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Common variation near ROBO2 is associated with expressive vocabulary in infancy

Author

Listed:
  • Beate St Pourcain

    (Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Oakfield House, 15-23 Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK
    School of Oral and Dental Sciences, University of Bristol
    School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol)

  • Rolieke A.M. Cents

    (Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre
    Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre)

  • Andrew J.O. Whitehouse

    (Telethon Kids Institute, Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia)

  • Claire M.A. Haworth

    (University of Warwick
    Medical Research Council, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK)

  • Oliver S.P. Davis

    (Medical Research Council, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK
    Evolution and Environment, UCL, UCL Genetics Institute, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK)

  • Paul F. O’Reilly

    (Medical Research Council, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK
    Medical Research Council (MRC) Public Health England (PHE) Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK)

  • Susan Roulstone

    (Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit, University of the West of England, Frenchay Hospital)

  • Yvonne Wren

    (Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit, University of the West of England, Frenchay Hospital)

  • Qi W. Ang

    (School of Women’s and Infants’ Health, University of Western Australia)

  • Fleur P. Velders

    (Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre
    Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre)

  • David M. Evans

    (Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Oakfield House, 15-23 Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK
    School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK
    University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Institute, University of Queensland)

  • John P. Kemp

    (Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Oakfield House, 15-23 Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK
    School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK
    University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Institute, University of Queensland)

  • Nicole M. Warrington

    (School of Women’s and Infants’ Health, University of Western Australia
    University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Institute, University of Queensland)

  • Laura Miller

    (School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK)

  • Nicholas J. Timpson

    (Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Oakfield House, 15-23 Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK
    School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK)

  • Susan M. Ring

    (Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Oakfield House, 15-23 Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK
    School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK)

  • Frank C. Verhulst

    (Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre)

  • Albert Hofman

    (Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre)

  • Fernando Rivadeneira

    (Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre
    Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre)

  • Emma L. Meaburn

    (Birkbeck, University of London)

  • Thomas S. Price

    (Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine)

  • Philip S. Dale

    (University of New Mexico)

  • Demetris Pillas

    (Medical Research Council (MRC) Public Health England (PHE) Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK)

  • Anneli Yliherva

    (Faculty of Humanities, Logopedics, Child Language Research Center, University of Oulu
    BOX 1000)

  • Alina Rodriguez

    (Medical Research Council (MRC) Public Health England (PHE) Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK
    Mid Sweden University Department for Psychology/Mittuniversitetet Avdelningen för psykologi)

  • Jean Golding

    (School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK)

  • Vincent W.V. Jaddoe

    (Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre
    Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre
    Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre)

  • Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin

    (Medical Research Council (MRC) Public Health England (PHE) Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK
    Unit of Primary Care, Oulu University Hospital, Kajaanintie 50, PO Box 20, FI-90220, Oulu 90029, Finland
    National Institute for Health and Welfare
    Institute of Health Sciences, University of Oulu)

  • Robert Plomin

    (Medical Research Council, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK)

  • Craig E. Pennell

    (School of Women’s and Infants’ Health, University of Western Australia)

  • Henning Tiemeier

    (Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre
    Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre)

  • George Davey Smith

    (Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Oakfield House, 15-23 Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK
    School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK)

Abstract

Twin studies suggest that expressive vocabulary at ~24 months is modestly heritable. However, the genes influencing this early linguistic phenotype are unknown. Here we conduct a genome-wide screen and follow-up study of expressive vocabulary in toddlers of European descent from up to four studies of the EArly Genetics and Lifecourse Epidemiology consortium, analysing an early (15–18 months, ‘one-word stage’, NTotal=8,889) and a later (24–30 months, ‘two-word stage’, NTotal=10,819) phase of language acquisition. For the early phase, one single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs7642482) at 3p12.3 near ROBO2, encoding a conserved axon-binding receptor, reaches the genome-wide significance level (P=1.3 × 10−8) in the combined sample. This association links language-related common genetic variation in the general population to a potential autism susceptibility locus and a linkage region for dyslexia, speech-sound disorder and reading. The contribution of common genetic influences is, although modest, supported by genome-wide complex trait analysis (meta-GCTA h215–18-months=0.13, meta-GCTA h224–30-months=0.14) and in concordance with additional twin analysis (5,733 pairs of European descent, h224-months=0.20).

Suggested Citation

  • Beate St Pourcain & Rolieke A.M. Cents & Andrew J.O. Whitehouse & Claire M.A. Haworth & Oliver S.P. Davis & Paul F. O’Reilly & Susan Roulstone & Yvonne Wren & Qi W. Ang & Fleur P. Velders & David M. E, 2014. "Common variation near ROBO2 is associated with expressive vocabulary in infancy," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:5:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms5831
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5831
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