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Jafarlou F. Oculomotor Rehabilitation Improves Reading Abilities in Dyslexic Children With Concurrent Eye Movement Abnormalities. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 2024; 63:1276-1286. [PMID: 38189250 DOI: 10.1177/00099228231221335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
The oculomotor abnormalities have been reported in some dyslexic children. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of oculomotor rehabilitation on the reading performance of dyslexic children. Subjects were 50 dyslexic children. Those with oculomotor abnormalities (n = 30) were randomly assigned into 2 groups matched for age. The case group received oculomotor rehabilitation. The rehabilitation program consists of 3 different exercises. The reading and dyslexia tests were performed before and after the intervention. The correct scores of reading tests in the case group posttest increased significantly compared with the control group, and there is a significant difference between the two groups (P = .001). The positive effects of oculomotor rehabilitation on the reading performance of dyslexic children confirmed that the oculomotor program could be a practical tool for improving reading performance in dyslexic children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Jafarlou
- Department of Audiology, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Department of Audiology, Rehabilitation Research Center, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Christodoulides P, Miltiadous A, Tzimourta KD, Peschos D, Ntritsos G, Zakopoulou V, Giannakeas N, Astrakas LG, Tsipouras MG, Tsamis KI, Glavas E, Tzallas AT. Classification of EEG signals from young adults with dyslexia combining a Brain Computer Interface device and an Interactive Linguistic Software Tool. Biomed Signal Process Control 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bspc.2022.103646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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Ebrahimi L, Pouretemad H, Stein J, Alizadeh E, Khatibi A. Enhanced reading abilities is modulated by faster visual spatial attention. ANNALS OF DYSLEXIA 2022; 72:125-146. [PMID: 34510363 DOI: 10.1007/s11881-021-00245-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Research has shown improved reading following visual magnocellular training in individuals with dyslexia. Many studies have demonstrated how the magnocellular pathway controls visual spatial attention. Therefore, we have investigated the relationship between magnocellular pathway and visual spatial attention deficits in dyslexia in order to better understand how magnocellular-based interventions may help children to learn to read. Magnocellular function, visual spatial attention, and reading abilities of thirty elementary school students with dyslexia, aged between 8 and 10, were measured. The experimental group received magnocellular-based visual motion training for 12 sessions, while the control group received neutral sessions. All tests were repeated at the end of the training and after 1 month. The magnocellular functioning, visual spatial attention, and reading abilities of the experimental group improved significantly compared to the controls. Additionally, improvement in reaction time of invalid conditions predicted improvements in saccadic eye movements. We conclude that visual magnocellular training improved saccadic eye movement control, visual spatial orientation, and reading ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila Ebrahimi
- Institute for Cognitive & Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, 1983969411, EvinTehran, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Pouretemad
- Institute for Cognitive & Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, 1983969411, EvinTehran, Iran.
- Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - John Stein
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
| | - Ebrahim Alizadeh
- Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Khatibi
- Centre of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal Pain, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Abstract
A universal signature of developmental dyslexia is literacy acquisition impairments. Besides, dyslexia may be related to deficits in selective spatial attention, in the sensitivity to global visual motion, speed processing, oculomotor coordination, and integration of auditory and visual information. Whether motion-sensitive brain areas of children with dyslexia can recognize different speeds of expanded optic flow and segregate the slow-speed from high-speed contrast of motion was a main question of the study. A combined event-related EEG experiment with optic flow visual stimulation and functional frequency-based graph approach (small-world propensity ϕ) were applied to research the responsiveness of areas, which are sensitive to motion, and also distinguish slow/fast -motion conditions on three groups of children: controls, untrained (pre-D) and trained dyslexics (post-D) with visual intervention programs. Lower ϕ at θ, α, γ1-frequencies (low-speed contrast) for controls than other groups represent that the networks rewire, expressed at β frequencies (both speed contrasts) in the post-D, whose network was most segregated. Functional connectivity nodes have not existed in pre-D at dorsal medial temporal area MT+/V5 (middle, superior temporal gyri), left-hemispheric middle occipital gyrus/visual V2, ventral occipitotemporal (fusiform gyrus/visual V4), ventral intraparietal (supramarginal, angular gyri), derived from θ-frequency network for both conditions. After visual training, compensatory mechanisms appeared to implicate/regain these brain areas in the left hemisphere through plasticity across extended brain networks. Specifically, for high-speed contrast, the nodes were observed in pre-D (θ-frequency) and post-D (β2-frequency) relative to controls in hyperactivity of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which might account for the attentional network and oculomotor control impairments in developmental dyslexia.
