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
USA
– advance 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.