87 | id == 87
87 | category_id == 4
87 | category_order == 1
87 | category_name == Brain
87 | category_color == #C47AC0
87 | slug == Cognitive-Function-Gene-CHRNA5
87 | title == Does This Acetylcholine Receptor Gene Influence Overall Cognitive Ability? (CHRNA5)
87 | meta_description == The CHRNA5 gene creates acetylcholine receptors, and variants in this gene may influence cognitive ability. Learn more here!
87 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>The <em>CHRNA5</em> gene codes for a specific type of acetylcholine receptor. Several variants in this gene have been associated with significant differences in IQ and overall cognitive ability, possibly due to differences in the number of acetylcholine receptors that this gene can produce throughout the brain. Read on to learn more about this fascinating gene, how it works, and what your own genes have to say about your brain&rsquo;s acetylcholine system!</strong></p>
87 | overall_score_text == Your cognitive function score (based on CHRNA5 gene)
87 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/CHRNA5_SD_Blog_post_image.jpg
87 | author_id == 4
87 | author_name == Matt Carland
87 | author_title == PhD
87 | author_order == 10
87 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Matt.jpg
87 | author_intro == <p><strong>Matt received his PhD at the Universit&eacute; de Montr&eacute;al in Neuroscience.</strong></p>    <p>Matt holds multiple degrees in psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience. He has over a decade of experience in academic research and has published a number of articles in scholarly journals. He currently works as a neuropsychologist in Montreal, where he performs research on the links between personality traits and the development of clinical disorders such as addiction, compulsive gambling, and disordered eating.</p>
87 | reviewer == None
87 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
87 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
87 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
87 | publish_date == 2020
87 | publish_date == 1
87 | publish_date == 26
87 | avg_rating == 4.333333333333333
87 | tags_id == 237
87 | tags_name == Acetylcholine
87 | tags_id == 56
87 | tags_name == Attention
87 | tags_id == 236
87 | tags_name == CHRNA5 Gene
87 | tags_id == 13
87 | tags_name == Cognition
87 | tags_id == 28
87 | tags_name == Intelligence
87 | tags_id == 238
87 | tags_name == Nicotine
87 | tags_id == 57
87 | tags_name == Synaptic Plasticity
87 | tags_id == 109
87 | tags_name == Working Memory
87 | permissions_favorite == False
87 | permissions_rate == False
87 | content_article == <table style="width: 90%; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" border="1" cellpadding="10"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: justify;"><strong>Note:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> The </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene is one of the 45 unique intelligence-related genes that we analyze in our comprehensive </span><a href="https://get.selfdecode.com/mind-protocol-nm/"><strong><em>Cognitive Function DNA Wellness Report</em></strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. If you&rsquo;re interested in learning more about the genes that affect your cognitive ability, and the actionable steps that you can take to boost your cognition even further, check it out!</span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>What Does The </strong><strong><em>CHRNA5</em></strong><strong> Gene Do?</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><strong><a href="https://www.selfdecode.com/gene/chrna5/"><em>CHRNA5</em> gene</a></strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> codes for </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">alpha-5 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (&ldquo;&alpha;5 nAChRs&rdquo;). These </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/acetylcholine/"><strong>acetylcholine</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> receptors allow calcium to flow into neurons, which is one of the main triggers of </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/synaptic-plasticity/"><strong>synaptic plasticity</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10414339"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29299690"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27302872"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because it is responsible for creating acetylcholine receptors, this gene plays a key role in determining the overall activity of this neurotransmitter throughout the brain.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Or, another way to think about it would be that it partially determines how &ldquo;sensitive&rdquo; a person&rsquo;s brain is to acetylcholine &mdash; because the more of these receptors someone has, the more of an influence this neurotransmitter will be able to have on the many different cognitive processes happening throughout the brain.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene is responsible for creating </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">alpha-5 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Therefore, this gene plays a wide-ranging role in determining how &ldquo;sensitive&rdquo; a person&rsquo;s brain is to the effects of the major neurotransmitter acetylcholine.</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>What Does Acetylcholine Do?</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Acetylcholine receptors are located throughout the brain, and are especially plentiful in key areas involved in cognitive processing, such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the hippocampus [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29299690"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17961152"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The specific type of receptors created by this gene have also been implicated in triggering&nbsp; </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/synaptic-plasticity/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">synaptic plasticity</span></em></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which is one of the main mechanisms the brain uses to adjust the connections between neurons. In general, this is what allows us to store new information and memories [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10414339"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29299690"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27302872"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">For this reason, the acetylcholine system has been widely associated with cognitive processes related to learning and memory.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, as with all major brain systems, the acetylcholine system is highly complex, and it has also been reported to interact with other neurotransmitter systems, such as </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/dopamine/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">dopamine</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/serotonin-happy-neurotransmitter/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">serotonin</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Therefore, acetylcholine activity can also influence the levels and activity of other major neurotransmitters as well [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29299690"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27385416"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Acetylcholine has been linked to a variety of cognitive processes &mdash; most often those related to learning and memory. In part, this stems from the role that acetylcholine receptors play in triggering synaptic plasticity. Acetylcholine can also have &ldquo;indirect&rdquo; influences on the levels and activity of other major neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin.</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>How Might </strong><strong><em>CHRNA5</em></strong><strong> Affect Cognitive Function?