Researchers fail to replicate influential neuroimaging genetics study

Neuroscientists have failed to replicate the findings of an influential study linking genetics to cognition. Published in

JNeurosci

, the researchers highlight issues in the design, analysis, and interpretation of the original study.

In 2012, Pinel et al. described in

JNeurosci

genetic variants associated with altered activation of language-related brain regions during reading and listening. Now, using a much larger sample size, Uddén et al. report that they are unable to replicate those original claims. The new research challenges the assumption that functional neuroimaging studies are better suited to uncover genetic underpinnings of cognition than behavioral or psychological measures. These findings also highlight the complexity of the relationship between genes and human brain function.

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Manuscript title: Towards Robust Functional Neuroimaging Genetics of Cognition

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JNeurosci

JNeurosci

, the Society for Neuroscience’s first journal, was launched in 1981 as a means to communicate the findings of the highest quality neuroscience research to the growing field. Today, the journal remains committed to publishing cutting-edge neuroscience that will have an immediate and lasting scientific impact, while responding to authors’ changing publishing needs, representing breadth of the field and diversity in authorship.

About The Society for Neuroscience

The Society for Neuroscience is the world’s largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system. The nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, now has nearly 37,000 members in more than 90 countries and over 130 chapters worldwide.