Mutations may underlie some stuttering

Defects in three genes found in a portion of cases

A long-assumed hereditary link to stuttering is coming into focus with the discovery of genetic mutations that crop up in some people with the speech problem but rarely in others. After testing hundreds of people who stutter, researchers have nailed down defects in three genes that may account for a fraction of cases, researchers report online February 10 in the New England Journal of Medicine.