German scientists uncover gene for learning disability

German researchers have successfully located the gene responsible for the learning disability dyslexia, which could open the way for treatment of the disease, local reports said Tuesday.

Researchers at the National Genome Research Network have located the gene, known as DCDC2, which makes it five times more likely for a person to suffer from dyslexia, or learning disability, German radio Deutsch Welle reported.

People with dyslexia may have difficulty remembering, recognizing, or reversing written letters, numbers and words. They might also read backwards and have poor handwriting.

The research team analyzed the genetic material of 137 children and their parents with the dyslexia symptoms and came to the conclusion that the gene disturbs the movement of fetal nerve cells during brain development, which is the leading cause to dyslexia.

The findings fit nicely with previous dyslexia research done using magnetic resonance imaging.

Human genetics expert Johannes Schumacher, one of the researchers from the University of Bonn team, said the discovery of the gene is a first step in finding treatment for the disorder.

In Germany, some five million people suffer from the disorder. Estimates say 5 to 12 percent of school-age children are affected, with boys affected twice as often as girls. The disability often runs in families, a fact researchers used as the starting point for their studies.

Source: Xinhua