别人家的孩子更聪明? 科学家发现智慧基因

One in five people carry a 'smart gene' variant linked to long lifespan, bigger forebrains and enhanced mental ability, researchers have found.

研究人员发现，每五个人中就有一个人携带“聪明基因”变体，携带这种基因的人更长寿，大脑的前额区域体积更大，心理能力也更强。

Scientists found people who carry the gene have larger volumes in a front part of the brain involved in planning and decision-making.

科学家们发现携带聪明基因的人，大脑中负责计划和决策功能的区域体积比其他人大。

They say the find could have major implications for sufferers of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

科学家称该发现对治疗阿茨海默症及其他形式的痴呆症患者意义重大。

It follows the previous discovery that middle-aged and older people who have a single copy of the gene variant performed better in a wide range of mental tests.

在此之前，曾有研究发现携带该基因变体副本的中老年人在一系列认知测验中的表现比不携带的人更加出色。

'We've known for a long time that people lose cognitive abilities as they age, but now we're beginning to understand that factors like klotho can give people a boost and confer resilience in aging,' said senior author Dena Dubal of UCSF.

“我们早就知道，随着年龄的增长人们的认知能力会逐渐减退，但是现在我们开始发现如klotho（克洛索）这样的基因能够帮助人们在衰老过程中保持弹性。”旧金山加利福尼亚大学的德纳·杜巴尔教授说。

'Genetic variation in KLOTHO could help us predict brain health and find ways to protect people from the devastating diseases that happen to us as we grow old, like Alzheimer's and other dementias.'

“klotho基因变体能够帮我们预测大脑健康状况，为保护人们在衰老过程中免遭如阿茨海默症或痴呆等疾病的威胁寻找方法。”

About one in five people carry a single copy of the variant, known as KL-VS, that boosts levels of the protein and is associated with longer lifespan and improved heart and kidney function.

大约每五个人中有一个人会携带这种叫做KL-VS的基因变体副本，它能提高蛋白质水平、使人更长寿、提升心脏和肾脏功能。

A small minority, 3% of the population, has two copies, which is linked to a shorter lifespan.

极少数人群，大约占总人口的3%，携带有两个该基因副本，这会使人更短寿。

In the new study scientists scanned the brains of 422 men and women aged 53 and over who were also tested for the KLOTHO gene.

在一项最新研究中，科学家们扫描了422个年龄在53岁以上的、被检测出携带klotho基因的男性和女性。

They found that participants with a single copy of the gene variant also had a larger brain region known as the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC), which is especially susceptible to shrinkage with age.

结果发现，只携带一个基因变体副本的受试者的右脑背外侧前额叶皮层的区域面积较大，而这片区域最容易随年龄增长发生萎缩。

Loss of neurons in this area may be one reason why older people are sometimes easily distracted and find it difficult to multitask.

该片区域内的神经元数量减少可能是造成老年人容易分心、难以应付多项任务的原因之一。

The results appear in the journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.

该项研究结果发表在《临床和转化神经病学年鉴》上。

A previous study, funded by the U.S.-based National Institutes of Health, found the protein boosts brain skills such as thinking, learning and memory.

在之前一项由美国国立卫生研究院出资赞助的一项研究中发现KL-VS有助于提高思考、学习、记忆等大脑功能。

It is believed it could increase the strength of connections between nerve cells in the brain.

另外它还能够增强大脑中神经元之间的联系。

'Our results suggest klotho may increase the brain's capacity to perform everyday intellectual tasks,' said coauthor Lennart Mucke, professor of neuroscience at the University of California San Francisco.

“我们的研究结果表明klotho可能会提高大脑完成日常智力任务的能力。”加利福尼亚旧金山大学的神经科学教授莱纳特·马奇说。

People who have one copy of a variant, or form, of the kloto gene, called KL-VS, tend to live longer and have lower chances of suffering a stroke whereas people who have two copies may live shorter lives and have a higher risk of stroke.

携带一个klotho基因变体副本即KL-VS的人倾向于较为长寿，患中风的几率更低，而携带两个该基因变体副本的人则可能更短寿，患中风的几率也更高。

In the study, researchers found that people who had one copy of the KL-VS variant performed better on a battery of cognitive tests than subjects who did not have it, regardless of age, sex or the presence of the apolipoprotein 4 gene, the main genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.

这项研究中，研究人员还发现，携带一个KL-VS基因变体副本的人在一系列认知测验中比不携带该基因的人表现更为出色，这与受试者的年龄、性别或者是否携带载脂蛋白4基因无关，载脂蛋白4基因是引发阿尔茨海默病的主要遗传风险因素。