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Dushanova JA, Tsokov SA. Altered electroencephalographic networks in developmental dyslexia after remedial training: a prospective case-control study. Neural Regen Res 2021; 16:734-743. [PMID: 33063736 PMCID: PMC8067933 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.295334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Electroencephalographic studies using graph theoretic analysis have found aberrations in functional connectivity in children with developmental dyslexia. However, how the training with visual tasks can change the functional connectivity of the semantic network in developmental dyslexia is still unclear. We looked for differences in local and global topological properties of functional networks between 21 healthy controls and 22 dyslexic children (8-9 years old) before and after training with visual tasks in this prospective case-control study. The minimum spanning tree method was used to construct the subjects' brain networks in multiple electroencephalographic frequency ranges during a visual word/pseudoword discrimination task. We found group differences in the theta, alpha, beta and gamma bands for four graph measures suggesting a more integrated network topology in dyslexics before the training compared to controls. After training, the network topology of dyslexic children had become more segregated and similar to that of the controls. In the θ, α and β1-frequency bands, compared to the controls, the pre-training dyslexics exhibited a reduced degree and betweenness centrality of the left anterior temporal and parietal regions. The simultaneous appearance in the left hemisphere of hubs in temporal and parietal (α, β1), temporal and superior frontal cortex (θ, α), parietal and occipitotemporal cortices (β1), identified in the networks of normally developing children was not present in the brain networks of dyslexics. After training, the hub distribution for dyslexics in the theta and beta1 bands had become similar to that of the controls. In summary, our findings point to a less efficient network configuration in dyslexics compared to a more optimal global organization in the controls. This is the first study to investigate the topological organization of functional brain networks of Bulgarian dyslexic children. Approval for the study was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Institute of Neurobiology and the Institute for Population and Human Studies, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (approval No. 02-41/12.07.2019) on March 28, 2017, and the State Logopedic Center and the Ministry of Education and Science (approval No. 09-69/14.03.2017) on July 12, 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stefan A. Tsokov
- Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
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Liu N, Zhao J, Huang C, Xing X, Lu S, Wang Z. Predicting early reading fluency based on preschool measures of low‐level visual temporal processing: A possible mediation by high‐level visual temporal processing skills. INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/icd.2211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ningyu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition School of Psychology, Capital Normal University Beijing China
| | - Jing Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition School of Psychology, Capital Normal University Beijing China
| | - Chen Huang
- Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition School of Psychology, Capital Normal University Beijing China
| | - Xiaopei Xing
- Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition School of Psychology, Capital Normal University Beijing China
| | - Shan Lu
- Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition School of Psychology, Capital Normal University Beijing China
| | - Zhengyan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition School of Psychology, Capital Normal University Beijing China
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Abstract
Electroencephalographic studies using graph-theoretic analysis have found aberrations in functional connectivity in dyslexics. How visual nonverbal training (VT) can change the functional connectivity of the reading network in developmental dyslexia is still unclear. We studied differences in the local and global topological properties of functional reading networks between controls and dyslexic children before and after VT. The minimum spanning tree method was used to construct the reading networks in multiple electroencephalogram (EEG) frequency bands. Compared to controls, pre-training dyslexics had a higher leaf fraction, tree hierarchy, kappa, and smaller diameter (θ—γ-frequency bands), and therefore, they had a less segregated neural network than controls. After training, the reading-network metrics of dyslexics became similar to controls. In β1 and γ-frequency bands, pre-training dyslexics exhibited a reduced degree and betweenness centrality of hubs in superior, middle, and inferior frontal areas in both brain hemispheres compared to the controls. Dyslexics relied on the left anterior temporal (β1, γ1) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (γ1), while in the right hemisphere, they relied on the occipitotemporal, parietal, (β1), motor (β2, γ1), and somatosensory cortices (γ1). After training, hubs appeared in both hemispheres at the middle occipital (β), parietal (β1), somatosensory (γ1), and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (γ2), while in the left hemisphere, they appeared at the middle temporal, motor (β1), intermediate (γ2), and inferior frontal cortices (γ1, β2). Language-related brain regions were more active after visual training. They contribute to an understanding of lexical and sublexical representation. The same role has areas important for articulatory processes of reading.
