B4364 - The genetics of learning difficulties and related outcomes - 14/07/2023

B number: 
B4364
Principal applicant name: 
Silvia Paracchini | University of St Andrews (United Kingdom)
Co-applicants: 
Krzysztof Marianski , Prof Nicholas Timpson , Laurie Fabian
Title of project: 
The genetics of learning difficulties and related outcomes
Proposal summary: 

Dyslexia is a common and highly heritable conditions. New sequencing technologies allow us to identify potential mutations that might increase the risk of developing dyslexia. This project aims to identify such mutations and access whether they might contribute to dyslexia specifically or other related cognitive traits, e.g. language or mathematical abilities. We will conduct our analysis in clinical cohorts enriched for dyslexia cases and will follow the top results in the ALSPAC cohort to validate and better interpret our results.

Impact of research: 
Demonstrating that individual mutations might lead to dyslexia will be a significant advance in helping us to understand the neurobiology of or reading and cognitive abilities.
Date proposal received: 
Wednesday, 21 June, 2023
Date proposal approved: 
Monday, 3 July, 2023
Keywords: 
Mental health - Psychology, Psychiatry, Cognition, Behaviour - e.g. antisocial behaviour, risk behaviour, etc., Developmental disorders - autism, Cognitive impairment, Learning difficulty, DNA sequencing, Gene mapping, GWAS, Statistical methods, Cognition - cognitive function, Development, Genetic epidemiology, Genomics, Genome wide association study, Handedness, Sex differences, Speech and language, Whole genome sequencing