Auditory temporal coding in dyslexia.
Developmental dyslexia is generally believed to result from impaired linguistic processing rather than from deficits in low-level sensory function. Challenging this view, we studied the perception of non-verbal acoustic stimuli and low-level auditory evoked potentials in dyslexic adults. Compared with matched controls, dyslexics were selectively impaired in tasks (frequency discrimination and binaural unmasking) which rely on decoding neural discharges phase-locked to the fine structure of the stimulus. Furthermore, this ability to use phase-locking was related to reading ability. In addition, the evoked potential reflecting phase-locked discharges was significantly smaller in dyslexics. These results demonstrate a low-level auditory impairment in dyslexia traceable to the brainstem nuclei.
McAnally
K I
KI
University Laboratory of Physiology, Oxford, U.K.
Stein
J F
JF
D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D006801:Humans