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Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 11, 2010Â
Dyslexia is a relatively common learning disability characterized by problems in reading, writing and spelling.
Children with dyslexia often struggle despite getting an appropriate education and demonstrating intellectual ability in other areas.
New neurological research has found that these children’s difficulties with written language may be linked to structural differences within an important information highway in the brain known to play a role in oral language.
Vanderbilt University researchers Sheryl Rimrodt and Laurie Cutting used an emerging MRI technique, called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), to discover evidence linking dyslexia to structural differences in an important bundle of white matter in the left-hemisphere language network.
White matter is made up of fibers that can be thought of as the wiring that allows communication between brain cells; the left-hemisphere language network is made up of bundles of these fibers and contains branches that extend from the back of the brain (including vision cells) to the front parts that are responsible for articulation and speech.
“When you are reading, you are essentially saying things out loud in your head,†said Cutting.
“If you have decreased integrity of white matter in this area, the front and back part of your brain are not talking to one another. This would affect reading, because you need both to act as a cohesive unit.â€
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/11/brain-differences-linked-to-dyslexia/13706.html