---
title: "‘Long life” gene might also be linked to increased intelligence during old age"
description: "A gene variant believed to \"wire\" people to live longer might also ensure that they keep their wits about them as they age, a new study reports."
date: "2015-01-28"
modified: "2015-08-13"
authors:
  - name: "Christine Doan"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/christine_doan"
url: "https://futurism.com/long-life-gene-might-also-be-linked-to-increased-intelligence-during-old-age"
categories:
  - "Biology"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "biology"
---

# ‘Long life” gene might also be linked to increased intelligence during old age

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- The gene involved, KLOTHO, provides the coding for a protein called klotho that is produced in the kidney and brain and regulates many processes in the body, the researchers said.
- People who carry this gene variant have larger volumes in a front part of the brain involved in planning and decision-making, researchers reported Jan. 27 in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.
- These folks performed better on tests of working memory and the brain's processing speed, both considered good measures of the planning and decision-making functions controlled by the brain region in question.