Origins of learning difficulties and behaviour problems: from behavioural genetics to behavioural genomics

学习困难和行为问题的根源：从行为遗传学到行为基因组学

• 批准号: G0901245-E01/1
• 负责人: Robert Plomin
• 金额: $ 238.12万
• 依托单位: King's College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2010 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=G0901245-E01%2F1
• 关键词: Origins; learning; difficulties; behaviour; problems

Learning difficulties and their associated behaviour problems incur major social cost because they affect so many children and their families, they often persist into adolescence and adulthood, and their effects spill into many areas of children?s lives. Understanding the genetic and environmental origins of these problems is critical to predicting and preventing them. Since 1995, MRC programme grant G500079 has provided continuous support for the UK Twins Early Development Study (TEDS) on the genetics of learning difficulties and associated behaviour problems in childhood, the world?s largest study of twins assessed from infancy to adolescence. TEDS findings have led to new ways of thinking about the genetic and environmental origins of learning difficulties and behaviour problems in childhood, most notably a ?generalist genes? theory of learning difficulties. These findings have charted the course for molecular genetic research that has begun to identify genes responsible for the substantial genetic influence on these disorders. During 2010-15, we will capitalise on this 15-year programme of research by assessing 5000 pairs of at age 16, a crucial developmental turning point socially and biologically coming as it does at the end of compulsory education and near the end of puberty. Using Web-based tests that have been developed as part of TEDS, we will test the twins for aspects of learning that have proven most important and interesting in our research: reading, language and speech, mathematics, science, and general cognitive ability. We will also assess school performance (GCSE), behaviour problems, and home and school environments. This research is not merely about the nature-nurture issue of how much genetics affects learning difficulties and their associated problems. The classic twin design comparing identical and non-identical twins allows us to ask key questions about development (e.g., do genetic effects change from age to age?), about links between disorders (e.g., do different genes affect different disorders such as reading and mathematics?), and about the interplay between genes and environment (e.g., do genes affect our experiences?). Great value has been added to TEDS by obtaining two million DNA markers on 4000 of the TEDS children, which will make it possible for the first time to conduct systematic searches across the genome for genes responsible for these genetic effects. Finding these genes will make it possible to identify children at risk long before they fail in school and to foster environmental interventions that prevent the onset of these disorders.

学习困难及其相关的行为问题造成了重大的社会代价，因为它们影响到如此多的儿童及其家庭，它们往往持续到青春期和成年期，其影响波及儿童的许多领域。s的生活。了解这些问题的遗传和环境根源对于预测和预防它们至关重要。自1995年以来，MRC计划拨款G500079为英国双胞胎早期发展研究（TEDS）提供了持续的支持，该研究涉及儿童学习困难和相关行为问题的遗传学，世界？美国最大的双胞胎研究评估从婴儿期到青春期。TEDS的研究结果导致了对儿童学习困难和行为问题的遗传和环境起源的新思考方式，最明显的是a？通才基因？学习困难理论这些发现为分子遗传学研究指明了方向，该研究已开始确定对这些疾病产生重大遗传影响的基因。在2010-15年期间，我们将利用这项为期15年的研究计划，评估5000对16岁的青少年，这是一个重要的社会和生物发展转折点，因为它在义务教育结束时和青春期接近尾声。使用TEDS开发的基于网络的测试，我们将测试双胞胎在我们的研究中被证明最重要和最有趣的学习方面：阅读，语言和演讲，数学，科学和一般认知能力。我们还将评估学校表现（GCSE），行为问题以及家庭和学校环境。这项研究不仅仅是关于遗传学对学习困难及其相关问题的影响程度的先天-后天问题。经典的双胞胎设计比较同卵双胞胎和异卵双胞胎，使我们能够提出关于发展的关键问题（例如，遗传效应是否随年龄而变化？），关于疾病之间的联系（例如，不同的基因会影响不同的疾病，如阅读和数学吗？），以及基因和环境之间的相互作用（例如，基因会影响我们的经历吗？通过在4000名TEDS儿童身上获得200万个DNA标记，为TEDS增添了巨大的价值，这将首次使人们有可能在整个基因组中进行系统搜索，以寻找导致这些遗传效应的基因。找到这些基因将使人们有可能在儿童在学校失败之前很久就确定他们处于危险之中，并促进环境干预，防止这些疾病的发生。