Study identifies possible genetic link between language and children's mental health

A new study suggests that there may be genetic explanations for the mental health of some children whose language is mediocre.

The York University study examined genetic variants of six genes believed to contribute to language development in children.

The researchers used the polygenic notation, a statistical technique that adds the effect of different genetic variants, to determine whether variants associated with children's language are also associated with poor mental health.

They found that nearly half of the genetic variants that contribute to children's language were also associated with poor mental health.

As part of the study, the team analyzed the genetic data of more than 5,000 children, as well as parents' responses to questionnaires and clinical assessments of children's language abilities.

If future research confirms these findings, it could have a significant impact on the timing of mental health care for children with language disorders, the researchers said.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Umar Toseeb, of the Department of Education at York University, said, "This study provides very preliminary evidence that children with language disorders, such as Developmental Language Disorders (LDLDs), may suffer from mental disorders, health due to shared biological mechanisms.

"This means that children with DLD can have poor mental health because the genes responsible for building neural systems responsible for language could also be responsible for mental health.

"If our findings are confirmed in future work, it could mean that, rather than waiting for children with language development disorders to exhibit symptoms of poor mental health before intervening, support for mental health is put in place as soon as language difficulties appear, a preventive measure. "

The mental health issues often encountered by my children with a DLD have often been attributed to language problems, but this study is the first to suggest that there might also be genetic factors that would expose children with a DLD to risk of mental health problems. .

Dianne Newbury, first author of the study, from the Department of Biological and Medical Sciences at Oxford Brookes University, said, "This is the first study to demonstrate these genetic effects, but they need to be replicated in larger sets. independent data to confirm the results.

"We looked at the genetic variation between six genes, but there are several thousand people in the human genome that we have not explored, so these results represent only a subset of the relevant networks.

"The study illustrates the complexity of genetic networks related to language and shows that it is an area that should be deepened."

The use of polygenic profiles to predict the variation of language and psychosocial outcomes in young children and young children is published in the Journal of Research on Speech, Language and Hearing.