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Scientists find 40 new 'intelligence genes': Discovery suggests smart people are tall, thin and unlikely to smoke
NEW An international research team led by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam studied genetic data from over 78,000 individuals, which led them to discover new genes and biological routes for intelligence.
Researchers looked at the genetic data of over 78,000 people
The findings uncovered 52 genes for intelligence, 40 of which are new
Intelligence genes were linked with smoking cessation, autism and height
But they negatively correlated with Alzheimer's, depression and obesity
Researchers have made a major advance in understanding the genetic underpinnings of intelligence, uncovering 52 genes for the traits, 40 of which are new discoveries
KEY FINDINGS
The study uncovered 40 new genes, most of which are mainly expressed in brain tissue.
The results showed that people with the genes were more likely to have high educational achievements, and were also likely to be taller, not to smoke, and to have autism spectrum disorder.
In contrast, people with the intelligence genes were less likely to have Alzheimer's disease, depressive symptoms, smoking history, schizophrenia, high body mass index, or obesity.
'These findings for the first time provide clear clues towards the underlying biological mechanisms of intelligence.'
The results showed that people with the genes were more likely to have high educational achievements, and were also likely to be taller, not to smoke, and to have autism spectrum disorder.
In contrast, people with the intelligence genes were less likely to have Alzheimer's disease, depressive symptoms, smoking history, schizophrenia, high body mass index, or obesity.
Dr Suzanne Sniekers, who also worked on the study, said: 'These genetic correlations shed light on common biological pathways for intelligence and other traits.
'Seven genes for intelligence are also associated with schizophrenia; nine genes also with body mass index, and four genes were also associated with obesity.
The researchers stress that future studies will be needed to clarify the exact role of these genes in intelligence in order to gain a more complete picture of how genetic differences lead to differences in intelligence.
Professor Posthuma added: 'The current genetic results explain up to five per cent of the total variance in intelligence.
'Although this is quite a large amount of variance for a trait as intelligence, there is still a long road to go: given the high heritability of intelligence, many more genetic effects are expected to be important, and these can only be detected in even larger samples.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...#ixzz4hpB7AniZ
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