2013
DOI: 10.1017/thg.2013.54
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The Wilson Effect: The Increase in Heritability of IQ With Age

Abstract: Ronald Wilson presented the first clear and compelling evidence that the heritability of IQ increases with age. We propose to call the phenomenon 'The Wilson Effect' and we document the effect diagrammatically with key twin and adoption studies, including twins reared apart, that have been carried out at various ages and in a large number of different settings. The results show that the heritability of IQ reaches an asymptote at about 0.80 at 18-20 years of age and continuing at that level well into adulthood.… Show more

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Cited by 125 publications
(75 citation statements)
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References 63 publications
(97 reference statements)
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“…Among the genes included in the top pathways identified in this study, there was the BDNF, a regulator of NRN1 expression. According to all these data and given the described gradual increase in heritability of IQ from childhood to late adolescence (Deary et al 2009;Bouchard 2013) and the reported early occurrence of intellectual impairment even years before the onset of the psychotic symptoms (Cannon et al 2002), it is plausible that those genes that influence brain development, as NRN1, may be modulating illness traits, as IQ and age at onset, and ultimately influencing the risk for these disorders.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Among the genes included in the top pathways identified in this study, there was the BDNF, a regulator of NRN1 expression. According to all these data and given the described gradual increase in heritability of IQ from childhood to late adolescence (Deary et al 2009;Bouchard 2013) and the reported early occurrence of intellectual impairment even years before the onset of the psychotic symptoms (Cannon et al 2002), it is plausible that those genes that influence brain development, as NRN1, may be modulating illness traits, as IQ and age at onset, and ultimately influencing the risk for these disorders.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…For instance, the Wilson Effect describes the increase in the heritability of IQ with age; monozygotic twins become more, rather than less similar, as they age (Wilson, 1983). This reflects changes in gene expression over the developmental lifespan and the influence that the expression of genotype has on shaping environment (Bouchard, 2013). …”
mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…• Siblings reared together in the same home have IQ's that are more similar than those of adopted children raised together in the same environment [8].…”
Section: Evidence Of Genetic Influences In Iqmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…While a number of individual genes have been reported to be associated with IQ, none have a strong effect [57]. There is growing interest in the potential for epigenetics (a stably heritable phenotype resulting from changes in a chromosome without alterations in the DNA sequence) to influence cognition [8]. Such epigenetic 'heritability' may occur through either mitosis or meiosis and therefore has the potential to explain at least part of the high heritability of intelligence.…”
Section: Please Notementioning
confidence: 99%