Identifying genes for cognition

我们已经建立了一个大的双胞胎样本，是一个国际联盟的澳大利亚分支，以识别认知基因。这项工作将改变我们对影响正常认知功能的大脑功能的理解。通过为认知能力受损的潜在机制提供线索，它可能具有巨大的公共卫生意义。许多不同的疾病会影响人们的思维和记忆能力(如精神分裂症、痴呆症)。通过了解健康个体的认知过程，我们可以更好地识别认知能力受损的基本机制。这可能在治疗大脑功能障碍和管理智力障碍的记忆方面有未来的应用。

We have established a large twin sample and are the Australian arm of an international consortium to identify genes for cognition. This work will transform our understanding of brain functions that affect normal cognitive functioning. It has potentially enormous public health significance by providing clues into the underlying mechanisms of impaired cognitive ability. Many different conditions affect people's ability to think and remember (e.g. schizophrenia, dementia). By understanding how cognitive processes work in healthy individuals, we can better identify the fundamental mechanisms of impaired cognitive ability. This may have future applications for treating brain dysfunction, and managing memory of intellectual disabilities.