Genetic Modifiers of Cognitive Function: Novel Genetic Associations with Memory, Executive Function, and Attention in the Long Life Family Study

Abstract Cognitive performance is central to health and quality of life. Studying the factors that sustain performance may offer insights into maintaining cognitive function into advanced ages and may inform strategies to promote healthy cognitive aging. To identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) underlying cognitive function, we performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of nine neuropsychological test scores capturing performance in three cognitive domains in 2,455 participants of the Long Life Family Study (LLFS). We identified 12 variants in seven tests and three domains that reached genome-wide significance (p < 5×10⁻⁸). Three rare (minor allele frequency, European population MAF