Mathematical ability is heritable and related to several genes expressing proteins in the brain. It is unknown, however, which intermediate neural phenotypes could explain how these genes relate to mathematical ability. Here, we examined genetic effects on cerebral cortical volume of 3–6-year-old children without mathematical training to predict mathematical ability in school at 7–9 years of age. To this end, we followed an exploration sample (n = 101) and an independent replication sample (n = 77). We found that ROBO1, a gene known to regulate prenatal growth of cerebral cortical layers, is associated with the volume of the right parietal cortex, a key region for quantity representation. Individual volume differences in this region predicted up to a fifth of the behavioral variance in mathematical ability. Our findings indicate that a fundamental genetic component of the quantity processing system is rooted in the early development of the parietal cortex.

数学能力是可遗传的，与大脑中表达蛋白质的多个基因有关。然而，尚不清楚哪种中间神经表型可以解释这些基因与数学能力的关系。在这里，我们研究了遗传对未受过数学训练的 3-6 岁儿童大脑皮层体积的影响，以预测 7-9 岁时在学校的数学能力。为此，我们跟踪了探索样本 ( n = 101) 和独立复制样本 ( n = 77)。我们发现ROBO1是一种已知调节大脑皮层产前生长的基因，它与右顶叶皮层的体积相关，右顶叶皮层是数量表征的关键区域。该区域的个体体积差异预测了数学能力中高达五分之一的行为差异。我们的研究结果表明，数量处理系统的基本遗传成分植根于顶叶皮层的早期发育。