South Korean and American scientists have identified a gene responsible for learning disabilities often found among patients with Noonan syndrome.

The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said Monday that a joint research team of Professor Lee Yong-seok at Chung-Ang University and Professor Alcino Silva at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) found in experiments on mice that the mutated gene PTPN11 is responsible for learning disabilities and memory impairment in patients with Noonan syndrome.

The team said that a proper control of the gene will lead to the development of new treatments, noting that the gene is found in 40 to 50 percent of patients with Noonan syndrome.

The syndrome is a congenital genetic condition commonly associated with heart disease, short stature and distinctive facial features. It occurs once in every one-thousand to two-thousand-500 births. 30 to 50 percent of sufferers develop learning disabilities. Their findings appeared in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience Journal.