London, September 18

The size of a baby’s head may be an indication of how bright he or she is likely to be, according to a new UK study.

Larger head circumferences and brain volume are associated with higher intelligence, the study published in the journal ‘Molecular Psychiatry’ claims.

“Highly significant associations were observed between the cognitive test scores in the UK Biobank sample and many polygenic profile scores, including... intracranial volume, infant head circumference and childhood cognitive ability,” said the researchers led by Professor Ian Deary of Edinburgh University.

The finding is among the first to emerge from data gathered by UK Biobank, in which 500,000 Britons are being studied over the long term to discover the links between their genes, their physical and mental health and their path through life, ‘The Sunday Times’ reports.

The researchers said they had also found gene variants that were strongly associated with intelligence.

Analysis of verbal-numerical reasoning identified 17 significant genes, some that could even predict how likely it was that someone would go on to secure a place at university. — PTI