New pre-print online: Imputing parental genotypes through Mendelian Imputation: Ethical and Legal Considerations
osf.io/preprints/ps...

Last week I was interviewed in a (short) podcast about our new paper in PNAS

www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

The twin work also showed that shared environment from year 1-2 predicted 10% of the variance in adult GCA, highlighting the lasting impacts of the infant environment.

Thank you to all our coauthors and the Colorado Longitudinal Twin Study participants. 4/4

We used twin studies & polygenic indices (PGIs/PGSs) which showed a rapid increase in the stability of GCA between ages 1 and age 7. Half of the variance in adult GCA was explained by genetic influences at age 7 or earlier, and two-thirds was explained by genetic influences at age 16 or earlier. 3/4

Two measures of infant cognition (a test of novelty preferences and tester-rated task orientation) given at age 7 and 9 months predicted general cognitive ability (GCA) nearly 30 years later. 2/4

We have an exciting new paper in PNAS on the stability of cognitive ability between infancy (7-9 months of age) and adulthood (~age 30). 1/4

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Press article about our recent paper on brain reserve (predicted brain age) and executive function decline across mid-life to early old age

www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2...

Link below for a postdoc position for an NIH project evaluating whether music engagement is protective for adolescent substance use. The project is led by
@dangustavson.bsky.social and focuses on twin/family and polygenic score analyses of existing datasets.
jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta...

I was awarded my first R01 grant last week! I'm really looking forward to taking another deep dive into the science of musicality in the coming few years in two very important datasets (CATSLife & ABCD).

I will also be looking for a postdoc (or potentially a PhD student to help with this project)!

1/ When we partnered with 6th grade teachers to support students' executive functioning and math learning, I was struck by what the teachers wanted to know: What could be done about student procrastination? go.nature.com/3Yug81z
#PsychSciSky

Great science so far at #BGA2024! With @psychgenomics.bsky.social @dangustavson.bsky.social @michelnivard.bsky.social @dr-appie.bsky.social, and who else here…?

Twin analysis show the association between brain age and EF decline was explained mostly by genetic influences and some nonshared environmental influences. Brain age is highly heritable (~62%), but heritability of EF changes are much smaller (19%)

APOE also predicts of executive function changes between 56 and 68, but it did not interact with brain age. Cognitive reserve also did not interact with brain age to predict EF changes.

Newly published study showing people with lower "predicted brain age" in midlife (mean age 56) have less decline in executive function abilities over the next 12 years.

Also check out this summary

www.growkudos.com/publications...

I'm curious what others think, but I feel we need to be more careful about including 'proxy' phenotypes in big GWASs of psychiatric disorders. The power for some genetic effects is definitely better but it may wash our or even hide other important genetic variation

There are a lot of dimensions mixed in the could cause differences (self-report vs. clinician, continuous ratings vs. case-control, etc.), but our findings are consistent across GWAS and twin/family approaches

We published a new study showing the genetic influences on depression/anxiety disorders are NOT identical to those on self-reported measures of loneliness, well-being (etc.)

psycnet.apa.org/record/2024-...

Yesterday I taught my first lecture at the International Statistical Genetics Workshop (on gene-environment correlation). I'm very grateful to be part of this group!

Thanks for the invite @breunigsophie.bsky.social! Now that I'm here I guess this really is the official place for hot new science news...