New Clues into Stuttering May Be Found in Genes

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Re: stuttering genetics

From: Dennis Drayna
Date: 13 Oct 2005
Time: 10:07:24 -0500
Remote Name: 165.112.46.123

Comments

Hi Rick, Thanks for your questions. Stuttering is similar to a number of other disorders that occur much more frequently in males than females, including Attention Deficit and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders, and mental retardation. The genetics does not explain this, and it likely constitutes a non-genetic factor in stuttering. There is no evidence that sons of female stutterers are more likely to stutter, but this question has not been addressed specifically in a large study, which is probably what is required to prove or disprove this suggestion. One thing that is clear, however, is that genetic factors account for the clustering of stuttering in families, but not for the severity of stuttering in any one person or family. A popular working hypothesis among geneticists is that inherited factors provide a strong propensity to stuttering, but other, probably non-genetic factors account for its increased frequency in males and its severity in any particular individual. Dennis Drayna


Last changed: 11/01/05