Gene that 'switches on' ability to speak found by scientists
(Shahzad Shameem, Abbottabad)
A gene that appears to control
our ability to talk has been found by scientists.
Researchers believe that the gene "switches on" circuits in the brain that are
associated with learning a language and speech.
They made the discovery by comparing versions of the FOX2P gene in humans and
our near relative the chimpanzee to see why we have developed the ability to
speak and they have not.
The team at the University of California discovered there were major differences
between how the human and chimp versions of FOXP2 work, perhaps explaining why
language is unique to humans.
They claim the findings in the journal Nature, could provide insight into the
evolution of the human brain and may lead to treatments for possible speech
conditions such as autism and schizophrenia.
Dr Daniel Geschwind, the lead author, said that the FOX2P gene had been
associated with speech in the past and that people with a mutated or damaged
version struggled with learning languages and how to talk.
"It appears to act like a light switch, switching on the circuits in the brain
associated with learning language," he said.
"Our findings may shed light on why human brains are born with the circuitry for
speech and language and chimp brains are not."
The FOXP2 gene underwent rapid changes around the time that language emerged in
people, the team said.
Scientists at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) applied FOX2P
genes from humans and chimps to cells in the laboratory to see which circuits
they activated.
To their surprise, the two FOXP2 versions triggered different patterns of
activity in the human genes.
"Our findings may shed light on why human brains are born with the circuitry for
speech and language and chimp brains are not," said Dr Geschwind.
The co-author Dr Genevieve Konopka, also from UCLA, said: "Genetic changes
between the human and chimp species hold the clues for how our brains developed
their capacity for language.
"By pinpointing the genes influenced by FOXP2, we have identified a new set of
tools for studying how human speech could be regulated at the molecular level."