Friday, February 4, 2011

Five years later ... still no study

Tay-Sachs child. In the 1980s, there was concern that Tay-Sachs heterozygotes might be mentally handicapped to a lesser degree.

What is the evidence that Tay-Sachs heterozygotes have higher-than-normal intelligence? To date, it is inferential. Ashkenazi Jews have unusually high incidences of several genetic diseases that have similar effects on neural tissue.

[…] the sphingolipid mutations look like IQ boosters. The key datum is the effect of increased levels of the storage compounds. Glucosylceramide, the Gaucher storage compound, promotes axonal growth and branching (Schwartz et al., 1995). In vitro, decreased glucosylceramide results in stunted neurones with short axons while an increase over normal levels (caused by chemically inhibiting glucocerebrosidase) increases axon length and branching. There is a similar effect in Tay-Sachs (Walkley et al., 2000; Walkley, 2003): decreased levels of GM2 ganglioside inhibit dendrite growth, while an increase over normal levels causes a marked increase in dendritogenesis. This increased dendritogenesis also occurs in Niemann-Pick type A cells, and in animal models of Tay-Sachs and Niemann-Pick. (Cochran et al., 2006)

Such “diseases” may have beneficial effects in the heterozygote state:

Heterozygotes have half the normal amount of the lysosomal hydrolases and should show modest elevations of the sphingolipid storage compounds. A prediction is that Gaucher, Tay-Sachs and Niemann-Pick heterozygotes will have higher tested IQ than control groups, probably in the order of 5 points. (Cochran et al., 2006)

That paper was written five years ago. Since then, no one has tested the IQ of Tay-Sachs heterozygotes in relation to non-carriers (after controlling for differences in ethnicity and socioeconomic status). Yet such a study would hardly be rocket science.

Ironically, this kind of study had been done previously, back in the 1980s. At that time, the concern was that Tay-Sachs heterozygotes might have lower IQ. The study was consequently set up to look for some kind of mental deficit:

Two groups of heterozygotes, one for metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) and the other for Tay-Sachs disease, were given a battery of neuropsychological tests, a standard neurological examination, and an EEG. Neurological and EEG findings were unremarkable for both groups. The MLD heterozygotes showed deficits in the neuropsychological tests involving spatial or constructional components, but not in tests involving language skills. The Tay-Sachs heterozygotes showed no consistent deficit on any component of the neuropsychological tests. (Kohn et al., 1988)

Yes, but how well did the Tay-Sachs heterozygotes do on those tests? The authors say nothing on that point, other than making the following observation:

However, there is a significant difference in the educational level achieved between the two groups. About two-thirds of the Tay-Sachs heterozygotes have education beyond high school, whereas only one third of the MLD heterozygotes have gone beyond high school. (Kohn et al., 1988)

It would be interesting to dig up the raw data and have it reanalyzed …

References

Cochran, G., J. Hardy, and H. Harpending. (2006). Natural history of Ashkenazi intelligence. Journal of Biosocial Science, 38, 659-693.

Kohn, H., P. Manowitz, M. Miller, and A. Kling. (1988). Neuropsychological deficits in obligatory heterozygotes for metachromatic leukodystrophy, Human Genetics, 79, 8-12.

5 comments:

  1. Peter you seem surprised at the lack of followups to that paper. We aren't. Working on that stuff would be a sure guarantee of no grant support for the rest of one's career.

    Henry

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  2. I've read that in Quebec the English who "monopolized the skilled brainwork of trade, accounting, and management" were called 'Rhodesians'.

    Is there an excess of French Canadian intellectuals (ie scientists, authors, politicians and businessmen) from families which originated in eastern Quebec or the south /north shore of the lower St. Lawrence ?

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  3. Henry,

    Defeatism can be self-fulfilling. Why not contact Dr. Paul Manowitz at Rutgers and ask him if you can reanalyze the data from the Kohn et al. paper?

    Be up front about your intentions. In any case, he's probably familiar with the "Natural History of Ashkenazi Intelligence" paper.

    His web page is:

    http://lifesci.rutgers.edu/~molbiosci/faculty/
    manowitz.html

    Tod,

    In the 1960s, Quebecois nationalists used a lot of anti-colonialist rhetoric, including the catchphrase "Westmount Rhodesians" (Westmount is an English suburb of Montreal).

    Your question is an interesting one. I would have to locate an established list of French Canadian scientists. I'm currently reading up on the history of these two areas ...

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  4. I can't open the link properly at work, but I recall there were a few comments about efforts to test this on gnxp in relation to a Profile of Greg Cochran in The Los Angeles Times .

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  5. Wow. Three comments on this issue.
    Harpinding's point well-taken.

    Roth's new book on immigration deals with IQ. Is he going to be ostracized or will the science community show more balls this time around?

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