Nature 425, 340 - 342 (25 September 2003); doi:10.1038/425340a

Thanks in part to brain-imaging technology, researchers are now homing in on the root cause of dyslexia. But research into strategies for treating the condition is still in its infancy, says Glenn Murphy.


Most people have a vague idea of what it is, or know someone who has it, or have heard about famous sufferers such as actor Tom Cruise, who seem to get by well enough despite their problems with reading. But for most of the past century, researchers have been unable to agree on what causes dyslexia.

When children or adults fail to learn to read fluently — despite normal intelligence, instruction and opportunities to do so — they are diagnosed with developmental dyslexia. Exactly why they should fail has led to speculation about a host of possible causes. Over the past few years, however, brain-imaging studies have supplied fresh evidence that the fundamental problem lies in the brain's ability to process 'phonemes'. These are the speech sounds that enable us to tell one word from another — 'pet' and 'bet', for instance, are distinguished by the sounds of their initial consonants.

http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v425/n6956/full/425340a_fs.html

21/11/2003