Wednesday, September 09, 2015

New DNA bank



Deryk Beal (University of Alberta’s Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research) has started a DNA bank with people who stutter, see this article:

"The idea that stuttering runs in families has been around for more than 50 years, says lead researcher Dr. Deryk Beal, the institute’s executive director. Some research has suggested male children of women who stutter tend to be at highest risk for developing the disorder. And males are much more likely to stutter than females. Yet few large-scale studies have examined the underlying genetics of the disorder. Beal explains that the long-term goal of his project is to combine the participants’ genetic data from the DNA bank with neuroimaging to understand how their genes contribute to their brain development. Once they’re able to understand the root causes of stuttering, researchers can start looking for molecular pathways that are involved in brain development, which eventually may lead to better treatment. Currently, stuttering is treated with speech therapy, which involves training an individual to use skills that promote fluid speech, and by addressing the social and emotional effects of living with the disorder. There is no cure." If you are in the region, please considering donating your spit! :-)

3 comments:

jensph said...

My spit has already been analyzed by 23andme.com -- I wonder if they'd get more participants if they just used 23andme's sharing APIs -- assuming the 23andme analysis is sufficient. I'd be happy to share my results.

Anonymous said...

The genetic link's interesting. My mum stutters, as did her father, but then none of my siblings stutter. Guess you just get unlucky with some genes :/

Anonymous said...

Once they’re able to understand the root causes of stuttering, researchers can start looking for molecular pathways that are involved in brain development, which eventually may lead to better treatment. Currently, stuttering is treated with speech therapy, which involves training an individual to use skills that promote fluid speech, and by addressing the social and emotional effects of living with the disorder. There is no cure.

this is just the kind of disgustingly arrogant presupposition that you so-called scientists continue to make that screws people up.

first off: "once they're able to understand the root cause of stuttering" - oh let's not reveal TOO much inherent bias and presupposition shall we? so you've ALREADY determined that the root cause will be found in DNA/the genes, huh? you ALREADY know that's where the cause lies, huh?

"There is no cure." that's good - shove that down kids' throats and leave them hopelessly at the mercy of useless SLPs for a lifetime, who can keep milking them for $thousands while offering nothing but ridiculous stuttering management techniques that fail to address anything meaningful... no cure, huh? tell that to the folks who've coached me in "non-scientific" therapies (like NLP) who not only don't stutter anymore, but don't even think about stuttering anymore, don't monitor their speech, don't scan ahead, but instead speak freely and effortlessly like "normal" people. that's not a cure, huh?

when you morons stop looking for A non-existent "root cause" based on several-hundred year old, inaccurate cartesian paradigms and start waking up to the fact that human beings are SYSTEMS with many interactive components that affect one another in various ways, maybe you'll finally happen the CURE that others have. but no, you'd rather continue to insist on your narrow-minded "scientific" root cause paradigms when everything about stuttering indicates to any rational, intelligent human being NOT invested in having to support their own pet theories that stuttering is a condition caused by a multitude of supportive factors and no "root cause."

wake up already and stop spewing this GARBAGE and ruining children's lives with your eternally hopeless BULL$HIT. STOP DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD with your unfoundedly arrogant presuppositions and OPINIONS.