A gene variant that scientists already know is linked to longer life may also make people smarter and help to offset cognitive decline that is seen in aging individuals. A team of San Francisco researchers recently discovered that one in every five people carries the gene trait, a variant of the KLOTHO gene.

The findings were recently published in the journal Cell Reports.

The gene has been linked to improved learning and memory, making it a potentially useful tool for treating age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

The researchers discovered that those who carry one copy of the KL-VS variant of the KLOTHO gene perform better on a range of cognitive tests. When the same study was conducted on mice, the researchers found that the variant enhanced connections between neurons that make learning possible by increasing the action of a cell receptor that is crucial to forming memories.

Scientists are hopeful that the findings will assist them further in developing tools for retaining, if not enhancing, intelligence in people suffering from cognitive losses, whether disease-related or due to the process of aging.

Dr. Dena Dubal, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor of neurology at UCSF, said in a statement, “What we’ve discovered is a cognitive enhancer.” Dubal continued, “This may represent a new way to treat problems of cognition in the brain.”

Dubal also said in a statement, “As the world’s population ages, cognitive frailty is our biggest biomedical challenge.” She explained, “If we can understand how to enhance brain function, it would have a huge impact on people’s lives.”