GWAS of 126,559 Individuals Identifies Genetic Variants Associated with Educational Attainment

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of educational attainment was conducted in a discovery sample of 101,069 individuals and a replication sample of 25,490. Three independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are genome-wide significant (rs9320913, rs11584700, rs4851266), and all three replicate. Estimated effects sizes are small (coefficient of determination R(2) ≈ 0.02%), approximately 1 month of schooling per allele. A linear polygenic score from all measured SNPs accounts for ≈2% of the variance in both educational attainment and cognitive function. Genes in the region of the loci have previously been associated with health, cognitive, and central nervous system phenotypes, and bioinformatics…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Award: 1064089
• NI
  National Institutes of Health
• MR
  Medical Research Council

  Awards: MR/K026992/1, MC_PC_15018
• BA
  Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

  Award: BB/F019394/1
• EA
  Economic and Social Research Council

  Award: ES/H02123X/1
• NI
  National Institute on Aging

  Awards: P30-AG012810, T32-AG000186, AG005842, P01-AG005842
• OO
  Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research