title: Genetics, environment and cognitive abilities: review and work in progress towards a genome scan for quantitative trait locus associations using DNA pooling.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multivariate genetic research indicates that genetic effects on diverse cognitive abilities are general rather than specific or modular. General cognitive ability (g), a key factor in learning and memory, is among the most heritable behavioural traits.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To give a brief overview of quantitative genetic research on g and to describe initial results from a programme of research that aims to identify genes responsible for the substantial heritability of general cognitive ability.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research uses a new technique called DNA pooling, which combines DNA from individuals within a group and makes it feasible to screen thousands of DNA markers for a systematic scan of the genome for associations between DNA markers and g. Two independent samples of children with very high g scores and two control samples of children with average g scores were compared in a systematic scan of 147 markers on chromosome 4 and 66 markers on chromosome 22.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three replicated associations on chromosome 4 were identified using DNA pooling and confirmed using individual genotyping.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These first results of the application of DNA pooling in systematic analysis of allelic association are encouraging.
authors: Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Plomin
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Craig
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002892:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 22 / Q000235:genetics; D002894:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 4 / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D004777:Environment; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics*; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D004247:DNA