FOXP2 human language gene changes mouse squeaks
May 29th, 02009 by Laura Welcher
What happens when you substitute the human FOXP2 gene for that of a mouse? According to researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, not much, except this interesting result — it changes their vocalizations.
While the FOXP2 gene is important in the development of many different tissues, in humans it affects the development of the basal ganglia, a region of the brain important for language. When the human version of FOXP2 is introduced into mice, a measurable result is a change in their ultrasonic vocalizations – baby mice have deeper squeaks. While this is interesting, and the kind of correlation one might expect, even more striking is what is going on in the brains of these mice — the mean length of dendrites in the basal ganglia region increased by 80% over mice without the human version of the gene.
This groundbreaking study, with results recently published in the journal Cell, provides a new a model for research into how speech and language evolved in humans.
This entry was posted on Friday, May 29th, 2009 at 9:25 am and is filed under Rosetta. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Posted on May 29th, 2009 at 9:59 am
the link to the max planck institute (http://www.eva.mpg.de/ i assume) does not work.
Posted on May 29th, 2009 at 10:07 am
sorry, should be http://www.evolbio.mpg.de/ i guess.
Posted on May 29th, 2009 at 10:59 am
top link is broken
Posted on June 1st, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Fixed the link — thanks for the alert.
Posted on June 1st, 2009 at 5:22 pm
David Wilton from Wordorigins.org points out that there is deep trouble with this NYT report:
“FOXP2 is not a “language gene.” It is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of other genes during an animal’s development. The effects of a malfunctioning FOXP2 gene are wide ranging, but most are centered on motor coordination. There are also some impacts on brain development that are less well understood.”
More here: http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/more/1203/
Posted on August 23rd, 2009 at 8:16 am
Question?
With reference to my own scant knowledge and vast experience of neuroplasticity after braininjury, would all dendrites be genetically “coded” to only grow to a certain lenght or can this be stimulated, i. e. nurture vs nature?