IQ and genes: new data
Geneticists assessed the contribution of heredity to the intelligence of children
Sergey Kolenov, Hi-tech+
Complex calculations have shown that genes are responsible for 11% of differences in intelligence and 16% of differences in school performance. As a result, the researchers came to an unambiguous conclusion: even a child with poor heredity can study perfectly, and vice versa, good heredity does not guarantee high cognitive abilities.
Article by Allegrini et al. Genomic prediction of cognitive traits in childhood and adolescence is published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry – VM.
Researchers from King's College London assessed the relationship between heredity and cognitive abilities of children and adolescents. To do this, they had to analyze data on 7,026 young Britons aged 12 to 16 years included in a project to study the early development of twins.
According to a press release published by Springer Genome analysis shows the combined effect of many genes on cognitive traits, scientists compared individual differences in the genome with characteristics such as IQ and success in learning English, mathematics and natural sciences. Using polygenic estimates that take into account the combined influence of multiple genes, the team found that heredity determines 11% of individual differences in intelligence and 16% of differences in educational achievement.
The obtained result was preserved using three different genetic methods, which confirms its reliability.
The authors of the study emphasize that the study is about averages.
This means that a child can do well at school, despite a low genetic predisposition. The opposite is also true: good heredity does not guarantee genius and good grades at all. Thus, there is no need to talk about a rigid connection between genes and intellectual abilities.
Works whose authors claim to have discovered specific genes associated with complex mental functions are increasingly being criticized. For example, the existence of "depression genes" has recently been questioned. Skeptics believe that hereditary factors may play a role in the development of depression, but it is necessary to use complex polygenic assessments to find them.
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