Genomewide study makes ‘quantum leap’ in understanding stuttering

Analysis of DNA from 23andMe users points to variants in genes linked to brain function and sense of rhythm

Originally published by Nazeefa Ahmed at Scienst, on 28 Jul 2025

In The King’s Speech, the 2010 biopic that portrays the United Kingdom’s King George VI’s lifelong struggle with his severe stutter, the king’s father tries to quell his son’s stammering by shouting, “Relax! Relax!” as if it were something he could simply control. Decades of research has shown stuttering is, in fact, an involuntary condition that is highly heritable, though its causes are multifaceted and murky. Now, some of the murk has cleared.

Fuente: youtube.com

Using data from 1.1 million users of the genetic testing service 23andMe, researchers have identified 57 previously unreported DNA regions linked to stuttering. The findings, published today in Nature Genetics, implicate genes involved in brain function and sense of rhythm, and suggest potential relationships between stuttering and other conditions including autism and depression.

The work represents a “quantum leap” in the field, says Gregory Snyder, a speech scientist at the University of Mississippi who himself stutters. The DNA regions identified may help researchers pinpoint the biological sources of stuttering and even develop medical treatments, he says.

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