Linked OXTR Variants Are Associated with Social Behavior Differences in Bonobos (Pan paniscus).

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in forkhead box protein P2 (FOXP2) and oxytocin receptor (OXTR) genes have been associated with linguistic and social development in humans, as well as to symptom severity in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Studying biobehavioral mechanisms in the species most closely related to humans can provide insights into the origins of human communication, and the impact of genetic variation on complex behavioral phenotypes. Here, we aimed to determine if bonobos (Pan paniscus) exhibit individual variation in FOXP2 and OXTR loci that have been associated with human social development and behavior. Although the ASD-related variants were reported in 13-41% of the human population, we did not find variation at these loci in our sample of 13 bonobos. However, we did identify a novel variant in bonobo FOXP2, as well as four novel variants in bonobo OXTR that were 17-184 base pairs from the human ASD variants. We also found the same linked, homozygous allelic combination across the 4 novel OXTR SNPs (homozygous TGTC) in 6 of the 13 bonobos, indicating that this combination may be under positive selection. When comparing the combined OXTR genotypes, we found significant group differences in social behavior; bonobos with zero copies of the TGTC combination were less social than bonobos with one copy of the TGTC combination. Taken together, our findings suggest that these OXTR variants may influence individual-level social behavior in bonobos and support the notion that linked genetic variants are promising risk factors for social communication deficits in humans.

Bo-NO-bouba-kiki: picture-word mapping but no spontaneous sound symbolic speech-shape mapping in a language trained bonobo.

Humans share the ability to intuitively map 'sharp' or 'round' pseudowords, such as 'bouba' versus 'kiki', to abstract edgy versus round shapes, respectively. This effect, known as sound symbolism, appears early in human development. The phylogenetic origin of this phenomenon, however, is unclear: are humans the only species capable of experiencing correspondences between speech sounds and shapes, or could similar effects be observed in other animals? Thus far, evidence from an implicit matching experiment failed to find evidence of this sound symbolic matching in great apes, suggesting its human uniqueness. However, explicit tests of sound symbolism have never been conducted with nonhuman great apes. In the present study, a language-competent bonobo completed a cross-modal matching-to-sample task in which he was asked to match spoken English words to pictures, as well as 'sharp' or 'round' pseudowords to shapes. Sound symbolic trials were interspersed among English words. The bonobo matched English words to pictures with high accuracy, but did not show any evidence of spontaneous sound symbolic matching. Our results suggest that speech exposure/comprehension alone cannot explain sound symbolism. This lends plausibility to the hypothesis that biological differences between human and nonhuman primates could account for the putative human specificity of this effect.

Visual Motor Integration in Children With Sickle Cell Disease.

BACKGROUND: Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) demonstrate deficits in cognitive and academic functioning. This study compared the visual motor integration (VMI) skills of children with SCD to non-SCD sibling controls. PROCEDURE: In total, 105 participants (67 patients with SCD, 38 controls) were recruited during a routine clinic visit. Each participant was administered the Grooved Pegboard Test, a test of manual dexterity and the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of VMI, a measure of graphomotor skills. RESULTS: Children with SCD demonstrated average (M=89.61, SE=3.08) fine manual dexterity and speed, but more complex fine motor functioning (graphomotor skills) (M=77.61, SE=1.65) was impaired. Relative to healthy siblings, children with SCD were not found to have different fine manual dexterity and speed (P=0.617). Patients with SCD were found to have significantly worse graphomotor skills (P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Children with SCD were found to have average basic fine motor dexterity and speed, but impaired VMI, a more complex fine motor skill. This finding is significant given the functional importance of complex fine motor skills in early academic activities.

Academic attainment findings in children with sickle cell disease.

BACKGROUND: Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) demonstrate deficits in cognitive and academic functioning. This study compared the academic attainment of children with SCD relative to national, state, and local school district rates for African American students. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of children with SCD was completed and academic information was collected from caregiver report and school records. One-sample tests of proportions were calculated to compare academic attainment rates in children with SCD relative to national, state, and local school district normative data of African American students. RESULTS: Overall, 197 patient records were reviewed. A higher proportion of children with SCD were retained a grade relative to national, state, and local school district rates for African American students. In addition, a higher proportion of children with SCD received special education services relative to the national, state, and local school district rates for African American students. CONCLUSION: Children with SCD demonstrate higher rates of special education services and grade retention relative to African American peers. Overall, children with SCD demonstrate poorer academic attainment relative to healthy, African American peers highlighting the need for increased focus on special education services to address school performance issues within this population.