Familial dyslexia: neurocognitive and genetic correlation in a large Finnish family

Neuropsychological findings of individuals with dyslexia (n=24) from a large, three‐generation Finnish family are presented. We have previously performed whole genome linkage scanning in this family and found that dyslexia in this kindred segregates with a single locus in the pericentromeric area of chromosome 3. Those included in the analyses were carefully evaluated for general cognitive ability, reading and spelling skills, and reading‐related neurocognitive skills. The neurocognitive type of dyslexia segregating in this family consisted of deficits in phonological awareness, verbal short‐term memory, and rapid naming. Severe dyslexia also seemed to be connected with a general language difficulty and was most common in the eldest generation.

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