A new test for IQ: what kind of intelligence?

What is intelligence? Should IQ express  the complexity of our being? For centuries scientists, philosophers and psychologists have investigated this question, and each of these categories has proposed some ways to explore this topic. Now, a group of researcher from the University of Rochester, US, has developed a new quick visual test, to predict IQ. In this study, published recently  in the journal Current Biology, people watched brief video clips of black and white bars moving across a computer screen. The task was to understand which direction the bars drifted: to the right or to the left. As scientists had predicted, people with higher IQ scores were faster at identify the movement of the bars during the observation of the smallest images. In particular, these results support prior research, that had shown that individuals with higher IQ’ reflexes were faster.

GWA: an important (r)evolution for the genetic. But it needs caution, ESHG says.

What is GWA? It’a method of analysis which can examine the entire individual’s DNA to look for genomic mutations and variants. This way of genomic exploring is effective for the medicine, because it represents the new technology for diagnosing diseases. But the uncorrect use of this techonolgy can provide ethical problems: a new report from the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG), edited on 16 May 2013, talks about this.

Indeed, many services based on the whole genome and on exome can be provided to the patients. But the main problem of these methods is that the analysis of huge parts of a genome can lead to a difficult (or impossible) interpretation of the whole genome in itself (and its hypothetical problems): this can create anxiety to patients, in the cases where unsolicited findings would rise. So, ESHG proposes a targeted analysis, which would limit the unsolicited findings and not give useless worries to the patients.

Professor Martina Cornel (ESHG) said: “We are opposed to the type of opportunistic screening that throws up large numbers of incidental results”. It’s not clear how these incidental results could condition the patients and their families. On professor Cornel’s opinion, it is important that the same ESHG inform the people, to make grow in them the consciousness about genetic problems. It’s fundamental that the general pubblic could have the right to increase their knowledge in this scientic field: ESHG wants to have a role in this.

Credits images: http://benessere.guidone.it/2011/06/01/kit-per-test-genetici-fai-da-te-da-bandire-secondo-gli-esperti/, http://www.eshg.org

When do genetic tests exceed?

Today genetics gives a great contribution with 900 different tests available to recognize diseases in babies and adults. Unsolved questions were dealed recentely on Trends in Biotecnology  journal on the possible consequences that derive when genetic analysis reveal an unexpected result on a value not related with the principal goal of the test. Two bioethicits from the Stanford Center from Biomedical Ethics  exposed their disappointment for the guidelines for medical genetists proposed by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) organization as reported on Le Scienze Journal.

On this document is explained that now unexpected discoveries are considered “all resulted  genetic alterations found in a deliberated test not related with the disease interested at the beginning of the analysis” . The bioethicists were allarmed by the fact that specific DNA analysis,  today, are ruled to be combined with other genetic ones that force people to end up in the situation just described. Another ACMG statement that establish that medical equipe must overstep  the will of patient informing the relatives about unexpected results caused scepticism in the mind of the two Stanford Center scientists.

This is a very problematic topic because genetic tests have a very large range of possible costs that depends not only on technical aspects. Here you can read something about cost. While if  you want to know more about genetic test you can read on this page of the  National Institute of Health (NIH).

Last, I ask you to give your opinion. Do you agree with the bioethicists or ACMG guideline? Would you prefer to know as more as possible on your genetic status? If you lived on your skin that sistuation tell to  explain your position if you want.