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Benyamin B, Pourcain BS, Davis OS, Davies G, Hansell NK, Brion MJA, Kirkpatrick RM, Cents RAM, Franić S, Miller MB, Haworth CMA, Meaburn E, Price TS, Evans DM, Timpson N, Kemp J, Ring S, McArdle W, Medland SE, Yang J, Harris SE, Liewald DC, Scheet P, Xiao X, Hudziak JJ, de Geus EJC, Jaddoe VWV, Starr JM, Verhulst FC, Pennell C, Tiemeier H, Iacono WG, Palmer LJ, Montgomery GW, Martin NG, Boomsma DI, Posthuma D, McGue M, Wright MJ, Smith GD, Deary IJ, Plomin R, Visscher PM. Childhood intelligence is heritable, highly polygenic and associated with FNBP1L. Mol Psychiatry 2014; 19:253-8. [PMID: 23358156 PMCID: PMC3935975 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2012.184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2012] [Revised: 10/28/2012] [Accepted: 11/12/2012] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Intelligence in childhood, as measured by psychometric cognitive tests, is a strong predictor of many important life outcomes, including educational attainment, income, health and lifespan. Results from twin, family and adoption studies are consistent with general intelligence being highly heritable and genetically stable throughout the life course. No robustly associated genetic loci or variants for childhood intelligence have been reported. Here, we report the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) on childhood intelligence (age range 6-18 years) from 17,989 individuals in six discovery and three replication samples. Although no individual single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected with genome-wide significance, we show that the aggregate effects of common SNPs explain 22-46% of phenotypic variation in childhood intelligence in the three largest cohorts (P=3.9 × 10(-15), 0.014 and 0.028). FNBP1L, previously reported to be the most significantly associated gene for adult intelligence, was also significantly associated with childhood intelligence (P=0.003). Polygenic prediction analyses resulted in a significant correlation between predictor and outcome in all replication cohorts. The proportion of childhood intelligence explained by the predictor reached 1.2% (P=6 × 10(-5)), 3.5% (P=10(-3)) and 0.5% (P=6 × 10(-5)) in three independent validation cohorts. Given the sample sizes, these genetic prediction results are consistent with expectations if the genetic architecture of childhood intelligence is like that of body mass index or height. Our study provides molecular support for the heritability and polygenic nature of childhood intelligence. Larger sample sizes will be required to detect individual variants with genome-wide significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Benyamin
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - BSt Pourcain
- Medical Research Council Centre for Causal Analyses in Translational Epidemiology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - OS Davis
- King's College London, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK
| | - G Davies
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - NK Hansell
- Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - M-JA Brion
- Medical Research Council Centre for Causal Analyses in Translational Epidemiology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- School of Women's and Infants' Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - RM Kirkpatrick
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - RAM Cents
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - S Franić
- Netherlands Twin Register, Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - MB Miller
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - CMA Haworth
- King's College London, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK
| | - E Meaburn
- Department of Psychology, Birkbeck University of London, London, UK
| | - TS Price
- King's College London, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK
| | - DM Evans
- Medical Research Council Centre for Causal Analyses in Translational Epidemiology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - N Timpson
- Medical Research Council Centre for Causal Analyses in Translational Epidemiology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - J Kemp
- Medical Research Council Centre for Causal Analyses in Translational Epidemiology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - S Ring
- Medical Research Council Centre for Causal Analyses in Translational Epidemiology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - W McArdle
- Medical Research Council Centre for Causal Analyses in Translational Epidemiology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - SE Medland
- Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - J Yang
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - SE Harris
- Molecular Medicine Centre, Institute for Genetics and Molecular Medicine Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - DC Liewald
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - P Scheet
- Netherlands Twin Register, Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - X Xiao
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - JJ Hudziak
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - EJC de Geus
- Netherlands Twin Register, Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - VWV Jaddoe
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - JM Starr
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Research Centre, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - FC Verhulst
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - C Pennell
- School of Women's and Infants' Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - H Tiemeier
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - WG Iacono
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - LJ Palmer
- Genetic Epidemiology and Biostatistics Platform, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - GW Montgomery
- Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - NG Martin
- Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - DI Boomsma
- Netherlands Twin Register, Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - D Posthuma
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR), Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (NCA), VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Section Medical Genomics, VU Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - M McGue
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - MJ Wright
- Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - G Davey Smith
- Medical Research Council Centre for Causal Analyses in Translational Epidemiology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - IJ Deary
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - R Plomin
- King's College London, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK
| | - PM Visscher
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Groen-Blokhuis MM, Franić S, van Beijsterveldt CEM, de Geus E, Bartels M, Davies GE, Ehli EA, Xiao X, Scheet PA, Althoff R, Hudziak JJ, Middeldorp CM, Boomsma DI. A prospective study of the effects of breastfeeding and FADS2 polymorphisms on cognition and hyperactivity/attention problems. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2013; 162B:457-65. [PMID: 23737301 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2012] [Accepted: 05/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Breastfeeding has been associated with improved cognitive functioning. There is a beneficial effect on IQ, and possibly on associated phenotypes such as attention problems. It has been suggested that the effect on IQ is moderated by polymorphisms in the FADS2 gene, which is involved in fatty acid metabolism. In this study we tested the relation between breastfeeding and FADS2 polymorphisms on the one hand and IQ, educational attainment, overactivity, and attention problems on the other hand. IQ at age 5, 7, 10, 12, and/or 18 (n = 1,313), educational attainment at age 12 (n = 1,857), overactive behavior at age 3 (n = 2,560), and attention problems assessed at age 7, 10, and 12 years (n = 2,479, n = 2,423, n = 2,226) were predicted by breastfeeding and two SNPs in FADS2 (rs174575 and rs1535). Analyses were performed using structural equation modeling. After correction for maternal education, a main effect of breastfeeding was found for educational attainment at age 12 and overactive behavior at age 3. For IQ, the effect of breastfeeding across age was marginally significant (P = 0.05) and amounted to 1.6 points after correcting for maternal education. Neither a main effect of the FADS2 polymorphisms nor an interaction with breastfeeding was detected for any of the phenotypes. This developmentally informed study confirms that breastfeeding is associated with higher educational attainment at age 12, less overactive behavior at age 3 and a trend toward higher IQ after correction for maternal education. In general, the benefits of breastfeeding were small and did not interact with SNPs in FADS2.
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