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Battaglini L, Mena F, Casco C. Improving motion detection via anodal transcranial direct current stimulation. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2020; 38:395-405. [PMID: 33016896 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-201050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To study motion perception, a stimulus consisting of a field of small, moving dots is often used. Generally, some of the dots coherently move in the same direction (signal) while the rest move randomly (noise). A percept of global coherent motion (CM) results when many different local motion signals are combined. CM computation is a complex process that requires the integrity of the middle-temporal area (MT/V5) and there is evidence that increasing the number of dots presented in the stimulus makes such computation more efficient. OBJECTIVE In this study, we explored whether anodal direct current stimulation (tDCS) over MT/V5 would increase individual performance in a CM task at a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR, i.e. low percentage of coherent dots) and with a target consisting of a large number of moving dots (high dot numerosity, e.g. >250 dots) with respect to low dot numerosity (<60 dots), indicating that tDCS favour the integration of local motion signal into a single global percept (global motion). METHOD Participants were asked to perform a CM detection task (two-interval forced-choice, 2IFC) while they received anodal, cathodal, or sham stimulation on three different days. RESULTS Our findings showed no effect of cathodal tDCS with respect to the sham condition. Instead, anodal tDCS improves performance, but mostly when dot numerosity is high (>400 dots) to promote efficient global motion processing. CONCLUSIONS The present study suggests that tDCS may be used under appropriate stimulus conditions (low SNR and high dot numerosity) to boost the global motion processing efficiency, and may be useful to empower clinical protocols to treat visual deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Battaglini
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Neuro.Vis.U.S. Laboratory, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Federica Mena
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Clara Casco
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Neuro.Vis.U.S. Laboratory, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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Bucci MP. Visual training could be useful for improving reading capabilities in dyslexia. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY-CHILD 2019; 10:199-208. [PMID: 31407599 DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2019.1646649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The term dyslexia originated in 1887 when an ophthalmologist described the difficulty of learning to read. After more than a century of research, we still do not know the etiology of such pathology. Several hypotheses have been suggested to explain dyslexia and in the present article we will describe in detail the visual attentional deficits reported in dyslexia. Reading is a complex cognitive process during which several mechanisms are involved (visual perception, eye movements -saccades and fixations-, semantic and linguistic abilities); consequently, a deficit in one of these different components could cause impairment in reading acquisition. In children with dyslexia, we observed abnormal oculomotor patterns during reading: frequent saccades of small amplitude, long-term fixation, high number of saccades to the left (retro-saccades), and poor binocular coordination during and after the saccades. These results suggest a deficit of visual information processing as well as an immaturity of the interaction between the saccade and vergence systems. In the present review, we will discuss different methods that use short periods of visual rehabilitation or text manipulation, and by using an eye tracker in order to obtain objective information on eye movement's performance during reading, assist in improved reading performance of dyslexic children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Pia Bucci
- UMR 1141 Inserm - Paris Diderot University, Robert Debré Hospital, Paris, France
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Magnocellular Based Visual Motion Training Improves Reading in Persian. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1142. [PMID: 30718620 PMCID: PMC6361887 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37753-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The visual magnocellular system is thought to play a crucial role in learning to read. Here therefore, we examined whether magnocellular based training could improve reading in children with visual reading problems. The participants were 24 male primary school students aged between 9–11 (Mean = 9.76, SD = 0.59) with specific reading difficulty. Experimental and control groups were matched for age, sex, educational level, IQ, reading abilities (measured by APRA), magnocellular performance as assessed by a random dot kinematogram (RDK) paradigm and recordings of their saccadic eye movements. The experimental group received twelve magnocellular based visual motion training sessions, twice a week over 6 weeks. During the same period, the control group played a video game with the help of a practitioner. All measures were made just prior to the training and were repeated at the 6th, 12th training session and one month later. The experimental group showed significant improvements in magnocellular function, visual errors and reading accuracy during the course of intervention. Follow-up assessment confirmed that these effects persisted one month later. Impaired magnocellular functioning appeared to be an important cause of poor reading in Persian. Hence magnocellular based training could help many children with specific reading difficulties. Also testing magnocellular function could be used as screening tool for detecting dyslexia before a child begins to fail at school.
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Razuk M, Perrin-Fievez F, Gerard CL, Peyre H, Barela JA, Bucci MP. Effect of colored filters on reading capabilities in dyslexic children. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2018; 83:1-7. [PMID: 30048864 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2018.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Revised: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
AIM The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of colored filters on reading performance and eye movement control in children with and without dyslexia. METHODS Eighteen children with dyslexia and 18 children without dyslexia were seated on a chair with their heads stabilized by a forehead and chin support. The children read different texts under the following three filter conditions: no filter, yellow filter, and green filter. The children's eye movements were recorded with a Mobile EyeBrain Tracker. Reading total time, duration of fixation between two successive saccades, pro-saccades amplitude and number of pro- and retro-saccades were obtained. RESULTS Children with dyslexia read the fastest and had the shortest fixation time in the green filter condition compared with the other conditions. Furthermore, children with dyslexia showed the shortest fixation time in the green filter condition with respect to the other conditions. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these results suggested that the green filter improved reading performance in children with dyslexia because the filter most likely facilitated cortical activity and decreased visual distortions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena Razuk
- UMR 1141 Inserm - Paris Diderot University, Robert Debré Hospital, Paris, France; Institute of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, Cruzeiro do Sul University, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | | | | | - Hugo Peyre
- UMR 1141 Inserm - Paris Diderot University, Robert Debré Hospital, Paris, France; Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Robert Debré Hospital, Paris, France
| | - José Angelo Barela
- Institute of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, Cruzeiro do Sul University, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria Pia Bucci
- UMR 1141 Inserm - Paris Diderot University, Robert Debré Hospital, Paris, France
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Stein J. Reply to: "The Relationship between Eye Movements and Reading Difficulties", Blythe, Kirkby & Liversedge. Brain Sci 2018; 8:brainsci8060099. [PMID: 29867068 PMCID: PMC6025139 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci8060099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This is my response to the critique by Blythe et al. of my review ‘What is Developmental Dyslexia?’. In this response, I provide greater detail about the evidence supporting the view that faulty eye movement control can cause dyslexics’ visual reading difficulties and that impaired development of the visual magnocellular system may be the underlying cause.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Stein
- Department Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK.
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Zhang M, Xie W, Xu Y, Meng X. Auditory temporal perceptual learning and transfer in Chinese-speaking children with developmental dyslexia. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2018; 74:146-159. [PMID: 29413429 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2018.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2016] [Revised: 12/26/2017] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Perceptual learning refers to the improvement of perceptual performance as a function of training. Recent studies found that auditory perceptual learning may improve phonological skills in individuals with developmental dyslexia in alphabetic writing system. However, whether auditory perceptual learning could also benefit the reading skills of those learning the Chinese logographic writing system is, as yet, unknown. The current study aimed to investigate the remediation effect of auditory temporal perceptual learning on Mandarin-speaking school children with developmental dyslexia. Thirty children with dyslexia were screened from a large pool of students in 3th-5th grades. They completed a series of pretests and then were assigned to either a non-training control group or a training group. The training group worked on a pure tone duration discrimination task for 7 sessions over 2 weeks with thirty minutes per session. Post-tests immediately after training and a follow-up test 2 months later were conducted. Analyses revealed a significant training effect in the training group relative to non-training group, as well as near transfer to the temporal interval discrimination task and far transfer to phonological awareness, character recognition and reading fluency. Importantly, the training effect and all the transfer effects were stable at the 2-month follow-up session. Further analyses found that a significant correlation between character recognition performance and learning rate mainly existed in the slow learning phase, the consolidation stage of perceptual learning, and this effect was modulated by an individuals' executive function. These findings indicate that adaptive auditory temporal perceptual learning can lead to learning and transfer effects on reading performance, and shed further light on the potential role of basic perceptual learning in the remediation and prevention of developmental dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manli Zhang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, PR China; The Joint PekingU - PolyU Center for Child Development and Learning, Beijing, 100871, PR China
| | - Weiyi Xie
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, PR China
| | - Yanzhi Xu
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, PR China; The Joint PekingU - PolyU Center for Child Development and Learning, Beijing, 100871, PR China
| | - Xiangzhi Meng
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, PR China; The Joint PekingU - PolyU Center for Child Development and Learning, Beijing, 100871, PR China.
