The correlation between reading and mathematics ability at age twelve has a substantial genetic component

Oliver S P Davis; Gavin Band; Matti Pirinen; Claire M A Haworth; Emma L Meaburn; Yulia Kovas; Nicole Harlaar; Sophia J Docherty; Ken B Hanscombe; Maciej Trzaskowski; Charles J C Curtis; Amy Strange; Colin Freeman; Céline Bellenguez; Zhan Su; Richard Pearson; Damjan Vukcevic; Cordelia Langford; Panos Deloukas; Sarah Hunt; Emma Gray; Serge Dronov; Simon C Potter; Avazeh Tashakkori-Ghanbaria; Sarah Edkins; Suzannah J Bumpstead; Jenefer M Blackwell; Elvira Bramon; Matthew A Brown; Juan P Casas; Aiden Corvin; Audrey Duncanson; Janusz A Z Jankowski; Hugh S Markus; Christopher G Mathew; Colin N A Palmer; Anna Rautanen; Stephen J Sawcer; Richard C Trembath; Ananth C Viswanathan; Nicholas W Wood; Ines Barroso; Leena Peltonen; Philip S Dale; Stephen A Petrill; Leonard S Schalkwyk; Ian W Craig; Cathryn M Lewis; Thomas S Price; Peter Donnelly; Robert Plomin; Chris C A Spencer; Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 2

doi:10.1038/ncomms5204

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The correlation between reading and mathematics ability at age twelve has a substantial genetic component

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The correlation between reading and mathematics ability at age twelve has a substantial genetic component

Oliver S P Davis, Gavin Band, Matti Pirinen, Claire M A Haworth, Emma L Meaburn, Yulia Kovas, Nicole Harlaar, Sophia J Docherty, Ken B Hanscombe, Maciej Trzaskowski, …

Nature communications, Vol.5(1), pp.4204-4204

08/07/2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5204

PMCID: PMC4102107

PMID: 25003214

Abstract

Child

Dyslexia - genetics

Dyslexia - psychology

Female

Genetics, Population

Genome-Wide Association Study

Humans

Learning

Male

Mathematics

Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

Quantitative Trait, Heritable

Reading

Twins - genetics

Twins - psychology

United Kingdom

Dissecting how genetic and environmental influences impact on learning is helpful for maximizing numeracy and literacy. Here we show, using twin and genome-wide analysis, that there is a substantial genetic component to children's ability in reading and mathematics, and estimate that around one half of the observed correlation in these traits is due to shared genetic effects (so-called Generalist Genes). Thus, our results highlight the potential role of the learning environment in contributing to differences in a child's cognitive abilities at age twelve.

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Title: The correlation between reading and mathematics ability at age twelve has a substantial genetic component
Creators - without role: Oliver S P Davis - 1] Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK King's College London, Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK
Gavin Band - University of Oxford
Matti Pirinen - University of Oxford
Claire M A Haworth - University of Warwick
Emma L Meaburn - Birkbeck, University of London
Yulia Kovas - Goldsmiths University of London
Nicole Harlaar - University of Colorado Boulder
Sophia J Docherty - King's College London
Ken B Hanscombe - King's College London
Maciej Trzaskowski - King's College London
Charles J C Curtis - King's College London
Amy Strange - University of Oxford
Colin Freeman - University of Oxford
Céline Bellenguez - University of Oxford
Zhan Su - University of Oxford
Richard Pearson - University of Oxford
Damjan Vukcevic - University of Oxford
Cordelia Langford - Wellcome Sanger Institute
Panos Deloukas - Wellcome Sanger Institute
Sarah Hunt - Wellcome Sanger Institute
Emma Gray - Wellcome Sanger Institute
Serge Dronov - Wellcome Sanger Institute
Simon C Potter - Wellcome Sanger Institute
Avazeh Tashakkori-Ghanbaria - Wellcome Sanger Institute
Sarah Edkins - Wellcome Sanger Institute
Suzannah J Bumpstead - Wellcome Sanger Institute
Jenefer M Blackwell - University of Western Australia
Elvira Bramon - University College London
Matthew A Brown - University of Queensland
Juan P Casas - UCL Australia
Aiden Corvin - Trinity College Dublin
Audrey Duncanson - Wellcome Trust
Janusz A Z Jankowski - Queen Mary University of London
Hugh S Markus - University of London
Christopher G Mathew - King's College London
Colin N A Palmer - Ninewells Hospital
Anna Rautanen - University of Oxford
Stephen J Sawcer - University of Cambridge
Richard C Trembath - King's College London
Ananth C Viswanathan - Moorfields Eye Hospital
Nicholas W Wood - University College London
Ines Barroso - Wellcome Sanger Institute
Leena Peltonen - Wellcome Sanger Institute
Philip S Dale - Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
Stephen A Petrill - The Ohio State University
Leonard S Schalkwyk - King's College London
Ian W Craig - King's College London
Cathryn M Lewis - King's College London
Thomas S Price - University of Pennsylvania
Peter Donnelly - University of Oxford
Robert Plomin - King's College London
Chris C A Spencer - University of Oxford
Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 2
Publication Details: Nature communications, Vol.5(1), pp.4204-4204
Grant note: PDA/02/06/016 / Department of Health 295366 / European Research Council 85475/Z/08/Z / Wellcome Trust G0400126 / Medical Research Council WT088984 / Wellcome Trust G0901310 / Medical Research Council 075491/Z/04/B / Wellcome Trust 068545/Z/02 / Wellcome Trust G0000934 / Medical Research Council 090532 / Wellcome Trust 097364/Z/11/Z / Wellcome Trust G19/2 / Medical Research Council R01 HD068728 / NICHD NIH HHS MC_PC_15018 / Medical Research Council G9815508 / Medical Research Council 085475/B/08/Z / Wellcome Trust G0901245 / Medical Research Council 102215 / Wellcome Trust 095552 / Wellcome Trust 090532/Z/09/Z / Wellcome Trust
Identifiers: 9939662108331
Academic Unit: King Abdulaziz University
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article