Genome-wide analyses of individual differences in quantitatively assessed reading- and language-related skills in up to 34,000 people

Our unique capacities for spoken and written language are fundamental features of what makes us human, yet the biological bases remain largely mysterious. We present a large-scale well-powered genome-wide association study meta-analysis of individual differences in reading- and language-related skills (word reading, nonword reading, spelling, phoneme awareness, and nonword repetition) in tens of thousands of participants. The findings prompt a major reevaluation of prior literature claiming candidate gene associations in much smaller samples. Moreover, we use the novel genetic data as windows into multiple aspects of the biology of these important abilities, revealing molecular links to individual differences in neuroanatomy of language-related brain areas and enriched heritability in archaic deserts of the human genome as well as in fetal brain enhancer regions.