rs10928190 (ARHGAP15): Educational Attainment
Key takeaways
- rs10928190 is near ARHGAP15, a brain signaling gene, and is associated with years of schooling completed.
- Studies of up to 3 million people found thousands of variants like this one that together explain 12-16% of differences in educational attainment.
- The typical effect of a single variant like this is small - roughly 1.7 weeks of schooling per allele.
- Within-family analyses suggest about half the observed association reflects direct genetic effects, with the remainder potentially from family environment or population structure.
- No non-additive (dominance) effects were found at genome-wide significance for educational attainment.
Key takeaways
- This variant lies near ARHGAP15 (Rho GTPase Activating Protein 15), a gene involved in brain cell signaling processes.
- It was identified among thousands of variants associated with educational attainment in genome-wide association studies of up to 3 million individuals.
- All associated variants combined explain 12-16% of variance in years of schooling completed.
- The typical effect of a single variant in these studies is modest, around 1.7 weeks of schooling per allele.
- No non-additive (dominance) effects reached genome-wide significance for educational attainment.
What the research says A genome-wide association study (GWAS - a method that scans millions of genetic variants for statistical links to a trait) of approximately 1.1 million individuals identified 1,271 variants independently associated with years of schooling completed, with the implicated genes pointing to brain development and neuron-to-neuron communication processes. A larger GWAS expanding the sample to approximately 3 million individuals identified 3,952 such variants, with a polygenic index (a score that combines the effects of many variants into a single number) explaining 12-16% of variance in educational attainment. rs10928190, located near ARHGAP15, is among the variants identified in these analyses.
Reported associations
- Educational attainment (years of schooling completed): One of 3,952 variants reaching genome-wide significance in a GWAS of approximately 3 million individuals; across lead variants in the 1.1-million-person study, individual alleles contribute a median of approximately 1.7 weeks of schooling, with a range of roughly 1.1 to 2.6 weeks at the 5th and 95th percentiles.
- Cognitive performance: The polygenic index built from educational attainment GWAS results also predicts cognitive performance, explaining 7-10% of variance in that trait.
- Disease risk (ten conditions): The same polygenic index contributes to risk prediction for ten diseases examined in the 3-million-person study, beyond its association with educational attainment itself.
Evidence quality The associations come from two large meta-analyses: one involving approximately 1.1 million individuals (1,271 genome-wide significant SNPs, mean chi-squared of 2.91 for common SNPs) and one involving approximately 3 million individuals (3,952 genome-wide significant SNPs, mean chi-squared of 4.90). LD Score regression in the 1.1-million-person study confirmed that roughly 5% of test statistic inflation was attributable to bias rather than true genetic signal, supporting the robustness of the findings. Within-family analyses comparing siblings found that direct genetic effects explain approximately half the observed association with educational attainment, meaning the remaining association may reflect family environment, genetic nurture, or population stratification rather than direct causal effects. A dominance GWAS of over 2.5 million individuals found no genome-wide significant SNPs, providing strong evidence against meaningful non-additive genetic effects for this trait. Evidence connecting this locus to ARHGAP15 specifically is based on genomic proximity to identified variants; the provided studies do not report direct functional characterization of this gene.
Lifestyle considerations No lifestyle considerations on file for this variant.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ARHGAP15 gene?
ARHGAP15 stands for Rho GTPase Activating Protein 15. It is a gene involved in signaling pathways in the brain, particularly processes related to nerve cell development and communication.
Is rs10928190 linked to intelligence or education?
Studies have found a statistical association between rs10928190 and years of schooling completed. The effect of this single variant is modest, equivalent to roughly 1-2 weeks of schooling per allele, and many other genetic and environmental factors play a much larger role.
How was rs10928190 discovered?
It was identified through genome-wide association studies involving up to 3 million participants, which scanned millions of genetic variants across the genome to find those statistically linked to how many years of school people completed.
Does rs10928190 directly cause differences in educational attainment?
Not necessarily. Within-family analyses suggest that roughly half of its observed association with education may reflect direct genetic effects, while the rest could be influenced by family environment or other correlated factors.
What is a polygenic index for educational attainment?
A polygenic index combines the effects of thousands of variants like rs10928190 into a single score. The index built from educational attainment GWAS results explains 12-16% of differences in years of schooling across individuals.