Impact of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Reading Skills of Children and Adolescents With Dyslexia

Débora Medeiros Rios, Mino Correia Rios, Igor Dórea Bandeira, Fernanda Queiros Campbell, Daniel de Carvalho Vaz, Rita Lucena, Débora Medeiros Rios, Mino Correia Rios, Igor Dórea Bandeira, Fernanda Queiros Campbell, Daniel de Carvalho Vaz, Rita Lucena

Abstract

Introduction: Rehabilitation techniques have been used to facilitate reading acquisition in dyslexia. However, many individuals continue to present academic impairment throughout life. New intervention strategies are necessary to further help this population.

Objectives: Assess the impact of transcranial direct current stimulation on reading skills in children and adolescents with dyslexia.

Methods: The study was conducted with one-group pretest-posttest. Participants received 2 mA transcranial direct current stimulation during 30 minutes for 5 consecutive days. Reading performance was measured by a group of tasks (identification and reading of letters, syllables, words, nonwords, and text).

Results: A significant increase in the number of correct answers for nonwords and text tasks was observed after transcranial direct current stimulation (P = .035 and P = .012, respectively).

Conclusion: The transcranial direct current stimulation seems to be a promising tool for the treatment of reading problems in dyslexia. Future studies are necessary to confirm the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation and to establish optimal intervention protocol in this population.

Keywords: children; dyslexia; neuromodulation; noninvasive brain stimulation; transcranial direct current stimulation.

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Placement of electrodes for anodic transcranial direct current stimulation. The anode (in red) was placed between the middle temporal (T3) and left posterior temporal (T5) areas, as determined by the 10–20 International electroencephalography system. The cathode (in black) was placed on the right supraorbital region (FP2).

