Name: Belina M.
Status: Student
Age: 17
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: February 2003
Question:
What is the genetics of stuttering? I was told that a
person who severely stutters is probably homozygous for stuttering
(carrying two copies of the recessive gene), while a person who stutters
mildly is heterozygous for that trait (carrying one recessive stuttering
gene and one "normal" copy of the gene). Can you please elaborate on the
genetics of stuttering as there is NOTHING to be found in your archives
or via a google search.
Replies:
I have never heard of any confirmed genetic component for stuttering other
than some twin studies that show some increase in stuttering among twins
that indicates a genetic role. I find it very unlikely that something as
complex as this could be a single allele. Eye color is at least two alleles
and is an oversimplification as taught in most classrooms as a simple
dominant recessive between brown and blue...what explains green and the
various shades of blue and brown. I do not see how a behavior this complex
could be simpler than eye color. I do not doubt that genetics plays some
sort of role...it does in almost any phenotype.
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