</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to some recent genetics studies, variants in the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene have been linked to differences in how much this gene is actively expressed throughout the body and brain [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27302872"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18414406"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In general, higher activity of this gene (higher mRNA transcription levels) is believed to lead to an increased number of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">&alpha;lpha-5 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (&alpha;5 nAChRs) in many different important areas of the brain [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18414406"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Having more of these specific acetylcholine receptors, in turn, makes neurons more responsive to calcium signaling, which is one of the main mechanisms that cells use to trigger </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/synaptic-plasticity/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">synaptic plasticity</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19481063"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Having more of these receptors may also be associated with increased levels of other important neurotransmitters, such as </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/dopamine/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">dopamine</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27302872"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19184650"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Conversely, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">low</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> activity in these receptors has been associated with </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">reduced</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> neural plasticity and relatively </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">lower</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> levels of dopamine release in the PFC. These mechanisms, in turn, have been reported to result in impaired </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/focus-attention-improve/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">attention</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/different-types-memory/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">working memory</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28498560"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29299690"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27385416"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20886544"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">All together, the influence that </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has on several important brain mechanisms is most likely why variants in this gene have been associated with differences in many aspects of overall cognitive ability.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Certain genetic variants in </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> have been linked to differences in the overall expression of this gene, which influences the number of acetylcholine receptors a person has. The important roles that acetylcholine plays in synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory is most likely why these variants have also been associated with cognitive differences.</span></span></p> <h3><strong><em>CHRNA5</em></strong><strong> and Smoking</strong></h3> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a sidenote, one other interesting thing about the&nbsp;<em>CHRNA5</em> gene is that it creates the specific types of acetylcholine receptors that are primarily targeted by the drug </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/28-proven-health-benefits-nicotine-4-potential-risks/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">nicotine</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (<em>&alpha;5-nAChR</em>s) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20886544"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18414406"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because of the wide-ranging role of <em>alpha-5</em> acetylcholine receptors in cognitive processing, nicotine&rsquo;s ability to target and stimulate these receptors could potentially explain why this drug is sometimes reported to have &ldquo;positive effects&rdquo; on cognition [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8598930"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18414406"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20886544"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In fact, some recent studies have reported that carriers of certain variants that increase </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> activity &mdash; such as the &lsquo;T&rsquo; allele of the SNP </span><a href="https://www.selfdecode.com/snp/rs588765/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs588765</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele of </span><a href="../../snp/rs637137/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs637137</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> &mdash; may be at relatively lower risk of being habitual cigarette smokers [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27302872"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24375168"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19259974"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27871728"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20808433"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some researchers have suggested that this may be because since these peoples&rsquo; acetylcholine levels are already relatively high, they may on average feel less of a need to stimulate their acetylcholine system further by ingesting nicotine [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27302872"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24055497"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Conversely, this idea could also explain the opposite association, according to which people with lower-activity </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> variants &mdash; such as the &lsquo;C&rsquo; allele for </span><a href="https://www.selfdecode.com/snp/rs588765/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs588765</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and the &lsquo;T&rsquo; allele of </span><a href="../../snp/rs637137/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs637137</span></a>&nbsp;<span style="font-weight: 400;">&mdash; are relatively </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">more</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> likely to become chronic smokers. In other words, smoking could be these peoples&rsquo; (rather unhealthy) way of trying to &ldquo;counteract&rdquo; their relatively lower natural levels of acetylcholine activity [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24055497"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19259974"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20886544"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Nonetheless, it probably goes without saying that we are definitely </strong><strong>not</strong><strong> &ldquo;recommending&rdquo; smoking or other forms of nicotine use, no matter what your genes say!</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> After all, the negative effects of nicotine use are very severe and well-known, and would definitely cancel out any other so-called &ldquo;positive&rdquo; effects of this drug. But it&rsquo;s an interesting example of how genetic factors can be subtle influences on peoples&rsquo; behavior &mdash; especially when it comes to harmful health-related factors like smoking&nbsp;[<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24055497">R</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19443489" target="_blank" rel="noopener">R</a>].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Interestingly, the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene makes the specific type of acetylcholine receptors that are targeted by nicotine &mdash; and the variants that people carry for this gene could be a potential factor explaining why some people are relatively more or less likely to develop harmful health habits such as cigarette-smoking.</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>CHRNA5</em></strong><strong> Genotypes</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can see your genotypes for several different </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> SNPs in the table below. However, keep in mind that </span><strong>these results are based purely on </strong><strong><em>association</em></strong><strong> studies</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and much more research will be needed to know what role (if any) these variants play in actually directly </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">causing</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> differences in cognitive ability.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Also, </span><strong>many different genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors can affect cognitive function.</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Therefore, just having a few &ldquo;bad&rdquo; </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> genotypes does not necessarily reflect your entire cognitive ability as a whole &mdash; just one particular genetic factor potentially related to it!</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">With that in mind, the following table summarizes your results for several different </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> SNPs that have been linked to differences in cognitive function:</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>*7916857379487396*</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Primary SNP: </strong><a href="https://www.selfdecode.com/snp/rs588765/"><strong>rs588765</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27302872"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20886544"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Other Important SNPs:</strong></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="../../snp/rs16969968/"><strong>rs16969968</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20886544"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="../../snp/rs1051730/"><strong>rs1051730</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20886544"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="../../snp/rs637137/"><strong>rs637137</strong></a> [<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20886544">R</a>]</li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>*3222657115764067*</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The two possible alleles for the &ldquo;main&rdquo; </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> SNP </span><a href="https://www.selfdecode.com/snp/rs588765/"><strong>rs588765</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> are &lsquo;C&rsquo; (major) and &lsquo;T&rsquo; (minor). </span><strong>When it comes to cognitive function, some evidence suggests that it is probably better to have the less common &lsquo;TT&rsquo; genotype</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (which ~9% of the population carries).</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, a targeted gene study in 403 adults reported that carriers of the &lsquo;TT&rsquo; genotype tended to achieve significantly higher scores on verbal sections of an </span><a href="https://selfhack.com/blog/best-way-to-increase-higher-level-thinking/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">IQ</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> test, compared to carriers of one or more &lsquo;C&rsquo; allele [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27302872"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Relatedly, other </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene studies suggest that it is probably relatively better to carry the major &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele for </span><a href="../../snp/rs16969968/"><strong>rs16969968</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the major &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele for </span><a href="../../snp/rs1051730/"><strong>rs1051730</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and the minor &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele of </span><a href="../../snp/rs637137/"><strong>rs637137</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, based on a sample of 2,186 study participants, carriers of the minor &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele of </span><a href="../../snp/rs16969968/">rs16969968</a> were reported to show relatively lower scores on the <em>WAIS</em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (a common type of IQ test) compared to carriers of the &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele, whose performance was better [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20886544"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Similarly, according to a sample of 485 adult subjects, carriers of the minor &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele for </span><a href="../../snp/rs1051730/">rs1051730</a> were reported to show relatively reduced performance on the <em>n-back</em> test (a cognitive test of <a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/different-types-memory/">working memory</a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> function), relative to carriers of the major &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20886544"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h3><strong><em>CHRNA5</em></strong><strong> SNP Mechanisms</strong></h3> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The exact mechanisms responsible for these cognitive effects are not yet fully understood. However, several teams of researchers have noted that carriers of some of the &ldquo;beneficial&rdquo; </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> genotypes &mdash; such as &lsquo;TT&rsquo; for </span><a href="https://www.selfdecode.com/snp/rs588765/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs588765</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele for </span><a href="../../snp/rs637137/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs637137</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> &mdash; show levels of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> activity (mRNA transcription levels) that are up to twice as high as carriers of other genotypes [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27302872"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20886544"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">This suggests that the cognitive effects associated with these </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> variants may be due to differences in the number of &alpha;5-acetylcholine receptors that people have [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27302872"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20886544"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Carriers of certain &ldquo;beneficial&rdquo; </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> variants have been reported to show enhanced performance on IQ tests and other common measures of cognitive ability. These effects may be due to increased numbers of &alpha;5-acetylcholine receptors, which would imply that these peoples&rsquo; brains are more sensitive to the overall effects of acetylcholine.</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>What Can I Do To Improve My </strong><strong><em>CHRNA5</em></strong><strong> Genotype?</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">People with &ldquo;non-beneficial&rdquo; </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> variants may have lower numbers of acetylcholine receptors, and therefore significantly lower overall acetylcholine activity [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27302872"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20886544"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]. This suggests that carriers of these &ldquo;non-beneficial&rdquo; genotypes may be able to further boost their cognitive ability by </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/cholinergic-activity-natural-boosters/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">stimulating the brain&rsquo;s acetylcholine system</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>*9761257724481991*</strong></p> <h3><strong>Alpha-GPC</strong></h3> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">One particularly effective supplement for increasing acetylcholine levels is </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/alpha-gpc/"><strong><em>alpha-GPC</em></strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, also known as </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">choline alphoscerate</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8239302"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3313098"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16297435"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alpha-GPC has been reported to improve cognitive function in patients with dementia and age-related cognitive decline [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11589921"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29928709"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12637119"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18289004"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23387341"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Additionally, several different animal studies have reported that alpha-GPC may be a potent &ldquo;cognitive enhancer,&rdquo; although additional research will still be needed to confirm that these cognitive effects also translate to healthy human users [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24156263"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1662399"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1409797"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1574535"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alpha-GPC has also been reported to increase the levels of other important neurotransmitters, such as </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/dopamine/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">dopamine</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/serotonin-happy-neurotransmitter/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">serotonin</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which may also partially explain some of this compound&rsquo;s purported cognitive benefits [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23244432"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 40px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&gt;&gt;&gt; </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">To find out more about Alpha-GPC and the potential benefits of supplementing with it, check out </span></em><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/alpha-gpc/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">this SelfHacked post</span></em></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <h3><strong>Galantamine</strong></h3> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another great supplement for increasing acetylcholine levels is </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/galantamine-12-proven-health-benefits-galantamine-backed-science/"><strong><em>galantamine</em></strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. This compound is believed to stimulate acetylcholine in two ways: by activating &alpha;5 nAChRs, and by inhibiting </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">acetylcholinesterase</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (AChE), the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine in the brain [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12137632"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28678552"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26796681"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24461047"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Galantamine has been reported to increase acetylcholine activity in many different disorders that involve acetylcholine dysfunction, such as Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease and schizophrenia. Thus, this supplement often leads to significant cognitive improvements in these patients [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10971049"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16323253"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24878431"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24461047"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, more research will still be needed to confirm whether these purported &ldquo;cognitive benefits&rdquo; also apply to healthy human users.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 40px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&gt;&gt;&gt; </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">To learn more about galantamine supplementation and its potential benefits, read </span></em><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/galantamine-12-proven-health-benefits-galantamine-backed-science/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">this SelfHacked post</span></em></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 40px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&gt;&gt;&gt; </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">To learn more about the acetylcholine (&ldquo;cholinergic&rdquo;) system and some other potential ways to stimulate acetylcholine levels and activity, check out </span></em><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/cholinergic-activity-natural-boosters/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">this SelfHacked post</span></em></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHRNA5</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> variants that have been associated with reduced cognitive performance may potentially be counteracted by stimulating acetylcholine activity throughout the brain. Two supplements that may be of help include alpha-GPC and galantamine.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p>
87 | content_snp_table_7916857379487396_key == 7916857379487396
87 | content_snp_table_7916857379487396_blur == True
87 | content_snp_table_7916857379487396_hidden == False
87 | content_learn_more_3222657115764067_key == 3222657115764067
87 | content_learn_more_3222657115764067_blur == True
87 | content_learn_more_3222657115764067_hidden == False
87 | content_learn_more_3222657115764067_text == Based on the SNPs we analyzed, your CHRNA5 variants may be associated with slightly reduced cognitive performance. However, keep in mind that this doesn't reflect your overall cognitive ability — just one gene related to it. Read on to learn more about some steps you may be able to take to counteract the potentially negative effects of this gene, such as increasing acetylcholine levels and activity!
87 | content_recommendation_9761257724481991_key == 9761257724481991
87 | content_recommendation_9761257724481991_blur == True
87 | content_recommendation_9761257724481991_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs588765,rs637137,rs16969968,rs1051730
rsStatus = rs588765,CHRNA5,chr15,78573083,T,A,C,G,32,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs637137,CHRNA5,chr15,78581634,T,A,,,25,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs16969968,CHRNA5,chr15,78590583,G,A,,,8,26,HET
rsStatus = rs1051730,CHRNA3,chr15,78601997,G,A,,,6,30,HET