References

    1. Ferrer E, Shaywitz BA, Holahan JM, Marchione K, Shaywitz SE. Uncoupling of reading and IQ over time: empirical evidence for a definition of dyslexia. Psychol Sci. 2010;21(1):93–101.
    1. Shaywitz SE, Shaywitz BA, Fletcher JM, Escobar MD. Prevalence of reading disability in boys and girls. Results of the Connecticut Longitudinal Study. JAMA. 1990;264(8):998–1002.
    1. Peterson RL, Pennington BF. Developmental dyslexia. Lancet. 2012;379(9830):1997–2007.
    1. Kere J. The molecular genetics and neurobiology of developmental dyslexia as model of a complex phenotype. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2014;452(2):236–243.
    1. Veerappa AM, Saldanha M, Padakannaya P, Ramachandra NB. Genome-wide copy number scan identifies disruption of PCDH11X in developmental dyslexia. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2013;162B(8):889–897.
    1. Eicher JD, Powers NR, Miller LL, et al. Genome-wide association study of shared components of reading disability and language impairment. Genes Brain Behav. 2013;12(8):792–801.
    1. Eicher JD, Montgomery AM, Akshoomoff N, et al. Dyslexia and language impairment associated genetic markers influence cortical thickness and white matter in typically developing children. Brain Imaging Behav. 2016;10(1):272–282.
    1. Elnakib A, Soliman A, Nitzken M, Casanova MF, Gimel’farb G, El-Baz A. Magnetic resonance imaging findings for dyslexia: a review. J Biomed Nanotechnol. 2014;10(10):2778–805.
    1. Krasowicz-Kupis G, Borkowska AR, Pietras I. Rapid automatized naming, phonology and dyslexia in Polish children. Med Sci Monit. 2009;15(9):460–469.
    1. Serniclaes W, Collet G, Sprenger-Charolles L. Review of neural rehabilitation programs for dyslexia: how can an allophonic system be changed into a phonemic one? Front Psychol. 2015;6:190.
    1. Fusco N, Germano GD, Capellini SA. Efficacy of a perceptual and visual-motor skill intervention program for students with dyslexia. Codas. 2015;27(2):128–134.
    1. Pape-Neumann J, Ermingen-Marbach MV, Grande M, Willmes K, Heim S. The role of phonological awareness in treatments of dyslexic primary school children. Acta Neurobiol Exp (Wars). 2015;75(1):80–106.
    1. Fostick L, Eshcoly R, Shtibelman H, Nehemia R, Levi H. Efficacy of temporal processing training to improve phonological awareness among dyslexic and normal reading students. J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2014;40(5):1799–1807
    1. Ylinen S, Kujala T. Neuroscience illuminating the influence of auditory or phonological intervention on language-related deficits. Front Psychol. 2015;6:137.
    1. Suarez-Coalla P, Cuetos F. Reading difficulties in Spanish adults with dyslexia. Ann Dyslexia. 2015;65(1):33–51.
    1. Nergard-Nilssen T, Hulme C. Developmental dyslexia in adults: behavioural manifestations and cognitive correlates. Dyslexia. 2014;20(3):191–207.
    1. Saba G, Moukheiber A, Pelissolo A. Transcranial cortical stimulation in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders: efficacy studies. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2015;17(5):36.
    1. Koops S, Van den Brink H, Sommer IE. Transcranial direct current stimulation as a treatment for auditory hallucinations. Front Psychol. 2015;6:244.
    1. Batista EK, Klauss J, Fregni F, Nitsche MA, Nakamura-Palacios EM. A randomized placebo-controlled trial of targeted prefrontal cortex modulation with bilateral tDCS in patients with crack-cocaine dependence. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2015;18(12):1–11.
    1. Shahar H, Alyagon U, Shalev H, Zangen A. Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation over the right prefrontal cortex improves ADHD symptoms: a combined TMS-EEG study. Brain Stimulation. 2014;7(5):23.
    1. Krause B, Cohen Kadosh R. Can transcranial electrical stimulation improve learning difficulties in atypical brain development? A future possibility for cognitive training. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2013;6:176–194.
    1. Nowak DA, Grefkes C, Ameli M, Fink GR. Interhemispheric competition after stroke: brain stimulation to enhance recovery of function of the affected hand. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2009;23(7):641–656.
    1. Kang EK, Baek MJ, Kim S, Paik NJ. Non-invasive cortical stimulation improves post-stroke attention decline. Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2009;27(6):645–650.
    1. Bandeira ID, Guimaraes RS, Jagersbacher JG, et al. Transcranial direct current stimulation in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a pilot study. J Child Neurol. 2016;31(7):918–934.
    1. Wu D, Wang J, Yuan Y. Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on naming and cortical excitability in stroke patients with aphasia. Neurosci Lett. 2015;589:115–120.
    1. Stagg CJ, Nitsche MA. Physiological basis of transcranial direct current stimulation. Neuroscientist. 2011;17(1):37–53.
    1. Auvichayapat N, Rotenberg A, Gersner R, et al. Transcranial direct current stimulation for treatment of refractory childhood focal epilepsy. Brain Stimul. 2013;6(4):696–700.
    1. Duarte N de A, Grecco LA, Galli M, et al. Effect of transcranial direct-current stimulation combined with treadmill training on balance and functional performance in children with cerebral palsy: a double-blind randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2014;9(8):1–8.
