Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Nat Genet. 2021 Jan;53(1):35-44. doi: 10.1038/s41588-020-00754-2. Epub 2021 Jan 7.
Little is known about the genetic architecture of traits affecting educational attainment other than cognitive ability. We used genomic structural equation modeling and prior genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of educational attainment (n = 1,131,881) and cognitive test performance (n = 257,841) to estimate SNP associations with educational attainment variation that is independent of cognitive ability. We identified 157 genome-wide-significant loci and a polygenic architecture accounting for 57% of genetic variance in educational attainment. Noncognitive genetics were enriched in the same brain tissues and cell types as cognitive performance, but showed different associations with gray-matter brain volumes. Noncognitive genetics were further distinguished by associations with personality traits, less risky behavior and increased risk for certain psychiatric disorders. For socioeconomic success and longevity, noncognitive and cognitive-performance genetics demonstrated associations of similar magnitude. By conducting a GWAS of a phenotype that was not directly measured, we offer a view of genetic architecture of noncognitive skills influencing educational success.
除了认知能力之外，人们对影响受教育程度的特征的遗传结构知之甚少。我们使用基因组结构方程模型和之前的全基因组关联研究（n=1,131,881 名受教育程度和 n=257,841 名认知测试表现）来估计与认知能力无关的受教育程度变化的 SNP 关联。我们确定了 157 个全基因组显著位点和一个多基因结构，解释了受教育程度遗传变异的 57%。非认知遗传学在与认知表现相同的大脑组织和细胞类型中得到了丰富，但与灰质脑容量的关联不同。非认知遗传学进一步通过与人格特质、较少的冒险行为和某些精神障碍的风险增加相关而得以区分。对于社会经济成功和长寿，非认知和认知表现遗传学的关联具有相似的重要性。通过对未直接测量的表型进行全基因组关联研究，我们提供了一个影响教育成功的非认知技能遗传结构的观点。
