FOXP2 and Human Cognition.
Using a mouse model, Enard et al. (2009) show that the human form of the FOXP2 gene increases synaptic plasticity and dendrite connectivity in the basal ganglia. These results partly explain the enhanced capability of cortico-basal ganglia circuits in the human brain that regulate critical aspects of language, cognition, and motor control.
Lieberman
Philip
P
Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA. philip_lieberman@brown.edu
D000818:Animals; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000378:metabolism; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003071:Cognition; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009434:Neural Pathways; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D013060:Speech; D014828:Vocalization, Animal
C465448:FOXP2 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors