Dyslexia: Asynchrony of Brain Processes

old_uid3479
titleDyslexia: Asynchrony of Brain Processes
start_date2007/11/19
schedule11h-12h30
onlineno
summaryThe human brain has existed for approximately 60,000 years while the alphabetic script has only existed for 5,000. During the process of evolution, no specific system was developed for decoding written words. Consequently, the reading process, which is based on decoding and comprehension of printed material, occurs in cerebral systems originally devoted to other processes.  While the reading process is usually successful,  approximately 10% of the population suffers from reading difficulty to failure. What is the cause?  The underlying factors of reading impairment have been studied in comprehensive research projects at the Neurocognitive Research Laboratory, which have led to the discovery of two phenomena: The Asynchrony Theory and the Acceleration  Phenomenon (Breznitz 2006 for review).  The Asynchrony Theory (Breznitz 2003, 2006, 2007) suggests that brain systems activated during reading, process information on a different time scale. A wider speed of processing gap exists among dyslexic readers, which impairs integration resulting in inaccurate and slow decoding.  The Acceleration Theory (Breznitz 1997, 2002, 2006, 2007) maintains that readers of all levels are capable of reading faster than their routine reading rate enabling them to  enhance their reading decoding and comprehension.  The brain’s plasticity and ability to change together with the ideas behind these two theories have contributed to the development of an intervention program for enhancing  reading.  In the current lecture, results supporting these theories as well as behavioral and electrophysiological evidence concerning the effect of the intervention program on the brain activity of dyslexic readers will be presented.
responsiblesCohen, Kergoat