A candidate phenotype for familial dyslexia

The probative analysis of genotype-phenotype relations in familial dyslexia requires operationally defined psychobiological outcome variables that are not confounded by cultural differences of orthography or other factors tha t may influence the clinical ascertainment and diagnosis of dyslexia. Timin g precision, as expressed in coordinated motor action, was used as an objec tive behavioral measure that can be mapped on current knowledge of central nervous system functions as well as on the most salient non-reading deficit s in developmental dyslexia. Dyslexia families with four distinct pedigrees and a normally reading reference group were the study subjects. The result s indicated that impaired timing precision in bimanual coordination and in motor speech were transmitted vertically in affected members of about half of dyslexia families. Motor coordination deficits were associated with a di sposition to make dysphonemic spelling errors. It is proposed that impaired timing precision identifies a behavioral phenotype in some familial dyslex ia subtypes. The detailed analysis of coarticulation in speech production m ay be one pathway by which impaired timing precision in motor action imping es on reading and writing deficits in developmental dyslexia.