Abstract
Educational attainment is a substantially heritable trait, and it has recently been linked to specific genetic variants by genome-wide association studies (GWASs). However, some variants may index social stratification, and polygenic score (PGS) heritability may differ across cohorts reflecting the changing relative influence of genetic and environmental influences on educational attainment over time. We used a Hungarian (N=829) sample of healthy volunteers to assess the validity of the most recent educational attainment polygenic score in a population culturally and genetically different from the one used in GWAS discovery, as well as changes in PGS heritability over time. We used an English (N=976) sample with identical measurement protocols as comparison.
We found that the PGS is valid in Hungary, accounting for 2-6.5% of the variance in educational attainment. We also replicated previous Estonian findings about generally increased PGS heritability in those attaining higher education after the fall of Communism, with PGS heritability up to 6.5% in the youngest cohort. In a comparable English sample the same PGS accounted for 9-11% of educational attainment variance. Our results provide evidence that polygenic scores for educational attainment are valid in diverse European populations. Our findings also provide further evidence that the fall of Communism, possibly along with other historical changes in education policy, was the source of a gene-environment interaction through which genetic factors became more important for higher educational attainment in those who graduated high school after this event.