Comments on: There are no common disorders (just extremes of quantitative traits) http://www.gnxp.com/new/2010/03/14/there-are-no-common-disorders-just-extremes-of-quantitative-traits/ Genetics Tue, 03 Apr 2018 05:20:42 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.27 By: SusanC http://www.gnxp.com/new/2010/03/14/there-are-no-common-disorders-just-extremes-of-quantitative-traits/#comment-294 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:35:00 +0000 http://www.gnxp.com/wp/?p=139#comment-294 If you’ve got a way to measure the quantitative trait, there are plenty of statistical techniques you can use. e.g. if you have IQ tests, you can see what’s corrrelated with the numeric IQ score, rather than doing a case-control study with participants divided into “smart” and “less smart”.
(Here, I won’t go into the usual concerns over whether IQ tests are a suitable measure of “intelligence”).

But if you don’t have any idea how to measure the trait quantitatively, having more data is not going to help much.

]]> By: Bayes http://www.gnxp.com/new/2010/03/14/there-are-no-common-disorders-just-extremes-of-quantitative-traits/#comment-286 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:22:15 +0000 http://www.gnxp.com/wp/?p=139#comment-286 @Razib: Human stupidity may very well prevail. But I think if (and it’s a big if) the methods are presented correctly, then people should be able to grasp the data made available — especially if they have new ways of visualising and managing the data.

@p-ter: Well, perhaps it’s a fatal flaw. I think the authors are hoping the data fairies will bestow them with gifts of larger sample sizes and more sensitive measurements.

]]> By: p-ter http://www.gnxp.com/new/2010/03/14/there-are-no-common-disorders-just-extremes-of-quantitative-traits/#comment-280 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:13:57 +0000 http://www.gnxp.com/wp/?p=139#comment-280 >Still, there are limitations to this approach, namely: “for most disorders, we do not know what the relevant quantitative traits are”.

this is more of a fatal flaw rather than a limitation, no?

]]> By: Razib http://www.gnxp.com/new/2010/03/14/there-are-no-common-disorders-just-extremes-of-quantitative-traits/#comment-275 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:44:51 +0000 http://www.gnxp.com/wp/?p=139#comment-275 haven’t read the review…but it seems in terms of medical applications it is much sketchier to transmit statistical-type data to patients so that they can make decisions. IOW, i wonder if a focus on qualitatively salient illness and the like is going to be maintained by human stupidity. i guess theoretically genetic counselors are supposed to be the translators.

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