STUDYING THE vocalisations of a genetically-altered mouse could lead to radical new treatments to prevent stuttering in humans.
The mouse carries human genes linked to stuttering, and although the languages certainly will not be the same US researchers hope that studying the mouse may lead to new drugs or other treatments for people.
The research was presented over the weekend at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Washington DC. The meeting comes to a close today.
Dr Dennis Drayna, a geneticist at the US National Institutes of Health, described how his group had searched for genes associated with the condition.
“We have begun to find genes that have mutations that cause stuttering.” While the three genes are a known contributor to the condition, they were not the only ones, nor were they the only cause, he said.
The genes have now been transferred into a laboratory mouse that may ultimately help find new treatments. The researchers have begun studying mouse vocalisations, inaudible to the human ear given their high frequency.
Dr Drayna doubted he would have a stuttering mouse, but the researchers want to see how mouse vocalisation changes as a result of the mutated genes.
The fact that the session, entitled The Mystery of Stuttering: New Insights, was taking place soon after the release of the film The King’s Speech was a fortuitous coincidence, said Prof Nan Ratner of the University of Maryland. The film portrays the efforts by Britain’s King George VI to overcome his severe stutter so he could address his subjects as Europe descended into the second World War.
Jennifer McGuire (30) described the challenges of living with stuttering. One of three siblings, she has a brother that stutters and a sister who does not. “It has coloured my life for my whole life.” It was the first thing she thought of in the morning and the last thing at night.
Brain scans of stutterers and non-stutterers have revealed what parts of the brain were affected by it, said Prof Luc De Nil of the University of Toronto. They also showed the condition altered the brain. “Brain scans look different in people who stutter compared to those who don’t stutter.”
Prof Anne Smith of Purdue University in Indiana examines the physiological basis of stuttering. She described studies of the brain waves of children aged between four and five, their oral and head movements, hand movements and other physical aspects.
She noted differences between stutters and controls, indicating that the brain changes caused by stuttering had a wider effect on physical movement.