Saturday, November 12, 2022

Discovery 42 Genetic Variants associated with Dyslexia


Photo by Rob Hobson on Unsplash

 The first largest genetic study on dyslexia was done by the University of Edinburgh. It found that, among millions of genetic variants studied for the association with dyslexia, 42 turned out to be significant in determining whether a person develops dyslexia, or not. This is a meaningful find given how little was understood on the genetic biology behind this neurodevelopmental condition. While many are newly discovered and may be specifically linked to the development of reading skills, others are known to play a role in the development of language, thinking, and other neurodevelopmental skills. The results from the study were so definitive that researchers were able to predict, with an accuracy just short of what is required for diagnostic purposes, the performance level of individual's, young and old, reading and spelling abilities. 

I am surprised to read how researcher's understanding of the biology behind dyslexia and the specific genes related to this condition was significantly small prior to this recent experiment. It shows that even with the advances made this far into the 21st century, there is still much to learn and understand. Also, at the end of the article the lead researcher is quoted saying how this discovery underlines the importance of standardized testing in helping to identify dyslexia. With the importance and relevance of standardized testing being a debatable topic, its interesting to hear of an argument being made for the importance of standardized tests. 

#genetic-variants #dyslexia #neurodevelopmentskills 

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