    1. Amatachaya A, Auvichayapat N, Patjanasoontorn N, et al. Effect of anodal transcranial direct stimulation on autism: a randomized double-blind crossover trial. Behav Neurol. 2014;2014:1–7.
    1. Bhanpuri NH, Bertucco M, Young SJ, et al. Multiday transcranial direct current stimulation causes clinically insignificant changes in childhood dystonia: a pilot study. J Child Neurol. 2015;30(12):1604–1615.
    1. Pope PA, Brenton JW, Miall RC. Task-specific facilitation of cognition by anodal transcranial direct current stimulation of the prefrontal cortex. Cereb Cortex. 2015;25(11):4551–4558.
    1. Shah PP, Szaflarski JP, Allendorfer J, Hamilton RH. Induction of neuroplasticity and recovery in post-stroke aphasia by non-invasive brain stimulation. Front Hum Neurosci. 2013;7:888.
    1. Thomson JM, Doruk D, Mascio B, Fregni F, Cerruti C. Transcranial direct current stimulation modulates efficiency of reading processes. Front Hum Neurosci. 2015;9:114.
    1. Heth I, Lavidor M. Improved reading measures in adults with dyslexia following transcranial direct current stimulation treatment. Neuropsychologia. 2015;70:107–113.
    1. Turkeltaub PE, Benson J, Hamilton RH, Datta A, Bikson M, Coslett HB. Left lateralizing transcranial direct current stimulation improves reading efficiency. Brain Stimul. 2012;5(3):201–207.
    1. Costanzo F, Varuzza C, Rossi S, et al. Reading changes in children and adolescents with dyslexia after transcranial direct current stimulation. Neuroreport. 2016;27(5):295–300.
    1. Costanzo F, Varuzza C, Rossi S, et al. Evidence for reading improvement following tDCS treatment in children and adolescents with Dyslexia. Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2016;34(2):215–226.
    1. Lacey EH, Jiang X, Friedman RB, et al. Transcranial direct current stimulation for pure alexia: effects on brain and behavior. Brain Stimul. 2015;8(2):305–307.
    1. Mello CBd, Argollo N, Shayer BPM, et al. Versão abreviada do WISC-III: correlação entre QI estimado e QI total em crianças brasileiras [in Portugal]. Psicologia: Teoria e Pesquisa (Portuguese). 2011;27:149–155.
    1. Capellini SA, Oliveira AM, Cuetos F. PROLEC: Provas de avaliação dos processos de leitura. 3rd ed São Paulo (SP), Brazil: Casa do Psicólogo; 2014.
    1. Moojen S, Lamprecht R, Santos RM, et al. CONFIAS—Consciência fonológica instrumento de avaliação sequencial. 4th ed São Paulo (SP), Brazil: Casa do Psicólogo; 2015.
    1. Mattai A, Miller R, Weisinger B, et al. Tolerability of transcranial direct current stimulation in childhood-onset schizophrenia. Brain Stimul. 2011;4(4):275–280.
    1. Zoubrinetzky R, Bielle F, Valdois S. New insights on developmental dyslexia subtypes: heterogeneity of mixed reading profiles. PLoS One. 2014;9(6):1–15.
    1. Gillick BT, Kirton A, Carmel JB, Minhas P, Bikson M. Pediatric stroke and transcranial direct current stimulation: methods for rational individualized dose optimization. Front Hum Neurosci. 2014;8:739.
    1. Palm U, Segmiller FM, Epple AN, et al. Transcranial direct current stimulation in children and adolescents: a comprehensive review. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2016;123(10):1219–1234.
    1. Andrade AC, Magnavita GM, Allegro JV, Neto CE, Lucena Rde C, Fregni F. Feasibility of transcranial direct current stimulation use in children aged 5 to 12 years. J Child Neurol. 2014;29(10):1360–1365.
    1. Bortoletto M, Pellicciari MC, Rodella C, Miniussi C. The interaction with task-induced activity is more important than polarization: a tDCS study. Brain Stimul. 2015;8(2):269–76.
    1. International Business Machines. IBM SPSSstatistics for windowns, version 21.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp; 2012. Accessed March 13, 2018.
    1. Faul F, Erdfelder E, Lang A, Buchner A. G*Power 3: a flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behav Res Methods. 2007;39(2):175–191.
    1. Morris SB, DeShon RP. Combining effect size estimates in meta-analysis with repeated measures and independent-groups designs. Psychol Methods. 2002;7:105–125.
    1. Loureiro LMJ, Gameiro MGH. Interpretação crítica dos resultados estatísticos: para lá da significância estatística [in Portugal]. Revista de Enfermagem Referência (Portuguese).2011;3:151–162.
    1. Espírito-Santo H, Daniel F. Calcular e apresentar tamanhos do efeito em trabalhos científicos (1): As limitações do p < 0,05 na análise de diferenças de médias de dois grupos [in Portugal]. Revista Portuguesa de Investigação Comportamental e Social (Portuguese). 2015;1(1):3–16.
    1. Auvichayapat P, Aree-Uea B, Auvichayapat N, et al. Transient changes in brain metabolites after transcranial direct current stimulation in spastic cerebral palsy: a pilot study. Front Neurol. 2017;8:366.
    1. Gillick B, Rich T, Nemanich S, et al. Transcranial direct current stimulation and constraint-induced therapy in cerebral palsy: a randomized, blinded, sham-controlled clinical trial. Eur J Paediatr Neurol. 2018;22(3):358–368.
    1. Muller-Axt C, Anwander A, von Kriegstein K. Altered structural connectivity of the left visual thalamus in developmental dyslexia. Curr Biol. 2017;27(23):3692–3698.
    1. Cao F, Yan X, Wang Z, et al. Neural signatures of phonological deficits in Chinese developmental dyslexia. Neuroimage. 2017;146:301–311.

Source: PubMed

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

3
Subscribe