There could be a link between reading and maths according to new research published in the journal Nature Communications. Researchers from UCL, University of Oxford and King’s College London found that the same gene could be responsible for both.

Professor Robert Plomin, from King’s College London, said it was also important to consider other factors such as environment and parenting. He said: “The study does not point to specific genes linked to literacy or numeracy, but rather suggests that genetic influence on complex traits, like learning abilities, and common disorders, like learning disabilities, is caused by many genes of very small-effect size.”

Further understanding of the genetic makeup responsible for how we learn could change how we train in the future. It might seen, for instance, that existing approaches are ineffective and using technologies such as virtual reality might play a more important part.