Active clinical trials for "Dyslexia"

The long-term goal of this study is to improve prediction of poor reading outcome at preschool age by using a combination of behavioural and neuroimaging measures and to evaluate a specific computerized training program to support children with problems during reading acquisition.

Dyslexia is a common reading disorder. Specialized instructional programs can improve reading ability in children with dyslexia. This study will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine changes in the brains of children who have taken part in these programs.

Developmental dyslexia is a highly heritable disorder in which reading skills are compromised despite normal intelligence and appropriate reading instruction. Reading problems in dyslexia are thought to primarily originate from weak speech sound representations or poor phonological skills. Dyslexia has also been associated with short-term or working memory dysfunctions. The current study will address the presence of these problems in dyslexic adults by the means of recording auditory and audio-visual mismatch negativity (MMN) and its magnetic counterpart (MMNm) to determine neural speech sound discrimination, representations and integration of seen and heard language. In addition to analyzing neural processing of syllables or (pseudo-)words, a new approach to MEG acquisition and analysis to characterize the neural responses during comprehension of complex real-life speech will be used. Furthermore, reading, phonological and cognitive skills of these participants will be determined with a neuropsychological test battery. The associations between the neural, neuropsychological and genetic measures will be studied. This project will illuminate the nature of neurocognitive dysfunctions in dyslexia and their relationship with genes.

The study aims to document the effects of the intervention system for specific reading and spelling disorders, currently in use at Scientific Institute (IRCCS) Medea as an innovative intervention model in e-health mode. The model constitutes the application of research data collected in more than fifteen years research on the causes of dyslexia and rehabilitation techniques, combined with the most advanced technologies for remotely-controlled clinical management and therapy monitoring through adaptive, self-updating algorithms. A single group of about 80 children will be observed and their performance on reading, spelling and metaphonological tests at pre-test, post-test and follow-up (after 6 months) will be recorded in order to assess improvement (and, consequently, treatment effectiveness) and its stability. The improvements obtained in four weeks treatment will subsequently be compared with those obtained with outpatient intervention programmes of the same duration and intensity.

Subjects are recruited for a pre-kindergarten education program focusing on early literacy skills. Primary outcomes are improvement in letter knowledge and changes in brain response to text.