Response to Comments by Timpson et al. and Yu et al.
Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov1,2 and
Bruce T. Lahn1*
The lack of association of the
abnormal spindle-like microcephaly associated (
ASPM) and
Microcephalin (
MCPH1) genes with brain
size or intelligence described by Timpson
et al. has been reported
previously, including by our own group. Moreover, as in most
studies of selection, our analyses were entirely independent
of phenotypic association. We also respond to the previously
published comment by Yu
et al., which argued that
ASPM has not
undergone positive selection.
1 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
2 Committee on Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: blahn{at}bsd.uchicago.edu