Autism-related genes linked to cognitive ability

Conclusion This study has found some small associations between common genetic variations linked to ASD and cognitive performance in the general population. Even where an association was found between genetic risk score and cognitive performance, the effect was very small. Less than 0.5% of the variability in people’s cognitive scores in the main study sample was explained by their ASD genetic risk score. The link between ASD genetic risk score and cognitive performance were only found in two of the three population samples assessed. This may be due to different age groups of participants, or to different cognitive tests being used. There was even less consistency in findings relating to ADHD genetic risk score. Ideally these findings need to be replicated in other, larger, samples to confirm them. The study is likely to be of interest to researchers, but does not have any obvious practical implications for individuals. Analysis by Bazian. Edited by NHS Choices. Follow Behind the Headlines on Twitter. Join the Healthy Evidence forum. Links To The Headlines Autism IS linked to higher intelligence: People with genes related to the condition 'scored better in mental ability tests'. Mail Online, March 11 2015 Links To Science Clarke TK, Lupton MK, Fernandez-Pujals AM, et al. Common polygenic risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with cognitive ability in the general population. Molecular Psychiatry. Published online March 10 2015
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Genetics/stem cells Mental health Neurology Source Type: news