Dyslexia: Causes and Treatment :: Science Research Disorder Essays

Dyslexia: Causes and Treatment Works Cited Missing The learning disability dyslexia once perplexed scientists who now are beginning to make breakthrough discoveries into its causes. Dyslexia traditionally was vaguely defined as a difficulty in learning to read and write. In the past, dyslexics often were dismissed as lazy, not focused, or unintelligent. With these recent discoveries, scientists may be able to define much more specific disorders. Researchers now are finding out that people with dyslexia use specific brain regions that process written languages differently than those without the disorder. The specific brain regions which are involved, however, remain uncertain. With the knowledge that dyslexia results from differences in the language areas of the brain, it will be possible for researchers to help dyslexics better compensate for their conditions. Scientists also are coming closer to exactly pinpointing what causes those areas of the brain to act differently in dyslexics. Though which regions of the brain most central to dyslexia remain unresolved, technology has made headway to answer this question. Brain imaging, which is a technique of photographing the brain â€Å"in action,† indicates that dyslexics have higher levels of the chemical lactate in certain regions of the brain during language and sound processing. According to neurophysicist and brain specialist, Todd Richards, who heads a research team at the University of Washington, the regions of the brain that show high levels of chemical lactate are mostly in the left anterior quadrant of the brain that includes: the Left Frontal Cortex, Broca’s area, the Inferior Frontal Gyrus, the Middle Frontal Gyrus, and the Striatum (Richards). Dyslexics have to expend more brain energy in these regions to accomplish the same tasks as non-dyslexics, which results in higher levels of chemical lactate. Research also shows that dyslexics have less activity in the angular gyrus (AG) than those without the disability. â€Å"[T]he angular gyrus translates the mass of words and letters we encounter in day-to-day life into language† (Dyslexia par. 8). The AG is located towards the back of the brain and is a key component in normal reading. Many researchers believe that this part of the brain does not function normally in dyslexics. Some scientists are speculating that dyslexics may use certain areas of the brain inadequately, compensating for this by disproportionately using other areas of the brain.