User:NKarpiak/sandbox

Recent Research
Recent scientific discoveries have shaped our knowledge on the origin of the FOXP2 gene and our understanding of it's function. A recent study on the FOXP2 gene was put in place by scientists Dr. Elizabeth Grace Atkinson, Dr. Amanda Jane Audesse and many others conducted a study based on the finds of other studies from as early as 1998 and as recent as 2016. The study was conducted to identify a more accurate timeline of the surfacing of the gene, and the hypothesis of the researchers was that there is no evidence to support the gene being a more recent selective sweep.

Schizophrenia (SCZ), a severe psychiatric disorder, has previously been said to be caused from the FOXP2 variant, rs10447760. However, new studies have been conducted that prove that theory false. There are 1405 Chinese Han patients in the Wuxi Mental Health Center who have SCZ. Tests using DNA samples of whole blood were used to see if rs10447760 really leads to SCZ or not. The DNA evidence was analyzed and it showed that the FOXP2 gene does not lead to SCZ susceptibility. However, this was a small sample size, and in order to receive more accurate results, the same test should be run on a larger scale of people with SCZ.

Functions of the FOXP2 gene
The FOXP2 gene provides information necessary to create the forkhead box p2 protein,

this protein attaches to the DNA of other proteins and controls their activity through a region called the forkhead domain. Only a few targeted genes have been identified, however researchers believe that there could be up to hundreds of other genes targeted by the FOXP2 gene. The forkhead box p2 protein is active in the brain and other tissues before and after birth, many studies show that it is paramount for the growth of nerve cells and transmission between them. The FOXP2 gene is also involved in synaptic plasticity making it imperative for learning and memory.

FOXP2 In Zebrafish
The FOXP2 gene is seen in other mammals and birds besides humans, but it is also present in zebrafish. Their ventral and dorsal thalamus, telencephalon, diencephalon, and axons contain signs and proof of FOXP2 being present and used in the fish. Even though the zebrafish is not capable of producing as complex words and conversations, FOXP2 still plays a minor role in communication, though its true purpose is still unknown to humans. Zebrafish have an 85% similarity to human's FOX2P ortholog, which was observed and mapped out in various tests after breeding zebrafish.