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Article: 2 genes influence social behavior, visual-spatial performance in people with Williams syndrome.
- Article from:
- Biotech Business Week
- Article date:
- February 23, 2009
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Unraveling the genetics of social behavior and cognitive abilities, researchers at the University of Utah and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have traced the role of two genes,GTF2I and GTF2IRD, in a rare genetic disorder known as Williams Syndrome (see also University of Utah Health Sciences).
Their results, published in the Feb. 9, 2009, online edition of the American Journal of Medical Genetics, suggest that GTF2IRD1 contributes to visual-spatial performance while GTF2I plays a role in social behavior. These findings illuminate the most complex aspects of being human.
"Identifying these two genes is the pinnacle of many years' work ...