The key to human success has been in our ability to convey our thoughts and ideas through language. No other species has our skill at forming words, articulating them and reading and writing. Thus, identifying and understanding the biological/ biochemical mechanisms that regulate these skills can help us evolve better methods in performing these abilities. Developmental Dyslexia is a neurological disorder that affects the reading ability of 10-20% of the U.S. population (i.e. 30-60 million people in the U.S). Patients with DD have problems with single word reading (SWR), spelling, phoneme awareness (PA), phonological decoding (PD) and orthographic coding (OC).(1) Most studies define DD as having a deficit in reading age of at least 2 years below the chronologically predicted age value.(2)Specific tests have been developed for each of these five reading measures and are used for the diagnosis of dyslexia. The brain has trouble translating the information it is receiving from the eyes and ears into a coherent language. DD occurs irregardless of intelligence and adequate education. It should be noted that there are behavioral therapies that have been proven to help patients with DD overcome their disorder. Still, it is important to study the mechanisms behind DD because these mechanisms also show how actual reading and writing is accomplished in normal people. .
Studies confirmed that one's genetic makeup has a major influence in one's ability to acquire reading and spelling skills and are at the root of disabilities like DD. Researchers have used advanced molecular genetics to identify specific genes on chromosomes 3,6, and 15 that are associated to the symptoms associated with DD. (3,4,5) These genes only account for about 12.5% of patients with DD. Also, these four mutations in these genes are the only ones to have been replicated in multiple experiments. There are many more genes that are associated with DD that are still being discovered today.
