@article{860b21d0958f46f3af5838fd31f8b5f8,
title = "Heritability of word recognition in middle-aged men varies as a function of parental education",
abstract = "Although it is of lifelong importance, reading ability is studied primarily in children and adolescents. We examined variation in word recognition in 347 middle-aged male twin pairs. Overall heritability (a2) was 0.45, and shared environmental influences (c2) were 0.28. However, parental education moderated heritability such that a2 was 0.21 at the lowest parental education level and 0.69 at the highest level; c2 was 0.52 and 0.00, respectively. This constitutes a parental education × environment interaction. The higher heritability was due to a decrease in the magnitude of shared environmental factors, rather than an increase in the magnitude of genetic factors. Other cognitive studies have reported gene × environment interactions, but patterns may differ as a function of age or specific cognitive abilities. Our results suggest that shared environmental factors in families with low parental education have long-lasting effects on word recognition ability, well beyond any critical period for developing reading proficiency.",
keywords = "Heritability, Middle-aged, Moderator, Reading ability, Twin study, Word recognition parental education",
author = "Kremen, {William S.} and Jacobson, {Kristen C.} and Hong Xian and Eisen, {Seth A.} and Brian Waterman and Rosemary Toomey and Neale, {Michael C.} and Tsuang, {Ming T.} and Lyons, {Michael J.}",
note = "Funding Information: Preparation of this article was supported in part by National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 1 R01 AA10586 and National Institute on Aging Grants AG18386-012A1 and AG-18386-012A2. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has provided financial support for the development and maintenance of the Vietnam Era Twin (VET) Registry. Numerous organizations have provided invaluable assistance in the conduct of this study, including: Department of Defense; National Personnel Records Center, National Archives and Records Administration; Internal Revenue Service; National Opinion Research Center; National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences; the Institute for Survey Research, Temple University. We also thank Jack Goldberg, Ph.D. for his helpful comments on the manuscripts. Most importantly, the authors gratefully acknowledge the continued cooperation and participation of the members of the VET Registry and their families. Without their contribution this research would not have been possible.",
year = "2005",
month = jul,
doi = "10.1007/s10519-004-3876-2",
language = "English",
volume = "35",
pages = "417--433",
journal = "Behavior genetics",
issn = "0001-8244",
number = "4",
}