ABSTRACT
Developmental dyslexia is the most common learning disorder in children, yet the underlying biological causes are not known. Several neurobiological correlates of dyslexia have now been identified, and current challenges become determining which, if any, of these correlates cause dyslexia. Dyslexia is clearly linked to genetic susceptibility. To date, a minimum of eight chromosomal loci have been implicated in dyslexia susceptibility through linkage studies (see Williams, this volume). As with any disorder with genetic influences, once single candidate genes are identified, then progress can be made in identifying the causes of susceptibility to the disorder. For example, if one or more mutations within the specified dyslexia genetic loci can be directly linked to a neurobiological correlates of dyslexia, then this would aid in determining a causal chain of events underlying at least some dyslexias.
