Behavioural analysis of an inherited speech and language disorder: comparison with acquired aphasia.

Genetic speech and language disorders provide the opportunity to investigate the biological bases of language and its development. Critical to these investigations are the definition of behavioural phenotypes and an understanding of their interaction with epigenetic factors. Here, we report our inve...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Watkins, K, Dronkers, N, Vargha-Khadem, F
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2002
_version_ 1797091681599750144
author Watkins, K
Dronkers, N
Vargha-Khadem, F
author_facet Watkins, K
Dronkers, N
Vargha-Khadem, F
author_sort Watkins, K
collection OXFORD
description Genetic speech and language disorders provide the opportunity to investigate the biological bases of language and its development. Critical to these investigations are the definition of behavioural phenotypes and an understanding of their interaction with epigenetic factors. Here, we report our investigations of the KE family, half the members of which are affected by a severe disorder of speech and language, which is transmitted as an autosomal-dominant monogenic trait. The cognitive manifestations of this disorder were investigated using a number of linguistic and non-linguistic tests. The aims of these investigations were to establish the existence of a 'core' deficit, or behavioural phenotype, and to explain how such a deficit during development might give rise to the range of other impairments demonstrated by affected family members. The affected family members were compared both with the unaffected members and with a group of adult patients with aphasia resulting from a stroke. The score on a test of repetition of non-words with complex articulation patterns successfully discriminated the affected and unaffected family members. The affected family members and the patients with aphasia had remarkably similar profiles of impairment on the tests administered. Pre-morbidly, however, the patients with aphasia had enjoyed a normal course of cognitive development and language experience. This benefit was reflected on a number of tests in which the patients with aphasia performed significantly better than the affected family members and, in the case of some tests, at normal levels. We suggest that, in the affected family members, the verbal and non-verbal deficits arise from a common impairment in the ability to sequence movement or in procedural learning. Alternatively, the articulation deficit, which itself might give rise to a host of other language deficits, is separate from a more general verbal and non-verbal developmental delay.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T03:36:30Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:bc78eb17-3345-4955-bba9-9c4200b5a039
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T03:36:30Z
publishDate 2002
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:bc78eb17-3345-4955-bba9-9c4200b5a0392022-03-27T05:24:37ZBehavioural analysis of an inherited speech and language disorder: comparison with acquired aphasia.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:bc78eb17-3345-4955-bba9-9c4200b5a039EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2002Watkins, KDronkers, NVargha-Khadem, FGenetic speech and language disorders provide the opportunity to investigate the biological bases of language and its development. Critical to these investigations are the definition of behavioural phenotypes and an understanding of their interaction with epigenetic factors. Here, we report our investigations of the KE family, half the members of which are affected by a severe disorder of speech and language, which is transmitted as an autosomal-dominant monogenic trait. The cognitive manifestations of this disorder were investigated using a number of linguistic and non-linguistic tests. The aims of these investigations were to establish the existence of a 'core' deficit, or behavioural phenotype, and to explain how such a deficit during development might give rise to the range of other impairments demonstrated by affected family members. The affected family members were compared both with the unaffected members and with a group of adult patients with aphasia resulting from a stroke. The score on a test of repetition of non-words with complex articulation patterns successfully discriminated the affected and unaffected family members. The affected family members and the patients with aphasia had remarkably similar profiles of impairment on the tests administered. Pre-morbidly, however, the patients with aphasia had enjoyed a normal course of cognitive development and language experience. This benefit was reflected on a number of tests in which the patients with aphasia performed significantly better than the affected family members and, in the case of some tests, at normal levels. We suggest that, in the affected family members, the verbal and non-verbal deficits arise from a common impairment in the ability to sequence movement or in procedural learning. Alternatively, the articulation deficit, which itself might give rise to a host of other language deficits, is separate from a more general verbal and non-verbal developmental delay.
spellingShingle Watkins, K
Dronkers, N
Vargha-Khadem, F
Behavioural analysis of an inherited speech and language disorder: comparison with acquired aphasia.
title Behavioural analysis of an inherited speech and language disorder: comparison with acquired aphasia.
title_full Behavioural analysis of an inherited speech and language disorder: comparison with acquired aphasia.
title_fullStr Behavioural analysis of an inherited speech and language disorder: comparison with acquired aphasia.
title_full_unstemmed Behavioural analysis of an inherited speech and language disorder: comparison with acquired aphasia.
title_short Behavioural analysis of an inherited speech and language disorder: comparison with acquired aphasia.
title_sort behavioural analysis of an inherited speech and language disorder comparison with acquired aphasia
work_keys_str_mv AT watkinsk behaviouralanalysisofaninheritedspeechandlanguagedisordercomparisonwithacquiredaphasia
AT dronkersn behaviouralanalysisofaninheritedspeechandlanguagedisordercomparisonwithacquiredaphasia
AT varghakhademf behaviouralanalysisofaninheritedspeechandlanguagedisordercomparisonwithacquiredaphasia