Imputation of fluid intelligence scores reduces ascertainment bias and increases power for analyses of common and rare variants.

Imputing fluid intelligence scores increases sample size from 270,000 to over 455,000 and boosts genetic discovery, identifying 550 significant SNPs and 26 genes.

• Why it matters: Understanding the genetics of intelligence is crucial for insights into neurobiology and neurodevelopmental disorders, but limited sample sizes and bias hinder progress.
• What they did: The study integrated and imputed fluid intelligence scores across UK Biobank data, validating that imputed phenotypes resemble measured scores and reduce bias, enabling larger, more powerful analyses.
• The result: This approach enhances the detection of genetic associations, including novel genes linked to neurodevelopmental conditions, facilitating discoveries that may inform future research and interventions.