Word Recall

Your result, the one DNA position behind it, and what the research says.

7/10 confidence.

About Word Recall

KIBRA is a protein found at the connections between neurons, in the parts of the brain most involved in forming new memories. A 2006 study reported that carriers of one version recalled slightly more words in a standard list-recall test, and it became one of the best-known findings in memory genetics. It is also a cautionary tale: later attempts to reproduce it have given mixed results, with some large studies finding nothing. The association is included here as a well-known finding with honest uncertainty attached, not as a settled one.

Good to know: The original finding was about one extra word on a list-recall test. Later replication attempts have given mixed results. Sleep, attention and practice move recall far more than this position.

Fun fact: The gene's name is short for kidney and brain protein, because it was first found in both and nobody expected the memory connection.

Discovery: The association with word recall was reported in 2006 and has been debated ever since.

The Variant

The single variant behind this trait

Gene: WWC1

Variant (rsID): rs17070145

Location: Chr 5:168,418,786

dbSNP rs17070145

The studies

Common Kibra alleles are associated with human memory performance (Papassotiropoulos A et al., Science (New York, N.Y.), 2006)

Association of KIBRA with episodic and working memory: a meta-analysis (Milnik A et al., American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics, 2012)

KIBRA polymorphism is associated with individual differences in hippocampal subregions: evidence from anatomical segmentation using high-resolution MRI (Palombo DJ et al., The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2013)

Impact of KIBRA Polymorphism on Memory Function and the Hippocampus in Older Adults (Witte AV et al., Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2016)

Whole transcriptome profiling of the human hippocampus suggests an involvement of the KIBRA rs17070145 polymorphism in differential activation of the MAPK signaling pathway (Piras IS et al., Hippocampus, 2017)

Other lifestyle traits

Left-Handedness: A change in a metal transporter gene, one of dozens of positions linked to which hand people write with.

Processing Speed: A change in an APOE intron linked to performance on a timed symbol-matching task.

Empathy & Bonding: A variant in the oxytocin-receptor gene, studied for its links to empathy, warmth, and social bonding. Its effect on any one person is small.

Back to All Traits

Content updated September 2026.

ReadYourDNA provides educational interpretation of DNA data you already have. It is not diagnostic, not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Talk to a clinician before acting on any result.

Raw DNA Data Reports for 23andMe & AncestryDNA · About ReadYourDNA · FAQ · Methodology & Science · Pricing · Support and complaints · Legal & Contact · Health Traits · Pharmacogenomics · Carrier Status · Variant Explorer · The Human Karyotype · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service · Accessibility · Consumer Health Data Privacy · Your Privacy Choices · Editorial Standards · Your Data, Checkable · Sample Report · ReadYourDNA and Promethease compared · What is inside a 23andMe raw data file · What is inside an AncestryDNA raw data file · What a chatbot can and cannot do with your raw DNA file · Where a raw DNA file can still be uploaded in 2026

Written, maintained and operated by Martin Pechhacker, sole proprietor, Vienna, Austria. Trade register GISA 40064420. support@readyourdna.com