Gene for dyslexia discovered

NEW YORK, Sep 07 (Reuters Health) -- A gene linked to an inherited form of
dyslexia is reported by an international team of researchers.

The discovery comes from a study of the genes of a large Norwegian family in
which many members are dyslexic.

This discovery will ``provide new and exciting insights into the processes
involved in reading and spelling,'' write Dr. Toril Fagerheim from the
University Hospital of Tromsoe, Norway, and colleagues. The results of their
work are published Tuesday in the Journal of Medical Genetics.

Dyslexia is a developmental reading disability in children and adults who
otherwise possess normal intelligence and thinking ability. Previous research
indicated possible locations for dyslexia genes, as well as the areas of the
brain affected in dyslexia, but previously no specific gene had been isolated.

Thirty-six members of a Norwegian family, in which extensive testing identified
dyslexia in 11, underwent genetic analysis, according to the report. Using
three different models, scientists were able to pinpoint the location of the
new gene to a section of chromosome 2, the results indicate. The research team
named the new gene DYX3.

Find the gene in the OMIM data base