Two gene networks help control human intelligence

About 40% of variation in human intelligence is inherited, but isolating the genes responsible has been a daunting task. Now, researchers have leveraged vast amounts of genetic and behavioral data to identify two networks of genes that seem to contribute to higher brain functions, The Guardian reports. The networks are implicated in both neurodevelopmental disorders and normal variation in cognitive abilities, the researchers reported Monday in Nature Neuroscience. Perhaps most exciting, the networks are likely to share the same regulatory system—a system that researchers could potentially target to treat conditions such as epilepsy and schizophrenia.