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Twin studies indicate that dyscalculia (or mathematical disability) is caused partly by a genetic component, which is yet to be understood at the molecular level. Recently, a coding variant (rs133885) in the myosin-18B gene was shown to be associated with mathematical abilities with a specific effect among children with dyslexia. This association represents one of the most significant genetic associations reported to date for mathematical abilities and the only one reaching genome-wide statistical significance. We conducted a replication study in different cohorts to assess the effect of rs133885 maths-related measures. The study was conducted primarily using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), (N = 3819). We tested additional cohorts including the York Cohort, the Specific Language Impairment Consortium (SLIC) cohort and the Raine Cohort, and stratified them for a definition of dyslexia whenever possible. We did not observe any associations between rs133885 in myosin-18B and mathematical abilities among individuals with dyslexia or in the general population. Our results suggest that the myosin-18B variant is unlikely to be a main factor contributing to mathematical abilities.

Original publication

DOI

10.1111/gbb.12213

Type

Journal article

Journal

Genes Brain Behav

Publication Date

04/2015

Volume

14

Pages

369 - 376

Keywords

ALSPAC, cognitive abilities, dyscalculia, dyslexia, genetic association, neurodevelopmental disorders, Adolescent, Case-Control Studies, Child, Cohort Studies, Dyscalculia, Female, Humans, Male, Myosins, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Tumor Suppressor Proteins