A NEW GENE IN READING DISABILITIES

 

 

The most replicated reading disability locus is DYX2 on chromosome 6p22, which approximately contains 19 genes. In this locus, Meng and his colleagues have identified a large polymorphic deletion of DCDC2 in families with reading disabilities (DCDC2 is associated with reading disability and modulates neuronal development in the brain. PNAS USAadvance on-line publication: 10.1037/pnas.0508591102).

They demonstrated that DCDC2 localizes to regions of the human brain responsible for fluent reading, and interference of DCDC2 in rat embryos causes defects in neuronal migration during development.

The authors propose that DCDC2 is a candidate gene for reading disabilities.

 

BM&L-January 2006

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