Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Commun Biol. 2024 Sep 28;7(1):1209. doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-06890-3.
Language is supported by a distributed network of brain regions with a particular contribution from the left hemisphere. A multi-level understanding of this network requires studying its genetic architecture. We used resting-state imaging data from 29,681 participants (UK Biobank) to measure connectivity between 18 left-hemisphere regions involved in multimodal sentence-level processing, as well as their right-hemisphere homotopes, and interhemispheric connections. Multivariate genome-wide association analysis of this total network, based on genetic variants with population frequencies >1%, identified 14 genomic loci, of which three were also associated with asymmetry of intrahemispheric connectivity. Polygenic dispositions to lower language-related abilities, dyslexia and left-handedness were associated with generally reduced leftward asymmetry of functional connectivity. Exome-wide association analysis based on rare, protein-altering variants (frequencies <1%) suggested 7 additional genes. These findings shed new light on genetic contributions to language network organization and related behavioural traits.
语言由大脑区域的分布式网络支持，其中左半球起着特殊的作用。要多层次地理解这个网络，需要研究其遗传结构。我们使用来自 29681 名参与者（英国生物库）的静息态影像数据来测量 18 个参与多模态句子水平处理的左半球区域及其右半球同型区域以及半球间连接之间的连通性。基于具有> 1%群体频率的遗传变异，对整个网络进行多元全基因组关联分析，确定了 14 个基因组位点，其中 3 个与半球内连接的不对称性也有关联。与语言相关能力较低、阅读障碍和左撇子相关的多基因倾向与功能连接的总体左向不对称性降低有关。基于罕见的、改变蛋白质的变异（频率<1%）的外显子组全关联分析提示了另外 7 个基因。这些发现为语言网络组织和相关行为特征的遗传贡献提供了新的线索。
