The Utility of Studying the Genetic Basis for Intelligence

A recent article in Bloomberg shows points out the benefits of studying the genetic basis of intelligence. Four Bio-Pharma companies are developing treatments for Fragile X syndrome, a very rare genetic that leads to retardation. Unlike, the more common genes found to be weakly associated with intelligence, presence of the mutation in boys is a one way ticket to tard town. Given the glacial pace of medical research these days, I would not rush to disband the Special Olympics but one sunny academic says:

This medicine “could be the first to reverse mental retardation,” Randi Hagerman, a professor at the University of California at Davis who’s working with Roche on the clinical trials, said in an interview. “What everyone is hoping is that the causes of autism may converge on a final common pathway that may be sensitive to this drug. The secret hope is that we might find it can be used much more broadly than for Fragile X.”

There is a lot of hype in the early phases of drug development but the development strategy of “find the gene, find the mechanism, make the drug” has worked for some conditions. So, the small amount of resources put into researching the “nature” side of intelligence has yielded a few drug candidates for a debilitating condition. What exactly are we getting for the resources put into the “nurture” side?