HOW LEARNING TO TALK IS IN THE GENES
Researchers have found
evidence that genetic factors may contribute to the development of language
during infancy
Scientists from the
Medical Research Council (MRC) Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University
of Bristol worked with colleagues around the world to discover a significant
link between genetic changes near the ROBO2 gene and the number of words spoken
by children in the early stages of language development.
Children produce words
at about 10 to 15 months of age and our range of vocabulary expands as we grow
-- from around 50 words at 15 to 18 months, 200 words at 18 to 30 months,
14,000 words at six-years-old and then over 50,000 words by the time we leave
secondary school.
The researchers found
the genetic link during the ages of 15 to 18 months when toddlers typically
communicate with single words only before their linguistic skills advance to
two-word combinations and more complex grammatical structures.
The results, published
in Nature Communications today [16 Sept], shed further light
on a specific genetic region on chromosome 3, which has been previously
implicated in dyslexia and speech-related disorders.
The ROBO2 gene
contains the instructions for making the ROBO2 protein. This protein directs
chemicals in brain cells and other neuronal cell formations that may help
infants to develop language but also to produce sounds.
The ROBO2 protein also
closely interacts with other ROBO proteins that have previously been linked to
problems with reading and the storage of speech sounds.
Dr Beate St Pourcain,
who jointly led the research with Professor Davey Smith at the MRC Integrative
Epidemiology Unit, said: "This research helps us to better understand the
genetic factors which may be involved in the early language development in
healthy children, particularly at a time when children speak with single words
only, and strengthens the link between ROBO proteins and a variety of
linguistic skills in humans."
Dr Claire Haworth, one
of the lead authors, based at the University of Warwick, commented: "In
this study we found that results using DNA confirm those we get from twin
studies about the importance of genetic influences for language development.
This is good news as it means that current DNA-based investigations can be used
to detect most of the genetic factors that contribute to these early language
skills."
The study was carried
out by an international team of scientists from the EArly Genetics and
Lifecourse Epidemiology Consortium (EAGLE) and involved data from over 10,000
children.
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