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Stein J. What is Developmental Dyslexia? Brain Sci 2018; 8:brainsci8020026. [PMID: 29401712 PMCID: PMC5836045 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci8020026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Until the 1950s, developmental dyslexia was defined as a hereditary visual disability, selectively affecting reading without compromising oral or non-verbal reasoning skills. This changed radically after the development of the phonological theory of dyslexia; this not only ruled out any role for visual processing in its aetiology, but it also cast doubt on the use of discrepancy between reading and reasoning skills as a criterion for diagnosing it. Here I argue that this theory is set at too high a cognitive level to be explanatory; we need to understand the pathophysiological visual and auditory mechanisms that cause children's phonological problems. I discuss how the 'magnocellular theory' attempts to do this in terms of slowed and error prone temporal processing which leads to dyslexics' defective visual and auditory sequencing when attempting to read. I attempt to deal with the criticisms of this theory and show how it leads to a number of successful ways of helping dyslexic children to overcome their reading difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Stein
- Department Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK.
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Qian Y, Bi HY. The effect of magnocellular-based visual-motor intervention on Chinese children with developmental dyslexia. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1529. [PMID: 26500587 PMCID: PMC4593944 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Magnocellular (M) deficit theory points out that the core deficit of developmental dyslexia (DD) is the impairment in M pathway, which has been evidenced in many previous studies. Based on the M deficit, some researchers found that visual intervention focusing on M deficit improved dyslexics’ M function as well as reading abilities. However, the number and reliability of these training studies were limited. Therefore, the present study conducted an M-based visual-motor intervention on Chinese children with DD to investigate the relationship between M deficit and Chinese DD. Intervention programs included coherent motion detection, visual search, visual tracking, and juggling, which were related to M function. The results showed that M function and phonological awareness of training dyslexic group were improved to a normal level as age-matched normal children after intervention, while non-training dyslexics did not. It supported M deficit theory, and suggested M deficit might be the core deficit of Chinese DD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Qian
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing China ; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing China
| | - Hong-Yan Bi
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing China
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Sayeur MS, Vannasing P, Tremblay E, Lepore F, McKerral M, Lassonde M, Gallagher A. Visual Development and Neuropsychological Profile in Preterm Children from 6 Months to School Age. J Child Neurol 2015; 30:1159-73. [PMID: 25414236 DOI: 10.1177/0883073814555188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2014] [Accepted: 09/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this semilongitudinal study was to investigate the development of central visual pathways in children born preterm but without major neurologic impairments and to establish their cognitive and behavioral profile at school age. Ten children born preterm were assessed at 6 months and at school age, using visual evoked potentials at both time points and cognitive and behavioral tests at school age. We also tested 10 age-matched children born full-term. At 6 months' corrected age, we found no significant differences between preterm and full-term groups for either amplitude or latency of N1 and P1 components. At school age, the preterm group manifested significantly higher N1 amplitudes and tended to show higher P1 amplitudes than the full-term group. We found no significant differences in cognitive and behavioral measures at school age. These results suggest that preterm birth affects visual pathways development, yet the children born preterm did not manifest cognitive problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélissa Sue Sayeur
- Research Centre in Neuropsychology and Cognition, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada Research Centre, Sainte-Justine Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Emmanuel Tremblay
- Research Centre in Neuropsychology and Cognition, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada Research Centre, Sainte-Justine Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Franco Lepore
- Research Centre in Neuropsychology and Cognition, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada Research Centre, Sainte-Justine Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Michelle McKerral
- Research Centre in Neuropsychology and Cognition, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Maryse Lassonde
- Research Centre in Neuropsychology and Cognition, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada Research Centre, Sainte-Justine Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Anne Gallagher
- Research Centre in Neuropsychology and Cognition, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada Research Centre, Sainte-Justine Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Meng X, Lin O, Wang F, Jiang Y, Song Y. Reading performance is enhanced by visual texture discrimination training in Chinese-speaking children with developmental dyslexia. PLoS One 2014; 9:e108274. [PMID: 25247602 PMCID: PMC4172704 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2014] [Accepted: 08/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND High order cognitive processing and learning, such as reading, interact with lower-level sensory processing and learning. Previous studies have reported that visual perceptual training enlarges visual span and, consequently, improves reading speed in young and old people with amblyopia. Recently, a visual perceptual training study in Chinese-speaking children with dyslexia found that the visual texture discrimination thresholds of these children in visual perceptual training significantly correlated with their performance in Chinese character recognition, suggesting that deficits in visual perceptual processing/learning might partly underpin the difficulty in reading Chinese. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS To further clarify whether visual perceptual training improves the measures of reading performance, eighteen children with dyslexia and eighteen typically developed readers that were age- and IQ-matched completed a series of reading measures before and after visual texture discrimination task (TDT) training. Prior to the TDT training, each group of children was split into two equivalent training and non-training groups in terms of all reading measures, IQ, and TDT. The results revealed that the discrimination threshold SOAs of TDT were significantly higher for the children with dyslexia than for the control children before training. Interestingly, training significantly decreased the discrimination threshold SOAs of TDT for both the typically developed readers and the children with dyslexia. More importantly, the training group with dyslexia exhibited significant enhancement in reading fluency, while the non-training group with dyslexia did not show this improvement. Additional follow-up tests showed that the improvement in reading fluency is a long-lasting effect and could be maintained for up to two months in the training group with dyslexia. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE These results suggest that basic visual perceptual processing/learning and reading ability in Chinese might at least partially rely on overlapping mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangzhi Meng
- Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing, China
- The Joint PekingU-PolyU Center for Child Development and Learning, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ou Lin
- Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Fang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuzheng Jiang
- School of languages and communication, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Song
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Gori S, Cecchini P, Bigoni A, Molteni M, Facoetti A. Magnocellular-dorsal pathway and sub-lexical route in developmental dyslexia. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:460. [PMID: 25009484 PMCID: PMC4068287 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2013] [Accepted: 06/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although developmental dyslexia (DD) is frequently associate with a phonological deficit, the underlying neurobiological cause remains undetermined. Recently, a new model, called "temporal sampling framework" (TSF), provided an innovative prospect in the DD study. TSF suggests that deficits in syllabic perception at a specific temporal frequencies are the critical basis for the poor reading performance in DD. This approach was presented as a possible neurobiological substrate of the phonological deficit of DD but the TSF can also easily be applied to the visual modality deficits. The deficit in the magnocellular-dorsal (M-D) pathway - often found in individuals with DD - fits well with a temporal oscillatory deficit specifically related to this visual pathway. This study investigated the visual M-D and parvocellular-ventral (P-V) pathways in dyslexic and in chronological age and IQ-matched normally reading children by measuring temporal (frequency doubling illusion) and static stimuli sensitivity, respectively. A specific deficit in M-D temporal oscillation was found. Importantly, the M-D deficit was selectively shown in poor phonological decoders. M-D deficit appears to be frequent because 75% of poor pseudo-word readers were at least 1 SD below the mean of the controls. Finally, a replication study by using a new group of poor phonological decoders and reading level controls suggested a crucial role of M-D deficit in DD. These results showed that a M-D deficit might impair the sub-lexical mechanisms that are critical for reading development. The possible link between these findings and TSF is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Gori
- Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università degli Studi di Padova Padova, Italy ; Developmental Neuropsychology Unit, Istituto Scientifico "E. Medea" di Bosisio Parini Lecco, Italy
| | - Paolo Cecchini
- Ophthalmological Unit, Istituto Scientifico "E. Medea" di San Vito al Tagliamento Pordenone, Italy
| | - Anna Bigoni
- Ophthalmological Unit, Istituto Scientifico "E. Medea" di San Vito al Tagliamento Pordenone, Italy
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Developmental Neuropsychology Unit, Istituto Scientifico "E. Medea" di Bosisio Parini Lecco, Italy
| | - Andrea Facoetti
- Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università degli Studi di Padova Padova, Italy ; Developmental Neuropsychology Unit, Istituto Scientifico "E. Medea" di Bosisio Parini Lecco, Italy
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