Forty More Genes for Intelligence Discovered

Brain activity
Researchers have found 40 new genes linked with intelligence, but they say their finding doesn't show any clear genetic pattern for intelligence.The study pointed to 52 genes that influence intelligence, some of them previously identified. Yet they account for less than 5 percent of the variation in human intelligence.
Genes accounted for about 70 percent of the variation in education levels among the people studied, the team found.
Some of the genes are interesting. One, called SHANK3, is involved in the formation of synapses — the connections between brain cells. "Mutations in this gene are a cause of autism spectrum disorder, which is characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, and restricted behavioral patterns and interests. Mutations in this gene also cause schizophrenia type 15," the team wrote. The Research team was led by Danielle Posthuma of VU University Amsterdam.

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