Genome-wide study pinpoints 148 loci for cognitive function

29. May 2018

Much like many other human phenotypes, cognitive function is a highly polygenic trait. In the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) performed to date, our colleagues Gail Davies and Ian Deary at University of Edinburgh spearheaded analyses on over 300,000 individuals (including ~2000 from the Berlin Aging Study II, co-led by LIGA investigators) identifying nearly 150 independent genetic loci associated with cognitive function, many of which had not been known previously. Within the novel genetic loci are DNA variants associated with neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders (such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diesease), physical and psychiatric illnesses, and brain structure. The results of this study shed important new light on the inborn factors contributing to cognitive (dys-)function in humans. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.