Unraveling The Biology of a Mysterious Condition: Stuttering

 

Stuttering has been a condition that many have feared to be judged for. Many claim its origins to be from traumas or psychological issues, however, researchers have explored this condition more and discovered that it comes down to genetics and brain differences.

Over 70 million people worldwide suffer from this condition. Its traces lead back ancient China and Rome, but no accepted causes have ever been determined until only a few years ago. Brain scans showed, “…genetic mutations related to stuttering are associated with structural abnormalities in the corpus callosum, a bundle of fibers that connects the two hemispheres of the brain and ensures they can communicate; and the thalamus, a relay station that sorts sensory information to other parts of the brain. Past research has also linked stuttering to the basal ganglia, brain structures involved in the coordination of movement” (Ungar, 2022).

Even with scientific evidence many people still incorrectly believe that people stutter because they are nervous or shy and could make it stop if they tried harder. At the present time, speech therapy is the only way of treatment for stuttering. These discoveries may lead to medications in the near future that can be taken to alter levels of chemicals in the brain thought to be responsible. However, for some stuttering is a part of who they are, and they wouldn’t want to change that.

Overall, this discovery in biology brings about it hope that will decrease the stigma against those with this condition and allow better opportunities for individuals to excel in areas most would consider to be impossible.

A similar article on this story can be accessed here. 

Song Birds Singing to Fix Language Impairments

Male Zebra Finch singing

A study, recently conducted at University of Southern California, by Biology Professor Stephanie White, discovered an important relationship between song birds and human speech. All of the roughly 4,500 species of song birds have a gene called FoxP2. When the birds begin to sing, FoxP2 lowers in a region of the brain, called Area X, which is responsible for vocal control. When FoxP2 decreases, thousands of other genes get altered. 

            This study has found that FoxP2 plays an important role in the speech of humans, as well. Professor White believes this gene holds the molecular basis for vocal learning. FoxP2 produces a long gene and a shorter gene; those with a mutation in the longer gene have speech problems. The study involves inserting a modified version of FoxP2 into male zebra finches, which are song birds, to lessen the decline in the Area X, of the brain. Although the levels of FoxP2 remained high, it altered their ability to learn. White describes this as, “the molecular version of practice makes perfect.” Although it would take the songbirds time to learn their song, there would not be a decline in FoxP2, which means other genes can function normally and Area X is not disturbed.

            White’s research could possibly lead to new treatments for language impairments, among humans. There have not been many developed, due to the lack of understand in how our vocals work. Mutated versions of FoxP2 could treat children with autism and those with the mutated long gene. Who ever knew that songbirds could be used to help people communicate? 

Article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180328092527.htm

Image: http://exploresound.org/2016/12/music-to-zebra-finch-ears-which-acoustic-cues-do-zebra-finches-attend-to-when-listening-to-song/

Stuttering Mice

Scientists at the Washington University School of Medicine have replicated human stuttering in mice. The mice carry a mutation in the gene associated with stuttering, Gnptab. Of course, mice do not verbalize in the same way you and I do but they do communicate with one another using complex sounds, most of which can’t even be picked up by the human ear.

A common characteristic that comes with stuttering is the hesitation to break up a smooth flow of speech. The scientists involved in the study recorded mouse pups that were born with the mutation and found that they exhibited longer pauses during communication than those without the mutation. They also found that the syllables vocalized by the mice with the mutation were less random, meaning they repeated these syllables more often. The abnormalities in communication displayed by the mice closely mimics stuttering in humans.

Currently it is still not clear how exactly the Gnptab gene relates to speech but with the disorder replicated in mice, scientists are now developing ideas to further explore the disorder.

I’ve always found stuttering to be a curious disorder because even now not much is known about it. I was aware that in some cases stuttering can be a result caused by other trauma but even then, how is it usually fixed? At this point in time there is no universal cure for stuttering. I personally feel that this project is a huge step in the right direction to developing a cure for the disorder or even in just better understanding it. This study could help an incredible amount of people suffering with the disorder and hopefully find a solution to stop stuttering all together.