Genome-Wide Association Study Reveals Two Nucleotide Variants Associated with Educational Attainment in Koreans

Abstract

Genome-wide association studies for educational attainment have been limited to Europeans, but genetic factors might be largely related to cultural environments and thus dependent on populations. We aimed to identify genetic associations with educational attainment in Koreans. We analyzed genome-wide associations with the schooling years of 8770 individuals who participated in the Korea Association Resource cohort employing a mixed model. The analysis revealed two nucleotide variants (rs6467024 and rs16951883) using a genome-wide significance threshold (P < 5 × 10^–8), and six variants (rs9844107, rs11114203, rs12273277, rs16869287, rs1526390, and rs6856418) using a suggestive threshold (5 × 10^–8 < P < 1 × 10^–6). They are located in proximity to the genes that encode GRIN2A, SLIT2, AGTR1, PAWR, and TBC1D1, which are involved in cognitive functions and/or psychiatric diseases. We found two novel genetic associations with educational attainment, which largely corresponded to associations with cognitive functions and psychiatric diseases.