Desynchronization between speech rhythms and neural oscillations: a possible cause of phonological problems in dyslexia

Abstract

The main objective of our studies is to understand the neural bases underlying phonological difficulties in dyslexia. First, we will review the theoretical research framework generated around the phonological theory of dyslexia. Second, we will review what are the neural mechanisms involved in the segmentation of speech in control readers. In this section we will demonstrate that the synchronization between speech rhythms and neural oscillations at different frequency bands plays a key role in the segmentation of speech. Next, we will present different studies that suggest that dyslexic readers present a desynchronization between speech rhythms and neuronal oscillations in auditory regions. This lack of synchronization could cause the auditory perception problems and the phonological difficulties that we observe in readers with dyslexia. Finally, we will present recent studies from our laboratory that support the theory of neuronal desynchronization in dyslexia and show that these problems are also present in children with dyslexia.