Bridging the Gap between Genes and Language Deficits in Schizophrenia: An Oscillopathic Approach

Abstract

Schizophrenia is characterized by marked language deficits, but it is not clear how these deficits arise from the alteration of genes related to the disease. The goal of this paper is to aid the bridging of the gap between genes and schizophrenia and, ultimately, give support to the view that the abnormal presentation of language in this condition is heavily rooted in the evolutionary processes that brought about modern language. To that end we will focus on how the schizophrenic brain processes language and, particularly, on its distinctive oscillatory profile during language processing. Additionally, we will show that candidate genes for schizophrenia are overrepresented among the set of genes that are believed to be important for the evolution of the human faculty of language. These genes crucially include (and are related to) genes involved in brain rhythmicity. We will claim that this translational effort and the links we uncover may help develop an understanding of language evolution, along with the etiology of schizophrenia, its clinical/linguistic profile, and its high prevalence among modern populations.

The Locus Preservation Hypothesis: Shared Linguistic Profiles across Developmental Disorders and the Resilient Part of the Human Language Faculty

“…In this context, it can be argued that syntax is preserved because it is implemented through a network that is less novel in evolutionary terms, hence more resilient to impairment. Less resilient networks underlie cognitive capacities more recently evolved in phylogenetic terms, whereby selective pressures have not yet given rise to the development of robust compensatory mechanisms (Toro et al, 2010 ; Murphy and Benítez-Burraco, 2016 ). This claim grants support to another hypothesis recently explored in the language evolution literature: the “syntax-before-phonology” hypothesis.…”

Cortical Activity and Rhythmic Patterns in Mouse Models of Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease

“…Framing the study and therapeutics of AD and neurodegeneration related to aging through the analysis and manipulation of emergent rhythmic patterns could bring forth a useful and novel perspective [80], contributing to the understanding of AD as an oscillopathy [123]. Furthermore, this framework could be applied to other diseases in which network dynamics become disrupted, such as schizophrenia [124], autism [125], and Down syndrome [126].…”

The golden mean: A systems biology approach to language disorders

“…Fortunately, this translational effort has proven to be feasible. Accordingly, language deficits observed in conditions like autism spectrum disorders (ASD), schizophrenia, or dyslexia, can be explained in terms of aberrant changes in the normal oscillatory activity of the brain (Benítez-Burraco and Murphy, 2016;Murphy and Benítez-Burraco, 2016;Jiménez-Bravo et al, 2017, respectively). For example, when processing speech, γ oscillations correspond to phonetic features and are important as well for accessing stored templates from memory.…”