Genetic mediation in the relationship of education to cognitive function in older people.
We used data from 136 monozygotic and 125 dizygotic human, male twin pairs (M age = 64 years, range = 59 to 70 years) to test whether the previously observed association (r = .30, p < .01) between cognitive performance and education in this sample is genetically mediated. Biometric genetic modeling found that a common genetic latent variable accounted for 44% of the total variance in the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE: M. F. Folstein, S. E. Folstein, & P. R. McHugh, 1975), 40% of the variance in the Iowa Screening Battery for Mental Decline (P. J. Eslinger, A. R. Damasio, & A. L. Benton, 1984), and 21% of the variance in educational attainment. In addition, specific genetic and environmental variables contributed significantly to individual differences in education and cognitive performance of the participants.
Carmelli
D
D
Health Sciences Program, SRI International, Menlo Park, California, USA.
Swan
G E
GE
Cardon
L R
LR
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition; D003704:Dementia / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007360:Intelligence / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology