Participant acceptability of digital footprint data collection strategies: an exemplar approach to participant engagement and involvement in the ALSPAC birth cohort study

Introduction

Digital footprint records - the tracks and traces amassed by individuals as a result of their interactions with the internet, digital devices and services - can provide ecologically valid data on individual behaviours. These could enhance longitudinal population study databanks; but few UK longitudinal studies are attempting this. When using novel sources of data, study managers must engage with participants in order to develop ethical data processing frameworks that facilitate data sharing whilst safeguarding participant interests.

Objectives

This paper aims to summarise the participant involvement approach used by the ALSPAC birth cohort study to inform the development of a framework for using linked participant digital footprint data, and provide an exemplar for other data linkage infrastructures.

Methods

The paper synthesises five qualitative forms of inquiry. Thematic analysis was used to code transcripts for common themes in relation to conditions associated with the acceptability of sharing digital footprint data for longitudinal research.

Results

We identified six themes: participant understanding; sensitivity of location data; concerns for third parties; clarity on data granularity; mechanisms of data sharing and consent; and trustworthiness of the organisation. For cohort members to consider the sharing of digital footprint data acceptable, they require information about the value, validity and risks; control over sharing elements of the data they consider sensitive; appropriate mechanisms to authorise or object to their records being used; and trust in the organisation.

Conclusion

Realising the potential for using digital footprint records within longitudinal research will be subject to ensuring that this use of personal data is acceptable; and that rigorously controlled population data science benefiting the public good is distinguishable from the misuse and lack of personal control of similar data within other settings. Participant co-development informs the ethical-governance framework for these novel linkages in a manner which is acceptable and does not undermine the role of the trusted data custodian.

Childhood intelligence is heritable, highly polygenic and associated with FNBP1L

Intelligence in childhood, as measured by psychometric cognitive tests, is a strong predictor of many important life outcomes, including educational attainment, income, health and lifespan. Results from twin, family and adoption studies are consistent with general intelligence being highly heritable and genetically stable throughout the life course. No robustly associated genetic loci or variants for childhood intelligence have been reported. Here, we report the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) on childhood intelligence (age range 6-18 years) from 17,989 individuals in six discovery and three replication samples. Although no individual single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected with genome-wide significance, we show that the aggregate effects of common SNPs explain 22-46% of phenotypic variation in childhood intelligence in the three largest cohorts (P=3.9 × 10(-15), 0.014 and 0.028). FNBP1L, previously reported to be the most significantly associated gene for adult intelligence, was also significantly associated with childhood intelligence (P=0.003). Polygenic prediction analyses resulted in a significant correlation between predictor and outcome in all replication cohorts. The proportion of childhood intelligence explained by the predictor reached 1.2% (P=6 × 10(-5)), 3.5% (P=10(-3)) and 0.5% (P=6 × 10(-5)) in three independent validation cohorts. Given the sample sizes, these genetic prediction results are consistent with expectations if the genetic architecture of childhood intelligence is like that of body mass index or height. Our study provides molecular support for the heritability and polygenic nature of childhood intelligence. Larger sample sizes will be required to detect individual variants with genome-wide significance.

A twin study of the genetics of high cognitive ability selected from 11,000 twin pairs in six studies from four countries

Although much genetic research has addressed normal variation in intelligence, little is known about the etiology of high cognitive abilities. Using data from 11,000 twin pairs (age range = 6-71 years) from the genetics of high cognitive abilities consortium, we investigated the genetic and environmental etiologies of high general cognitive ability (g). Age-appropriate psychometric cognitive tests were administered to the twins and used to create g scores standardized within each study. Liability-threshold model fitting was used to estimate genetic and environmental parameters for the top 15% of the distribution of g. Genetic influence for high g was substantial (0.50, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.41-0.60). Shared environmental influences were moderate (0.28, 0.19-0.37). We conclude that genetic variation contributes substantially to high g in Australia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Learning abilities and disabilities: generalist genes in early adolescence

INTRODUCTION

The new view of cognitive neuropsychology that considers not just case studies of rare severe disorders but also common disorders, as well as normal variation and quantitative traits, is more amenable to recent advances in molecular genetics, such as genome-wide association studies, and advances in quantitative genetics, such as multivariate genetic analysis. A surprising finding emerging from multivariate quantitative genetic studies across diverse learning abilities is that most genetic influences are shared: they are "generalist", rather than "specialist".

METHODS

We exploited widespread access to inexpensive and fast Internet connections in the United Kingdom to assess over 5000 pairs of 12-year-old twins from the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS) on four distinct batteries: reading, mathematics, general cognitive ability (g) and, for the first time, language.

RESULTS

Genetic correlations remain high among all of the measured abilities, with language as highly correlated genetically with g as reading and mathematics.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite developmental upheaval, generalist genes remain important into early adolescence, suggesting optimal strategies for molecular genetic studies seeking to identify the genes of small effect that influence learning abilities and disabilities.

A Triturate and Filtrate Transmissible Avian Fibromyxosarcoma Found in Nigeria, West Africa

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