Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26213105›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of epidemiology2016

The association between intelligence and lifespan is mostly genetic.

Rosalind Arden, Michelle Luciano, Ian J Deary, Chandra A Reynolds, Nancy L Pedersen, Brenda L Plassman, Matt McGue, Kaare Christensen, Peter M Visscher

Open access · bronzeAbstract readTwin Study
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of epidemiology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed
15.5field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 62 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Childhood cognitive ability and self-harm and suicide in later life.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2023
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Intelligence, health and death.Nature human behaviour · 2021
    Review
  12. The NAS-NRC Twin Registry and Duke Twins Study of Memory in Aging: An Update.Twin research and human genetics : the official journal of the International Society for Twin Studies · 2019
    Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Higher IQ in childhood is linked to a longer life.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2017
    Article
  20. Genetic variants linked to education predict longevity.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2016
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 8 institutions in 5 countries.

Rosalind ArdenCentre for Philosophy of Natural & Social Science, London School of Economics, London, UK, Genetic Epidemiology, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, arden.rosalind@gmail.com.
Michelle LucianoCentre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK, arden.rosalind@gmail.com.
Ian J DearyCentre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Chandra A ReynoldsDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Nancy L PedersenDepartment of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Brenda L PlassmanDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Matt McGueDepartment of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA, Danish Ageing Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Kaare ChristensenDanish Ageing Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark, Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark and.
Peter M VisscherQueensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia.
University of Edinburgh · GBDuke University Hospital · USKarolinska Institutet · SELondon School of Economics and Political Science · GBTranslational Research Institute · AUUniversity of California, Riverside · USUniversity of Minnesota · USUniversity of Southern Denmark · DK

Funding

TRAJECTORIES OF MORTALITY IN CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANSP01AG008761 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA TWIN CITIES · PI ROACH, DEBORAH A · 1990 to 2008
$17.5M
GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE IN TWINSR01AG008549 · NIA · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI PLASSMAN, BRENDA L · 1989 to 2003
$4.2M
GENETIC &ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES--BIOBEHAVIORAL AGINGR01AG010175 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI PEDERSEN, NANCY L · 1992 to 2006
$2.8M
GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES IN BEHAVIORAL AGINGR01AG004563 · NIA · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY-UNIV PARK · PI MCCLEARN, GERALD E · 1985 to 1988
–
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research CouncilMedical Research Council G0700704Medical Research Council MR/K026992/1NIA NIH HHS AG04563NIA NIH HHS AG10175NIA NIH HHS P01 AG08761NIA NIH HHS R01 AG08549
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSeveral studies in the new field of cognitive epidemiology have shown that higher intelligence predicts longer lifespan. This positive correlation might arise from socioeconomic status influencing both intelligence and health; intelligence leading to better health behaviours; and/or some shared genetic factors influencing both intelligence and health. Distinguishing among these hypotheses is crucial for medicine and public health, but can only be accomplished by studying a genetically informative sample.

methodsWe analysed data from three genetically informative samples containing information on intelligence and mortality: Sample 1, 377 pairs of male veterans from the NAS-NRC US World War II Twin Registry; Sample 2, 246 pairs of twins from the Swedish Twin Registry; and Sample 3, 784 pairs of twins from the Danish Twin Registry. The age at which intelligence was measured differed between the samples. We used three methods of genetic analysis to examine the relationship between intelligence and lifespan: we calculated the proportion of the more intelligent twins who outlived their co-twin; we regressed within-twin-pair lifespan differences on within-twin-pair intelligence differences; and we used the resulting regression coefficients to model the additive genetic covariance. We conducted a meta-analysis of the regression coefficients across the three samples.

resultsThe combined (and all three individual samples) showed a small positive phenotypic correlation between intelligence and lifespan. In the combined sample observed r = .12 (95% confidence interval .06 to .18). The additive genetic covariance model supported a genetic relationship between intelligence and lifespan. In the combined sample the genetic contribution to the covariance was 95%; in the US study, 84%; in the Swedish study, 86%, and in the Danish study, 85%.

conclusionsThe finding of common genetic effects between lifespan and intelligence has important implications for public health, and for those interested in the genetics of intelligence, lifespan or inequalities in health outcomes including lifespan.

Indexed as

Life ExpectancySex CharacteristicsAdultAgedAged, 80 and overDenmarkFemaleHumansIntelligenceMaleMeta-Analysis as TopicMiddle AgedRegistriesRegression AnalysisSocioeconomic FactorsSweden

Identifiers

PMID26213105
PMCPMC4795559
OpenAlexW2104175684

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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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.