Mutation behind Huntington’s linked to higher childhood intelligence

The genetic mutation that causes Huntington’s disease, a devastating brain condition, may have been selected for by evolution because it also leads to higher intelligence in people’s childhood and 20s.

This idea may not only lead to a rethink of strategies to treat Huntington’s, but could also change our perspective on the genetics of intelligence. “There are a lot of implications for our understanding of the biology of the brain,” says Jordan Schultz at the University…