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. 2015 Apr;14(4):369-76.
doi: 10.1111/gbb.12213. Epub 2015 Apr 1.

Lack of replication for the myosin-18B association with mathematical ability in independent cohorts

K A Pettigrew  1 , S F Fajutrao Valles, K Moll, K Northstone, S Ring, C Pennell, C Wang, R Leavett, M E Hayiou-Thomas, P Thompson, N H Simpson, S E Fisher; SLI Consortium; A J O Whitehouse, M J Snowling, D F Newbury, S Paracchini
Collaborators, Affiliations

Lack of replication for the myosin-18B association with mathematical ability in independent cohorts

K A Pettigrew et al. Genes Brain Behav. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: ALSPAC; cognitive abilities; dyscalculia; dyslexia; genetic association; neurodevelopmental disorders.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Definition of ALSPAC children cohort samples used for analysis. An initial subgroup of N = 5460 was identified after filtering out individual of non-White European origin and with a performance IQ ≤ 85. Within this subgroup we stratified the sample upon a definition of dyslexia. Numbers of individuals included in the association analysis for having a complete set of genotypes and phenotypes are in brackets.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Power calculations. The graph shows the sample sizes required to detect different effect sizes as predicted by power calculations assuming a minor allele frequency of 0.45 and with α = 0.05. The green triangle and the red square indicate that samples of 157 and 3015 have > 80% power to detect an effect size of 4.87% and 0.26% respectively.
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