People with dyslexia could also be more likely to have a bad sense of rhythm, according to a new study. Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics used genetic data from 23AndMe as well as other databases to find genetic patterns that were associated with both dyslexia and with having a bad sense of rhythm. On the surface, these seem like two very different traits, but processing language is a task that also requires some rhythm recognition. (Just think about poems and songs, where words and rhythm are closely connected). And indeed, the team found 16 regions of the genome that are involved in both rhythm and language processing.
The starting point for this study were the vast genetic databases that 23AndMe have collected over the years. The genetic testing company has asked their customers about certain traits they have. That included asking people whether they had a confirmed diagnosis of dyslexia, and whether they thought that they were good at keeping a beat. They then compared that to their genetic profile. The result is a sample of information taken from more than a million people.
According to these data, both dyslexia and sense of rhythm are correlated with several genes. It might not be surprising that dyslexia is a trait that’s inherent to someone’s genetics (after all, dyslexia is something that affects people throughout their entire life). But having a sense of rhythm is also linked to several genes.
Brain connection between dyslexia and rhythm
The researchers in this new study compared these two genetic correlations and found genetic patterns that were shared between people with dyslexia and people with a bad sense of rhythm. They also found some clues to suggest how these genes affected processes in the brain.
“We were particularly intrigued by the finding of genetic variants jointly tied to rhythm and language as being enriched for oligodendrocytes in the brain,” one of the study’s researchers Reyna Gordon told Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “Oligodendrocytes are a type of brain cell that help to maintain specific connections between brain areas by helping the connecting circuitry to stay healthy and strong.”
Finding genetic links in a comparison study like this doesn’t necessarily mean that variations in these particular genes are the cause of dyslexia or having a bad sense of rhythm. But with such a large number of people in the dataset, it’s likely to be more than a coincidence. It gives researchers a new starting point for future studies. For example, it could help them figure out in more detail how these genes affect the way that cells form connections in the brain, and how these connections are involved in language processing and in developing a sense of rhythm.
Scientists already knew that language and rhythm are related. Brain areas that control language processing (which affects dyslexia) and movement are strongly connected, and this study adds some more details that other researchers can take into account. It may seem like a small step, but this is how neuroscience progresses. After all, it’s a big field that deals with some very complex questions about our brains and how we process the world. And now we know a little bit more about some of the genes that could be involved in part of it.
