Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Zeitgeist of the BSA conference

Here are some general ideas floating around at the conference or in my brain during the conference:

1) over the last decade, more and more experimental findings are starting to constrain any theory building. Ten years ago, you could have said pretty much everything about what is happening inside the brain, but nowadays you need to face up with evidence that needs to fit your theory; a situation that many "researchers" find difficult to handle!!!!

2) there is definitely a genetic component to stuttering, but not a single gene.

3) stuttering is likely to be hetero-causal i.e. different causes lead to stuttering but on the same circuit.

4) genetic tests are going on and we should expect more research news happening. Dryana collected blood samples for his research. He run out of needles, so there was a great willingness to donate blood!

5) having a research session attached to the BSA conference worked well, and was a very cheap way of organising a mini research conference.

6) stuttering research is becoming more and more of a real science.

7) the Pagoclone study has still not published their results fully.

8) the researchers I invited seemed to have genuinely enjoyed the cross-disciplinary debate.

More soon. I have to go to Oxford to pick up my back pack that I forgot on the train. I hope it's mine!!!

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