Genetic and Demographic Predictors of Latent Reading Ability in Two Cohorts

Abstract

AbstractReading ability is a complex skill requiring multiple proficiencies (e.g., phonological awareness, decoding, and comprehension). Reading ability has genetic and environmental components that create the potential for significant gene-gene and gene-environment interactions, but the evidence for these interactions is limited. We used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children and the Genes, Reading and Dyslexia Study to assess the contributions of genetic and demographic features to a continuous latent reading ability score. We then used this score as the phenotype on which to predicate genome-wide single nucleotide polymorph screening, followed by feature selection using an elastic net analysis. Results from the elastic net models showed that genetic and demographic features predicted reading ability for both cohorts. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms were associated with latent reading in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, as well as in the Genes, Reading and Dyslexia cohorts. For both cohorts, larger vocabularies were positively associated with latent reading ability. Genes within the neuron migration pathway were overrepresented in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort. We provide support that genes involved in early brain development have an impact on latent reading ability performance. Our findings also indicate high generalizability of genetic findings between cohorts, using our approach.