Math and language skills can be inherited, according to a new study.
University of Oxford investigators, working with researchers from King's College in London, studied identical twins, and children who were not related to each other. The young subjects, who came from 2,800 households around England, were tested for language and math proficiency. These DNA results were then compared to their genetic lineage.
The Twins Early Development Study (TEDS) was the first major project to predict genetic influence on learning, based on DNA. The researchers in this new study used data from that research to coordinate the relationship between genes and skills in math and language.
Roughly about half the genes that promote language skills also assist in abilities in math, researchers found. However, they were unable to locate exactly which genes in the genetic code promoted these skills.
This finding seems to suggest that many small details in genetic code contribute to skills in language and math. It has long been suggested that such skills "run in families," but the genetic basis of the phenomenon was poorly-understood. This study could help shed more light on the balance between genetics and environment, commonly known as nature versus nurture.
"We looked at this question in two ways, by comparing the similarity of thousands of twins, and by measuring millions of tiny differences in their DNA... However, it's also clear just how important our life experience is in making us better at one or the other. It's this complex interplay of nature and nurture as we grow up that shapes who we are," Oliver Davis, genetics researcher at UCL, said.
Although the study was unable to determine which genes were responsible for learning skills, scientists could learn more about how small changes in a wide variety of genes can lead to learning skills and challenges.
The team pointed out that even though genes play a role in learning, and scholastic performance, parents and teachers should not give up on students with challenges. They stated instructors and adult guardians may need to adjust education programs to better suit children who find learning difficult.
"Interestingly, the same method can be applied to pretty much any human trait, for example to identify new links between diseases and disorders, or the way in which people respond to treatments," Chris Spencer of Oxford University told the press.
Investigation of the role genes can play in assisting math and language skills was detailed in the journal Nature Communications.
