Gene active before birth regulates brain folding, speech motor development. In language disorders, speech and language do not. With delayed language, the child develops speech and language in the same way as other children, but later. Language disorders are not the same as delayed language. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.07.052īCH Vector blog (2018). Damage to the central nervous system, which is called aphasia Language disorders are rarely caused by a lack of intelligence. Sodium Channel SCN3A (Na V1.3) Regulation of Human Cerebral Cortical Folding and Oral Motor Development. “Her work is a great example of the breadth of different diseases that we study in the HSCI Nervous System Diseases Program.” “Maria Lehtinen is an innovator in the HSCI community - she’s received one of our Seed Grants for promising early-stage research,” added Woolf. Always see your healthcare provider for a diagnosis. They were not involved with the present study. Muscle wasting and slurred speech New language impairment (expression or comprehension) The symptoms of a nervous system disorder may look like other medical conditions or problems. “This study helps us to better understand not just neurodevelopmental disorders, but also the development of the central nervous system more generally,” said Paola Arlotta, who co-leads the HSCI Nervous System Diseases Program along with Clifford J. These findings open new avenues of investigation for understanding speech development in the fetal brain. The brains showed abnormal structure, with disrupted folding patterns and neurons that did not move to the correct layers. Other data showed that SCN3A was active during fetal brain development, not after birth.įinally, the researchers tested the mutated SCN3A in an animal model. When measuring individual cells containing the mutated protein, the researchers found that the sodium levels were altered. SCN3A makes a protein that sits in the cell membrane and controls how much sodium passes in and out. To figure out how SCN3A plays a role in speech, the researchers delved into the gene’s mechanism. Many of the affected individuals had difficulties with speaking and moving the facial muscles involved in speech. By analyzing the family’s genomes, the researchers identified a mutation in the gene SCN3A.Įxpanding their search, the researchers identified several other families with polymicrogyria and SCN3A mutations. The researchers first focused on a family affected by polymicrogyria - a condition where the folds on the brain’s surface are smaller and more numerous than usual - in the brain region responsible for language. ![]() The co-senior authors are Maria Lehtinen, Ph.D., associate professor of pathology at BCH and HSCI Affiliate Faculty member, and Christopher Walsh, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Division of Genetics at BCH and HSCI Principal Faculty member. Their study, led by first author Richard Smith, Ph.D., is published in Neuron. Scientists at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) have discovered a gene involved in brain development, specifically in the areas related to speech and language. Photo by Sattar Khoshkhoo/Boston Children’s Hospital. Left to right: Richard Smith, Maria Lehtinen, Christopher Walsh. The process of speech involves two principal stages of mentation 1) Formation of thoughts as well as choice of words to be used in the mind.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |