ArticleNature communications2014
The correlation between reading and mathematics ability at age twelve has a substantial genetic component.
Abstract readTwin Study
In one paragraph
Article in Nature communications, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A meta-analysis of genetic effects associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and co-occurring conditions.Nature human behaviour · 2023Pooled it
- A Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Genetic Variants Associated with Mathematics Ability.Scientific reports · 2017Pooled it
- Opposite Associations between Individual KIAA0319 Polymorphisms and Developmental Dyslexia Risk across Populations: A Stratified Meta-Analysis by the Study Population.Scientific reports · 2016Pooled it
- Heritability and genome-wide analyses of problematic peer relationships during childhood and adolescence.Human genetics · 2015Trial
- Towards a unified biology of vertebrate number sense.Communications biology · 2026Review
- Prediction of Performance in Standardised Assessments from Computer-Based Formative Assessment Data.Technology, knowledge and learning · 2026Article
- Multivariate genome-wide association analysis of dyslexia and quantitative reading skill improves gene discovery.Translational psychiatry · 2025Article
- Children identified for classroom-based math support show altered resting-state connectivity in parietal brain regions.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Multi-polygenic score prediction of mathematics, reading, and language abilities independent of general cognitive ability.Molecular psychiatry · 2025Article
- A genome-wide association study identified new variants associated with mathematical abilities in Chinese children.Genes, brain, and behavior · 2023Article
- Associations Between Children's Numeracy Competencies, Mothers' and Fathers' Mathematical Beliefs, and Numeracy Activities at Home.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
- Quantity as a Fish Views It: Behavior and Neurobiology.Frontiers in neuroanatomy · 2022Review
- Insights into Dyslexia Genetics Research from the Last Two Decades.Brain sciences · 2021Review
- The Polygenic Nature and Complex Genetic Architecture of Specific Learning Disorder.Brain sciences · 2021Review
- Evidence for specificity of polygenic contributions to attainment in English, maths and science during adolescence.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Cross- and Within-Domain Associations of Early Reading and Mathematical Skills: Changes Across the Preschool Years.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- Predictors of Children's Early Numeracy: Environmental Variables, Intergenerational Pathways, and Children's Cognitive, Linguistic, and Non-symbolic Number Skills.Frontiers in psychology · 2020Article
- The New Statistics for Better Science: Ask How Much, How Uncertain, and What Else is Known.The American statistician · 2019Article
- The neuronal migration hypothesis of dyslexia: A critical evaluation 30 years on.The European journal of neuroscience · 2018Review
- A genome-wide association study for extremely high intelligence.Molecular psychiatry · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
53 authors.
Oliver S P Davis1] Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK [2] King's College London, Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK [3].
Gavin Band1] Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK [2].
Matti Pirinen1] Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK [2].
Claire M A Haworth1] King's College London, Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK [2] Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
Emma L MeaburnDepartment of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, UK.
Yulia KovasDepartment of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London SE14 6NW, UK.
Nicole HarlaarDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0345, USA.
Sophia J DochertyKing's College London, Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK.
Ken B HanscombeKing's College London, Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK.
Maciej TrzaskowskiKing's College London, Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK.
Charles J C CurtisKing's College London, Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK.
Amy StrangeWellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK.
Colin FreemanWellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK.
Céline BellenguezWellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK.
Zhan SuWellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK.
Richard PearsonWellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK.
Damjan VukcevicWellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK.
Cordelia LangfordWellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
Panos DeloukasWellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
Sarah HuntWellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
Emma GrayWellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
Serge DronovWellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
Simon C PotterWellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
Avazeh Tashakkori-GhanbariaWellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
Sarah EdkinsWellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
Suzannah J BumpsteadWellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
Jenefer M Blackwell1] Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia [2] Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK.
Elvira Bramon1] UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK [2] UCL Mental Health Sciences Unit, University College London, London W1W 7EJ, UK.
Matthew A BrownUniversity of Queensland Diamantia Institute, Translational Research Institute, Princess Alexandra Hospital, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland QLD 4102, Australia.
Juan P Casas1] Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK [2] Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Aiden CorvinNeuropsychiatric Genetics Research Group, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Audrey DuncansonMolecular and Physiological Sciences, The Wellcome Trust, London NW1 2BE, UK.
Janusz A Z Jankowski1] Centre for Digestive Diseases, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 2AT, UK [2] Wolfson College, Linton Road, Oxford OX2 6UD, UK [3] Peninsula School of Medicine and Dentistry, Associate Deans Office, John Bull Building, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK.
Hugh S MarkusClinical Neurosciences, Saint George's University of London, London SW17 0RE, UK.
Christopher G MathewDepartment of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King's College London, King's Health Partners Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK.
Colin N A PalmerBiomedical Research Centre, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK.
Anna RautanenWellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK.
Stephen J SawcerDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK.
Richard C TrembathDepartment of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King's College London, King's Health Partners Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK.
Ananth C ViswanathanNIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHSFT and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London EC1V 2PD, UK.
Nicholas W WoodDepartment of Molecular Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
Ines BarrosoWellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
Leena PeltonenWellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
Philip S DaleDepartment of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA.
Stephen A PetrillDepartment of Family Science, Institute for Population Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA.
Leonard S SchalkwykKing's College London, Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK.
Ian W CraigKing's College London, Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK.
Cathryn M LewisKing's College London, Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK.
Thomas S PriceInstitute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-5158, USA.
Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 2
Peter Donnelly1] Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK [2] Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TG, UK.
Robert Plomin1] King's College London, Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK [2].
Chris C A Spencer1] Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK [2].
Funding
Etiology and Neuropsychology of Math, Reading, ADHD, and their CovariationR01HD068728 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO · PI PETRILL, STEPHEN A., WILLCUTT, ERIK G · 2011 to 2015
$3.0MDepartment of Health PDA/02/06/016European Research Council 295366Medical Research Council G0000934Medical Research Council G0400126Medical Research Council G0901245Medical Research Council G0901310Medical Research Council G19/2Medical Research Council G9815508Medical Research Council MC_PC_15018NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD068728Wellcome Trust 068545/Z/02Wellcome Trust 075491/Z/04/BWellcome Trust 085475/B/08/ZWellcome Trust 090532Wellcome Trust 090532/Z/09/ZWellcome Trust 095552Wellcome Trust 097364/Z/11/ZWellcome Trust 102215Wellcome Trust 85475/Z/08/ZWellcome Trust WT088984
Abstract
Dissecting how genetic and environmental influences impact on learning is helpful for maximizing numeracy and literacy. Here we show, using twin and genome-wide analysis, that there is a substantial genetic component to children's ability in reading and mathematics, and estimate that around one half of the observed correlation in these traits is due to shared genetic effects (so-called Generalist Genes). Thus, our results highlight the potential role of the learning environment in contributing to differences in a child's cognitive abilities at age twelve.
Indexed as
Genetics, PopulationMathematicsQuantitative Trait, HeritableReadingChildDyslexiaFemaleGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansLearningMalePolymorphism, Single NucleotideTwinsUnited Kingdom
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390
Registered trials
None linked
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.