Think 2+2 = 5? Don’t worry, being terrible at maths is in your genes
SOME of us have struggled with quadratic equations, algebra and formulas since our days at school.
But now there’s an excuse for muddling up the numbers – and you’re allowed to blame your genes. Scientists have discovered a particular gene could be linked to how good you are at maths.
Variations of the gene, called ROBO1, can determine how much grey matter people have in a part of the brain responsible for working out quantities.
The study discovered that the volume of cells in this area – directly above the right ear – was linked to maths test scores for children aged seven to nine.
As a result, researchers say the ROBO1 gene could determine how good you are at maths by influencing this area of the brain.
The team, from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Germany, said it was already known that mathematical ability was heritable.
‘Higher volume of grey matter’
But this is the first time the potential effects of this gene have been examined. They compared DNA sequences with brain-imaging scans in 178 children aged three to six and then looked at their maths test scores as they grew older.
Lead author Michael Skeide said: ‘We found that children who had a higher volume of grey matter in a particular part of their brain went on to get higher test scores.’
Dr Skeide said variations in the ROBO1 gene which affect grey matter could be influential in children who are just a few months old. The right parietal cortex – the part of the brain affected by the gene – is important for learning maths.
But the ROBO1 gene is not the only factor which affects mathematical ability, he said.
‘We know that math ability is about 50% shaped by genetical factors and the other half is explained by environmental f ac t ors, ’ Dr Skeide explained. ‘There is no such thing as a single math gene.’
He said the results of the study, published in the PLOS journal, show that learning maths begins well before children start school in the first years of life.