The language oscillogenome

Language has been argued to arise, both ontogenetically and phylogenetically, from specific patterns of brain wiring. We argue that it can further be shown that core features of language processing emerge from particular phasal and cross-frequency coupling properties of neural oscillations; what has been referred to as the language oscillome. It is expected that basic aspects of the language oscillome result from genetic guidance, what we will here call the language oscillogenome, for which we will put forward a list of candidate genes. We have considered genes for altered brain rhythmicity in conditions involving language deficits (autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, specific language impairment and dyslexia) for which we have confident genome-oscillome-phenome connections. These selected genes map on to aspects of brain function, particularly on to neurotransmitter function. Our aim is to propose a set of biologically robust genome-to-language linking hypotheses that, given testing, would grant causal and explanatory power to brain rhythms with respect to language processing.