Enhanced Procedural Learning of Speech Sound Categories in a Genetic Variant of FOXP2

Overview

Journal J Neurosci

Specialty Neurology

Date 2015 May 22

PMID 25995468

Citations 17

Authors

Bharath Chandrasekaran

Han-Gyol Yi

Nathaniel J Blanco

John E McGeary

W Todd Maddox

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

A mutation of the forkhead box protein P2 (FOXP2) gene is associated with severe deficits in human speech and language acquisition. In rodents, the humanized form of FOXP2 promotes faster switching from declarative to procedural learning strategies when the two learning systems compete. Here, we examined a polymorphism of FOXP2 (rs6980093) in humans (214 adults; 111 females) for associations with non-native speech category learning success. Neurocomputational modeling results showed that individuals with the GG genotype shifted faster to procedural learning strategies, which are optimal for the task. These findings support an adaptive role for the FOXP2 gene in modulating the function of neural learning systems that have a direct bearing on human speech category learning.

Citing Articles

Linked Variants Are Associated with Social Behavior Differences in Bonobos ().

Skiba S, Hansen A, McCall R, Byers A, Waldron S, Epping A bioRxiv. 2024; .

PMID: 38187727 PMC: 10769379. DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.22.573122.

Genetic bases of language control in bilinguals: Evidence from an EEG study.

Liu D, Xing Z, Huang J, Schwieter J, Liu H Hum Brain Mapp. 2023; 44(9):3624-3643.

PMID: 37051723 PMC: 10203802. DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26301.

The nature of non-native speech sound representations.

Baese-Berk M, Chandrasekaran B, Roark C J Acoust Soc Am. 2022; 152(5):3025.

PMID: 36456300 PMC: 9671621. DOI: 10.1121/10.0015230.

Non-sensory Influences on Auditory Learning and Plasticity.

Caras M, Happel M, Chandrasekaran B, Ripolles P, Keesom S, Hurley L J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2022; 23(2):151-166.

PMID: 35235100 PMC: 8964851. DOI: 10.1007/s10162-022-00837-3.

Learning nonnative speech sounds changes local encoding in the adult human cortex.

Yi H, Chandrasekaran B, Nourski K, Rhone A, Schuerman W, Howard 3rd M Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021; 118(36).

PMID: 34475209 PMC: 8433551. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2101777118.

References

Lai C, Fisher S, Hurst J, Vargha-Khadem F, Monaco A . A forkhead-domain gene is mutated in a severe speech and language disorder. Nature. 2001; 413(6855):519-23. DOI: 10.1038/35097076. View

Maddox W, Chandrasekaran B . Tests of a Dual-systems Model of Speech Category Learning. Biling (Camb Engl). 2014; 17(4):709-728. PMC: 4171735. DOI: 10.1017/S1366728913000783. View

Hosking L, Lumsden S, Lewis K, Yeo A, McCarthy L, Bansal A . Detection of genotyping errors by Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium testing. Eur J Hum Genet. 2004; 12(5):395-9. DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejhg.5201164. View

Chandrasekaran B, Gandour J, Krishnan A . Neuroplasticity in the processing of pitch dimensions: a multidimensional scaling analysis of the mismatch negativity. Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2007; 25(3-4):195-210. PMC: 4380289. View

Myers E, Swan K . Effects of category learning on neural sensitivity to non-native phonetic categories. J Cogn Neurosci. 2012; 24(8):1695-708. PMC: 3601188. DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00243. View

Chandrasekaran B, Koslov S, Maddox W . Toward a dual-learning systems model of speech category learning. Front Psychol. 2014; 5:825. PMC: 4116788. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00825. View

Enard W, Gehre S, Hammerschmidt K, Holter S, Blass T, Somel M . A humanized version of Foxp2 affects cortico-basal ganglia circuits in mice. Cell. 2009; 137(5):961-71. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2009.03.041. View

Yeterian E, Pandya D . Corticostriatal connections of the superior temporal region in rhesus monkeys. J Comp Neurol. 1998; 399(3):384-402. View

Seger C, Miller E . Category learning in the brain. Annu Rev Neurosci. 2010; 33:203-19. PMC: 3709834. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.051508.135546. View

10.

Ashby F, Maddox W . Human category learning 2.0. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010; 1224:147-161. PMC: 3076539. DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05874.x. View

11.

Sheehan D, Lecrubier Y, Sheehan K, Amorim P, Janavs J, Weiller E . The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.): the development and validation of a structured diagnostic psychiatric interview for DSM-IV and ICD-10. J Clin Psychiatry. 1999; 59 Suppl 20:22-33;quiz 34-57. View

12.

Hoogman M, Guadalupe T, Zwiers M, Klarenbeek P, Francks C, Fisher S . Assessing the effects of common variation in the FOXP2 gene on human brain structure. Front Hum Neurosci. 2014; 8:473. PMC: 4076884. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00473. View

13.

Kurt S, Fisher S, Ehret G . Foxp2 mutations impair auditory-motor association learning. PLoS One. 2012; 7(3):e33130. PMC: 3296769. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033130. View

14.

Golestani N, Paus T, Zatorre R . Anatomical correlates of learning novel speech sounds. Neuron. 2002; 35(5):997-1010. DOI: 10.1016/s0896-6273(02)00862-0. View

15.

Fisher S, Scharff C . FOXP2 as a molecular window into speech and language. Trends Genet. 2009; 25(4):166-77. DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2009.03.002. View

16.

Wang Y, Sereno J, Jongman A, Hirsch J . fMRI evidence for cortical modification during learning of Mandarin lexical tone. J Cogn Neurosci. 2003; 15(7):1019-27. DOI: 10.1162/089892903770007407. View

17.

Enard W . FOXP2 and the role of cortico-basal ganglia circuits in speech and language evolution. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2011; 21(3):415-24. DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2011.04.008. View

18.

Zenon A, Olivier E . Contribution of the basal ganglia to spoken language: is speech production like the other motor skills?. Behav Brain Sci. 2014; 37(6):576. DOI: 10.1017/S0140525X13004238. View

19.

Unsworth N, Heitz R, Schrock J, Engle R . An automated version of the operation span task. Behav Res Methods. 2006; 37(3):498-505. DOI: 10.3758/bf03192720. View

20.

Yi H, Maddox W, Mumford J, Chandrasekaran B . The Role of Corticostriatal Systems in Speech Category Learning. Cereb Cortex. 2014; 26(4):1409-1420. PMC: 4785939. DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhu236. View