Irish research on gene link to intelligence

A new gene variant that influences human intelligence has been discovered by researchers at Trinity College Dublin
 
The researchers identified the new genetic variant within a gene called NOS1.

The authors found that carriers of this gene variant that has been previously associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia performed on average five verbal IQ points below non-carriers in patients with schizophrenia.

The same difference of five verbal IQ points was also observed in controlled tests involving healthy participants.

The researchers were then able to replicate these findings in large German samples of both patients with schizophrenia and further controlled experiments involving healthy participants.

Similar findings were also observed for the cognitive ability of working memory, a feature of cognition associated with human intelligence.
 
The TCD researchers say the data support the view that some genes may affect both cognition and risk for psychiatric illness. This was important not just for understanding the biological basis for cognition and mentalillness but also for developing treatments for these disorders.

The resesearch, carried out in Ireland by the Neuropsychiatric Genetics Research Group (NRG) at TCD, are published in the  journal  Archives of General Psychiatry.

The TCD study is part of an international collaboration with researchers from the Universities of Cardiff and Munich.

[Posted: Fri 23/10/2009]