Area X. Zebra finches are a small bird species that originate from Australia and can be found all around the world. They are highly social birds and even though some zebra finches may sometimes get aggressive when defending their territory, they are generally polite if unprovoked. Seven percent of all zebra finches have interruptions and repetitions in their bird songs which is a naturally occurring variation on how zebra finches communicate. When the same phenomenon occurs in humans, it is referred to this as dysfluency or stuttering. Even though there are many myths around the causes of stuttering, developmental stuttering, the most common form of dysfluency, is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a strong genetic component as shown by twin and family studies. Dysfluency is also a phenomenon that I know extremely well given that I am a person who stutters myself. In 2013, I wrote my first blog post on the genetics of stuttering, telling the story of how my differently wired brain tripped up an epilepsy neuroimaging study. Here is a 2022 update on one of the fascinating conditions that contributes to human neurodiversity. Continue reading →