First article
Bishop, D. V. (2015, May). The interface between genetics and psychology: lessons from developmental dyslexia. In Proc. R. Soc. The Royal Society.
Bishop looks at the interface between genetics and psychology from the perspective of developmental dyslexia. With evidence from twin studies, he confirms the hereditary status of developmental dyslexia where genetics contribute substantially to poor reading. However, he quickly points out that the manner of reporting the various findings in molecular genetics may prove ambiguous, as they encourage individuals to consider specific genes as culpable in screening for the disorder. He asserts that Mendelian genetics have largely contributed to the generalization of all genetically-linked disorders. He points out that unlike in Mendelian genetics, dyslexia is due to the joint effects of numerous genes alongside environmental factors. Each gene on its own has negligible effects and cannot lead to dyslexia, hence a ‘complex multifactorial disorder’. By elucidating clearer associations between genotype and phenotype, Bishop suggests that instead of conducting genetic studies that strictly adhere to clinically accepted phenotypes, a more thorough diagnostic system of diagnosing and categorizing genetic disorders is needed.
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Questions from the article:
1. What is the major factor that makes verbal and literacy learning particularly challenging for children born of well-educated parents as compare to less learned parents?
2. Given their similarity in manifestation, should specific language impairment (SLI) and dyslexia be regarded as the same underlying disorder?
Second article
Theofanopoulou, C. (2016). Implications of oxytocin in human linguistic cognition: from genome to phenome. Frontiers in neuroscience .
Theofanopoulou, in his article, postulates that Oxytocin has a substantial part in human linguistic abilities that ranges from controlling the genes necessary for the acquisition of spoken-language to controlling human drive towards communication. In this regard, the neurohormone is considered to serve a crucial role in a number of developmental processes that associate with the attainment of higher cognitive abilities. Citing the works of Zheng et al., 2014 and Marlin et al., 2015, he suggests that oxytocin pathways are extremely necessary to understanding the ontogeny of human linguistics. Experimental results on behavioral studies, EEG, genetic, and fMRI, from the various stages of examination point out that Oxytocin has a direct impact on the development of linguistic communication in human beings.
Questions from the article:
1. What is the role of oxytocin in completing the feedback circle between an infant and the mother in the context of breastfeeding?
2. What influence could early adjustments on the Oxytocin system implicate on the synaptic substrates that trigger the sensory and cognitive components the human brain in language acquisition?
References
Theofanopoulou, C. (2016). Implications of oxytocin in human linguistic cognition: from genome to phenome. Frontiers in neuroscience , 10 .
Bishop, D. V. (2015, May). The interface between genetics and psychology: lessons from developmental dyslexia. In Proc. R. Soc. The Royal Society.
