Mouse Model Provides Clues to Human Language Development
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - 05:35
in Biology & Nature
Scientists of the German Mouse Clinic at Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen (Germany) have made a major contribution to understanding human language development. Using a comprehensive screening method, they studied a mouse model carrying a 'humanized version' of a key gene associated with human language. In the brains of the mice the researchers found alterations which may be closely linked to speech and language development. Their analyses comprise part of an international study led by the Leipzig Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. The findings have been published in the current issue of the renowned journal Cell.