Study Finds Distinctive Brain Patterns in People With Dyslexia

By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo

Findings on dyslexia reported last week add new elements to the complex puzzle over why it is more difficult for some people to learn to read, but researchers cautioned that potential solutions to the problem are still a long way off.

The study, supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, used advanced imaging technology to identify specific patterns of brain activity, or a "neural signature," among people with dyslexia.

Though such technology has been used for years in dyslexia research, the latest study, published in the March 3 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , was the first to look at functions in the whole brain at once, according to NICHD officials. The study was also the first to use noninvasive techniques--it did not require the injection of radioactive dyes into the brain. The technique can now be...