A meta-analysis of heritability of cognitive aging: minding the "missing heritability" gap

Neuropsychology Review
Chandra A Reynolds, Deborah Finkel

Abstract

The etiologies underlying variation in adult cognitive performance and cognitive aging have enjoyed much attention in the literature, but much of that attention has focused on broad factors, principally general cognitive ability. The current review provides meta-analyses of age trends in heritability of specific cognitive abilities and considers the profile of genetic and environmental factors contributing to cognitive aging to address the 'missing heritability' issue. Our findings, based upon evaluating 27 reports in the literature, indicate that verbal ability demonstrated declining heritability, after about age 60, as did spatial ability and perceptual speed more modestly. Trends for general memory, working memory, and spatial ability generally indicated stability, or small increases in heritability in mid-life. Equivocal results were found for executive function. A second meta-analysis then considered the gap between twin-based versus SNP-based heritability derived from population-based GWAS studies. Specifically, we considered twin correlation ratios to agnostically re-evaluate biometrical models across age and by cognitive domain. Results modestly suggest that nonadditive genetic variance may become increasingly important...Continue Reading

References

Mar 1, 1990·Psychological Bulletin·K McCartneyF Bernieri
Apr 1, 1966·Journal of Gerontology·J L Horn, R B Cattell
Sep 1, 1966·Journal of Theoretical Biology·W D Hamilton
Jan 1, 1967·Acta Psychologica·J L Horn, R B Cattell
May 29, 1981·Science·T J Bouchard, M McGue
May 23, 2003·Developmental Psychology·Deborah FinkelNancy L Pedersen
Dec 13, 1963·Science·L ERLENMEYER-KIMLING, L F FARVIK
Jan 20, 2005·Developmental Psychology·Chandra A ReynoldsNancy L Pedersen
Sep 13, 2006·Neurobiology of Aging·Christina N Lessov-SchlaggarDorit Carmelli
Jun 15, 2007·Twin Research and Human Genetics : the Official Journal of the International Society for Twin Studies·Sarah E BergenKenneth S Kendler
Jun 15, 2007·Twin Research and Human Genetics : the Official Journal of the International Society for Twin Studies·Chandra A ReynoldsNancy L Pedersen
Mar 6, 2008·Nature Reviews. Genetics·Peter M VisscherNaomi R Wray
May 6, 2008·PLoS Genetics·William G HillPeter M Visscher
Feb 16, 2010·Brain Research Reviews·Teresa LeePerminder S Sachdev
May 19, 2010·Nature Reviews. Genetics·Evan E EichlerJoseph H Nadeau
Dec 21, 2010·American Journal of Human Genetics·Jian YangPeter M Visscher
Apr 27, 2011·Psychology and Aging·Deborah FinkelNancy L Pedersen
Aug 10, 2011·Trends in Genetics : TIG·Thomas B L KirkwoodCaleb E Finch
Oct 11, 2011·Genes, Brain, and Behavior·S D Mandelman, E L Grigorenko
Jan 10, 2012·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Or ZukEric S Lander
Jul 21, 2012·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Joseph P KambeitzPhilip McGuire
Aug 1, 2012·Nature Reviews. Genetics·Jenny van DongenDorret I Boomsma
Aug 29, 2012·Behavior Genetics·Matt McGue, Kaare Christensen
Oct 2, 2012·American Journal of Human Genetics·Dajiang J Liu, Suzanne M Leal
Nov 29, 2012·Twin Research and Human Genetics : the Official Journal of the International Society for Twin Studies·Nancy L PedersenChandra A Reynolds
Apr 1, 2011·Psychometrika·Steven BokerJohn Fox
Jan 16, 2013·Neurobiology of Aging·Chandra A ReynoldsNancy L Pedersen
Jan 29, 2013·American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric Genetics : the Official Publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics·Jenny van Dongen, Dorret I Boomsma
Feb 5, 2013·Nature·Joshua S BloomLeonid Kruglyak
Mar 19, 2013·Psychological Science·Robert PlominOliver S P Davis
Mar 20, 2013·PLoS Genetics·Gibran HemaniChris Haley
Aug 8, 2013·Twin Research and Human Genetics : the Official Journal of the International Society for Twin Studies·Thomas J Bouchard
Sep 7, 2013·Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines·Robert Plomin
Oct 1, 2013·Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry·Maciej TrzaskowskiRobert Plomin
Oct 3, 2013·PloS One·Robyn A HoneaUNKNOWN Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI)

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Feb 14, 2016·Schizophrenia Bulletin·David T LiebersFernando S Goes
Jul 19, 2015·Trends in Cognitive Sciences·Goran PapenbergLars Bäckman
Jun 28, 2018·Annual Review of Psychology·Lars Nyberg, Sara Pudas
Jul 28, 2020·Translational Psychiatry·Karolina KauppiRolf Adolfsson
Apr 22, 2017·Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology : the Official Journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists·Liang-Jen WangSu-Ting Hsu
Oct 13, 2020·Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology·Amy R DunnCatherine C Kaczorowski
Dec 10, 2020·Translational Psychiatry·Adrianna P KępińskaOlesya Ajnakina

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Aging Genetics (Keystone)

This feed focuses on aging epidemiology and genetic, epigenetic, and proteomic aspects underlying aging, as well as aging- associated biomarkers. Here the latest research in this domain.

Genetics & Epigenetics of Aging

Dozens of genes are implicated in lifespan, and epigenetic changes during aging affect cell function. This feed focuses on the genetics and epigenetics of aging.

© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved