Dyslexia is a language disorder. It involves difficulty learning to read words. Dyslexia is not a disease; it’s something you are born with and it often runs in families. Dyslexia is neurologically based, meaning the brain and nervous system, which coordinates actions and transmits signals to and from different parts of the body, is impaired to some degree. A new study by scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) suggests that a distinct neural signature found in dyslexics may explain why these individuals have difficulty learning to read.
New Research Finds Distinctive Brain Pattern in Dyslexia #dyslexia
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MIT study finds link between neural adaptation and dyslexics
Neural adaptation is the process by which the brain acclimates to repeated input. Neurons respond strongly to a particular sensory input initially, and then less so as they adapt to familiar stimulus. Scientists used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of young adults with and without dyslexia as they performed a variety of tasks. Researchers found that neural adaptation was diminished in the subjects with dyslexia. They also found that this lack of adaptation was apparent even when performing tasks that did not involve reading.
Author Quote
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“It’s a difference in the brain that’s not about reading per se, but it’s a difference in perceptual learning that’s pretty broad,” he said. “This is a path by which a brain difference could influence learning to read, which involves so many demands on plasticity.”
"Key Takeaways:
1
Neuroscientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found a pattern in dyslexia that is now referred to as neural adaptation.
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Brain lobes involved that we use when reading do not show the same understanding seen in ordinary readers.
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The brain’s plasticity, which we require to learn new concepts, is reduced in those struggling with dyslexia.
