Plasticity and learning in children with dyslexia

Official Research Title: Neural mechanisms of successful intervention in children with dyslexia

Principal Investigator: Jason Yeatman, PhD

Research CoordinatorMegumi Takada


Study Description: Reading instruction prompts the emergence of neural circuits that are specialized for rapidly translating printed symbols into sound and meaning. Understanding how these circuits differ in children with dyslexia, and change with learning, is an important scientific challenge that holds practical implications for education. The proposed research employs frequent longitudinal measurements over an intensive summer intervention program for children with dyslexia to: (a) determine how brain structure and function change in response to reading instruction; and (b) investigate neurobiological factors that predispose a child to struggle or succeed in the intervention. Thus, this proposal seeks to determine both how education shapes brain development, and how a child’s unique neurobiology predicts educational outcomes.

Funding Source: National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, R01 HD095861

Cross-referenced Under: Brain Imaging