GUMC Update

Eden Studies How Adult Dyslexic Brain Can Change

October 27, 2004

New findings from GUMC researchers in collaboration with Wake Forest University School of Medicine have shown there is hope for individuals suffering a life-long history of reading problems. Using brain-imaging technology, the research group showed how the adult dyslexic brain responds to a specific phonological-based reading intervention program responsible for reading skill improvement.

Published in the Oct. 28 issue of the journal Neuron, this is the first research study to examine the brain systems related to successful phonological-based instruction in dyslexic adults.

“Reading is one of the most important skills we learn – it affects virtually every aspect of a person’s life,” said Guinevere Eden, associate professor of pediatrics, director of the Center for the Study of Learning, and lead author of the study. “Despite the fact that the majority of individuals with dyslexia are adults, little is known about the biological basis of how they can improve their reading skills. We need to understand the neural mechanisms behind these research-based reading instructions so that we can achieve a deeper understanding of precisely how these interventions work.”

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), 19 dyslexic adults underwent brain imaging twice. Half of the group completed an eight-week, phonological intervention program between the two scans, with the rest of the dyslexics serving as a comparison group. During the consecutive testing sessions, researchers evaluated the participants’ reading and phonological skills (i.e., the ability to sound out words by correctly associating sounds with written symbols). Participants in this study showed strong improvement in their phonological and reading accuracy skills following the intervention. One participant had never read a book before in her life; following the study she read before work every day, setting her alarm clock early to do so.

 

Submit your news at any time to the GUMC Office of Communications at gumccomm@georgetown.edu.

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