Molecular Genetics of Human Cognition

Abstract

An intimate relationship exists between our capacity for learning and memory and the domains of human cognition. This relationship becomes all too clear when a genetic disruption causing the diminished capacity for memory formation results in an individual with a pronounced cognitive deficit. Only recently, through the identification of human genetic mutations that result in mental retardation and learning disorders, have we begun to gain some insight into the genetic and molecular basis of human cognition. The following review describes some of the genetic causes and biochemical consequences of several recently identified genetic disorders that result in a disruption of memory formation and subsequent decline in human cognitive function.