Newly discovered families give
impetus to genetics research

By Dennis Drayna, Ph.D.


Recent research in Cameroon, West Africa, has uncovered the?ÿ
existence of an entire group of previously unknown families in which?ÿ alt text
stuttering occurs as a simple inherited trait. Through the?ÿ
cooperation of the Speak Clear Association of Cameroon (SCAC) and the?ÿStuttering Home Page maintained at Mankato State University, researchers had previously identified a single Cameroonian family of?ÿ100 individuals, 45 of whom stutter.

This unusual family motivated more field studies in Cameroon.?ÿThese studies have now shown that as remarkable as this family is, theyƒ??re not unique. Researchers have now identified 4 additional?ÿlarge families, ranging in size from 25 to 80 individuals, and in all?ÿ
of these families, almost half of the individuals stutter. All the?ÿfamilies found so far come from a single region in Cameroonƒ??s?ÿNorthwest Province, suggesting there might be some common inherited?ÿfactor at work in
these families.

ƒ??These families provide hope that weƒ??ll be able to identify the?ÿ
gene that appears to be at work to cause stuttering in these?ÿ
familiesƒ?? said Dr. Dennis Drayna, who works at the National Institute?ÿ
on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, in Bethesda,?ÿ
Maryland.ƒ??Even though most stuttering doesnƒ??t seem to occur in such?ÿ
large family groups, finding the cause of stuttering in these?ÿ
families may provide important clues to the identity of other causes?ÿ
of this puzzling disorderƒ??, he said.

This work is supported by the National Institutes of Health.