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Single Gene Can Boost IQ By Six Points

Posted by timothy on from the pair-of-jeans-can-lower-them-at-least-20 dept.

ananyo (2519492) writes "People are living longer, which is good. But old age often brings a decline in mental faculties and many researchers are looking for ways to slow or halt such decline. One group doing so is led by Dena Dubal of the University of California, San Francisco, and Lennart Mucke of the Gladstone Institutes, also in San Francisco. Dr Dubal and Dr Mucke have been studying the role in aging of klotho, a protein encoded by a gene called KL. A particular version of this gene, KL-VS, promotes longevity. One way it does so is by reducing age-related heart disease. Dr Dubal and Dr Mucke wondered if it might have similar powers over age-related cognitive decline. What they found was startling. KL-VS did not curb decline, but it did boost cognitive faculties regardless of a person's age by the equivalent of about six IQ points. If this result, just published in Cell Reports, is confirmed, KL-VS will be the most important genetic agent of non-pathological variation in intelligence yet discovered."

7 of 199 comments (clear)

  1. "boost"??? by mark-t · · Score: 2, Insightful

    How does something that's genetic "boost" anything? This is a gene, not a drug.

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    File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
    1. Re:"boost"??? by msauve · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You're right. Lack of this gene depresses intelligence. Feel better?

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
  2. TL;DR, but I presume statistics by Orsmo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    My guess would be that two groups, those that express the gene and those that do not have a 6 point difference in IQ on average, in favor of those with the gene.

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    -- Begin thoughtfuly, end insensitively.
    It has more impact that way.
    1. Re:TL;DR, but I presume statistics by mark-t · · Score: 3, Insightful

      My point is that nobody's IQ has actually been boosted in the first place... things just start out that way and stay that way. "boosting" would imply that it could be changed from being lower to being higher.

      --
      File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
  3. SNP#? by TheSync · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Am I understanding properly that the "KL-VS" variant of KLOTHO is Rs9536314 with genotype "T;T"?

  4. Re:wow, people still believe in the IQ myth? That by oodaloop · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I love talking to people who are adamant that intelligence is not heritable, yet believe in evolution. When I ask how we evolved from presumably less intelligent ape-like ancestors without intelligence being heritable, I can almost see the gears grind to a halt.

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    Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
  5. Re:What about Africans... by Suiggy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Look up the gene on open access GWAS databases and see for yourself.