Gene discovery and polygenic prediction from a genome-wide association study of educational attainment in 1.1 million individuals

Nat Genet. 2018 Jul 23;50(8):1112-1121. doi: 10.1038/s41588-018-0147-3.

Abstract

Here we conducted a large-scale genetic association analysis of educational attainment in a sample of approximately 1.1 million individuals and identify 1,271 independent genome-wide-significant SNPs. For the SNPs taken together, we found evidence of heterogeneous effects across environments. The SNPs implicate genes involved in brain-development processes and neuron-to-neuron communication. In a separate analysis of the X chromosome, we identify 10 independent genome-wide-significant SNPs and estimate a SNP heritability of around 0.3% in both men and women, consistent with partial dosage compensation. A joint (multi-phenotype) analysis of educational attainment and three related cognitive phenotypes generates polygenic scores that explain 11-13% of the variance in educational attainment and 7-10% of the variance in cognitive performance. This prediction accuracy substantially increases the utility of polygenic scores as tools in research.

Publication types

  • Meta-Analysis
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Cohort Studies
  • Educational Status
  • Female
  • Genome-Wide Association Study / methods
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multifactorial Inheritance*
  • Phenotype
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide