Human memory is the result of many distinct mental processes, such as memory encoding, forgetting, and modulation of memory strength by various stimuli. Memory has large inter-individual variability and substantial heritability. It depends on many genetic factors (it is a polygenic trait) and only a few of them have been characterized so far. We test 3 genetic variations that account for episodic memory (ability to recall words and pictures) that have recently been identified. Genetic variation in the BAIAP2 gene is related to negative emotional modulation of human memory strength. People who carry the minor A allele of rs8067235 variant performed significantly better in recalling negative images compared to neutral pictures, while carriers of the major allele did not demonstrate any difference. Carriers of KIBRA rs17070145 T allele had 25% better free recall performance 5 min after word presentation and 20% better free recall performance 24 hours after word presentation than did non-carriers.

Several lines of evidence suggest that genetics contributes to creativity potential estimating that over 30% of the creativity is heritable. Studies explored genetic background of general creativity that includes visual, verbal, scientific, technical or physical fields. An interesting result is that DRD2 and COMT genes that are involved in dopamine transmission may act in coordination to contribute to creativity. The neuregulin 1 gene (NRG1) is associated with creativity in people with high intellectual and academic performance. The same gene has also been implicated in increased risk of psychological problems

An exciting study published in the Science magazine in 2007 with the title "Genetically determined differences in learning from errors" looked at the role of neurotransmitter called dopamine in feedback-based learning and monitoring negative action. The experimental set-up involved neuroimaging brains of volunteers while they were involved in a probabilistic learning task. The goal was to find out whether genetic variant in the dopamine D2 receptor gene has any effect on how people learned. The polymorphism in question is quite common and it often referred as DRD2-TAQ-IA (rs1800497). This polymorphism is known to modulate dopamine D2 receptor density. The less common A1 allele is associated with a reduction in D2 density by up to 30%. Neuroimaging study demonstrated that the A1-allele carriers with reduced dopamine D2 receptor densities learned to avoid actions with negative consequences less efficiently. Their posterior medial frontal cortex that is involved in feedback monitoring, responded less to negative feedback than others did. So, in addition to higher risk of addictive behaviors, the carriers of the risk A1 allele demonstrate decreased sensitivity to negative action consequences, which may actually explain an increased risk of developing addictive behaviors. In other words, risk allele carriers are generally worse at avoiding the same errors. This may have various implications in their learning style.

Were you the one in the class who was quick to grasp all the math concepts in no time, the one who preferred the dentist’s chair to doing a math problem, or somewhere in between? Your math aptitude of course depends on your family environment, the quality of your schooling and many other environmental factors. But research suggests that some people are naturally good at math, whereas other may need to put in extra effort to become good at it. There are known genetic variations that seem to contribute to the overall mathematical aptitude of individuals. Interestingly, about half of these genetic contributions are shared by individuals who are also good at reading comprehension.

Reading ability measures the processing and comprehension capacity of written language. Often, significant similarities can be observed among family members with regards to reading ability. While there is definitely an environmental and social component, research has shown that genetics and heredity plays a major role in the ability of people to process written language. There are known genetic variations that seem to contribute to the overall reading ability of individuals. Interestingly, about half of these genetic contributions are shared by individuals who are also good at mathematical aptitude. Another interesting finding is that genetic variations associated with reading abilities in English and Chinese overlap.

Were you born with an inherent talent to be a musician? Musical aptitude has been shown to be influenced by certain genetic variations. Individuals with specific genetic variations have been shown to perform higher on the Bentley Musical Aptitude Test, which is used to assess a student's aural capacity before learning an instrument.

Musical creativity is the ability to create new forms of music and is most common associated with composition and improvisation within music. This is a different ability than music performance, as performers often stress accuracy, whereas composers stress novelty and out of the box creativity. From scientific point of view, musical creativity is a complex phenotype where a common background with musicality and intelligence has been proposed. A study of nearly 500 individuals from 79 families reported on genetics associated with music related creativity. Individuals with music aptitude who were engaged in arranging and composing music were found to possess certain genetic variants more frequently than controls, where some controls were playing various music instruments and other were not engaged in music activities at all. While this is a small study, their analysis suggested the involvement of cerebellar long-term pathway that controls brain plasticity and memory, facilitating the acquisition of novel information.