ROBO1 Gene Associated With Mathematical Ability

Variations in the ROBO1 gene are associated with early anatomical differences in a brain region that plays a key role in quantity representation, suggesting that genetic variability might shape mathematical performance in children—according to a new study. The team from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences published their study in PLOS Biology. 

Specifically, the authors found that genetic variants of ROBO1 in young children are associated with grey matter volume in the right parietal cortex, which in turn predicts mathematical test scores in second grade. The team combined genotyping with brain imaging in unschooled children without mathematical training to confirm a relationship between the gene and the mathematical ability.

The authors analyzed 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 10 genes previously implicated in mathematical performance. They then examined the relationship between these variants and the volume of grey matter, across the whole brain in a total of 178 three-to six-year-old children who underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Finally, they identified brain regions whose grey matter volumes could predict math test scores in second grade.

They found that variants in ROBO1, a gene that regulates prenatal growth of the outermost layer of neural tissue in the brain, are associated with the grey matter volume in the right parietal cortex, a key brain region for quantity representation. Moreover, grey matter volume within these regions predicted the children's math test scores at seven to nine years of age. According to the authors, the results suggest that genetic variability might shape mathematical ability by influencing the early development of the brain's basic quantity processing system.