverse learning abilities and disabilities, a hypothesis called generalist genes. This generalist genes hypothesis was tested using a set of 10 DNA markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]) found to be associated with early reading ability in a study of 4,258 7-year-old children that screened 100,000 SNPs. Using the same sample, we show that this early reading SNP set also correlates with other aspects of literacy, components of mathematics, and more general cognitive abilities. These results provide support for the generalist genes hypothesis. Although the effect size of the current SNP set is small, such SNP sets could eventually be used to predict genetic risk for learning disabilities as well as to prescribe genetically tailored intervention and prevention programs.
Highlights
Twin-study research suggests that many of the same genes contribute to genetic influence on diverse learning abilities and disabilities, a hypothesis called generalist genes
A SNP set consisting of 10 SNPs identified on the basis of their association with individual differences in reading ability was significantly correlated with other literacy measures, components of mathematics performance, and general cognitive ability
It should be noted that the original reading measure used by Meaburn et al was a general composite consisting of the Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE) and a yearlong teacher assessment of reading based on UK National Curriculum (NC) criteria
Summary
Twin-study research suggests that many (but not all) of the same genes contribute to genetic influence on diverse learning abilities and disabilities, a hypothesis called generalist genes. This generalist genes hypothesis was tested using a set of 10 DNA markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]) found to be associated with early reading ability in a study of 4,258 7-year-old children that screened 100,000 SNPs. Using the same sample, we show that this early reading SNP set correlates with other aspects of literacy, components of mathematics, and more general cognitive abilities.
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