DNA pooling and dense marker maps: a systematic search for genes for cognitive ability

POOLING DNA from subjects within a group and comparing the pooled DNA acros s groups for a dense map of DNA markers offers a solution to the conundrum that linkage is systematic but not powerful whereas allelic association is powerful but not systematic. We used DNA Fooling to screen 66 markers on ch romosome 22 in original and replication samples of children of high general cognitive ability (g) and controls of average g. Although none of these ma rkers survived our three-stage screening design (original pooling, replicat ion pooling, individual genotyping), the results of DNA pooling were largel y confirmed by individual genotyping. We can therefore exclude associations of major effect size on chromosome 22 for g, a key variable for cognitive neuroscience research on learning and memory. NeuroReport 10:843-848 (C) 19 99 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.