Learning to Read Bilingually Modulates the Manifestations of Dyslexia in Adults

Published online: 28 Mar 2018According to the Grain Size Accommodation hypothesis (Lallier & Carreiras, 2017), learning to read in two languages differing in orthographic consistency leads to a cross-linguistic modulation of reading and spelling processes. Here, we test the prediction that bilingualism may influence the manifestations of dyslexia. We compared the deficits of English monolingual and early Welsh–English bilingual dyslexic adults on reading and spelling irregular English words and English-like pseudowords. As predicted, monolinguals were relatively more impaired in reading pseudowords than irregular words, whereas the opposite was true for bilinguals. Moreover, monolinguals showed stronger sublexical processing deficits than bilinguals and were poorer spellers overall. This study shows that early bilingual reading experience has long-lasting effects on the manifestations of dyslexia in adulthood. It demonstrates that learning to read in a consistent language like Welsh in addition to English gives bilingual dyslexic adults an advantage in English literacy tasks strongly relying on phonological processing.This research was funded by the Fyssen Foundation, the European Commission (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF, Proposal N°274352, BIRD, to M.L) the European Research Council (ERC advanced grant, BILITERACY, to M.C., and ERC- 209704 to G.T.), the Spanish government (PSI2015-65338-P to M.L, and PSI2015-67353-R to M.C.), and the Economic and Social Research Council UK (RES-E024556-1 to G.T.). BCBL acknowledges funding from Ayuda Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa SEV-2015-0490

Lexico-semantic Impairment in a Case of HSVE to the Left Anterior Temporal Lobe

This study investigates the role of the left anterior temporal lobe (aTL) in semantics. Clinical and neuroscientific investigations propose the aTL bilaterally (BaTL), are implicated in semantics, based on findings that: (1) disruption to BaTL results in a multimodal semantic impairment, observed in semantic dementia (SD) and herpes-simplex-viral-encephalitis (HSVE); (2) impairment can be mimicked by inducing a “virtual lesion” (repetitive-transcranial-magnetic-stimulation) to BaTL in neurologically intact participants; (3) neuroimaging studies identify BaTL activation for semantic tasks (Fig 1, Lambon Ralph et al., 2012, for points 1-3). Anchored in this evidence is the assumption that semantic impairment will result from BaTL damage only. Recently, investigators have suggested a loss of semantic knowledge can result from LaTL damage. Using sensitive tests, this can be observed in chronic stroke (Schwartz et al., 2009) and temporal lobe resection for epilepsy patients (rTLE: Antonucci et al., 2008; Lambon Ralph et al., 2012). Of interest is the striking similarity of rTLE and very early stages of SD (when atrophy is left sided and overlaps with resection) – impairment is mild and the primary symptom is anomia and/or forgetfulness. This builds upon the possibility that a semantic weakness may result from a LaTL lesion. Whilst rTLE studies have provided insight into this notion, one must be cautious – pre-surgical seizures may initiate changes in brain organisation/normal development, and reorganisation of function could occur post-surgery. Chronic stroke studies are problematic since lesions are large and encompass other areas that may contribute to the impairment. Consequently, whether LaTL lesions results in semantic impairment is not entirely understood. The goal of the present case study was to initiate an investigation to determine whether semantic impairment is in fact present following LaTL lesion

La liberté e-limitée ? Structure et générations dans le réseau des militants libertariens français sur internet

Le militantisme libertarien a adopté, en France, un mode d’organisation particulier : le « clubisme ». Cette structuration militante reposait notamment sur un réseau centralisé, et sur des têtes pensantes peu nombreuses mais très actives et légitimes aux yeux de la périphérie du réseau militant. Quel effet a eu internet, technologie dont on a immédiatement reconnu la teneur politique, sur la structure du réseau militant libertarien français, sachant qu’internet favorise les structures réticulaires décentralisées, tout à fait congruentes à la pensée libérale ? L’article conclut à l’effet de résilience très prononcé du clubisme français, et à la permanence d’un réseau militant fortement centralisé sur internet. Néanmoins, s’il ne semble pas modifier la structure de ce réseau, internet donne naissance à de nouvelles pratiques militantes dont les plus jeunes militants sont à l’initiative et qui modifient les institutions responsables du noyau du réseau militant.Libertarian activism has adopted a specific form of organization in France : “clubism”. This structure of protest was based in particular on a centralized net­work, gathering few influencers that were very active and legitimate for the periphery of the protestation net­work. What effect had the internet, a technology whose political content had immediately been recognized, on the structure of the French libertarian activist network, knowing that the internet promotes decentralization, and that decentralized structures really fit with the liberal thought ? The article concludes that French clubism is highly resilient, and that a highly centralized internet-based activist network remains. Never­theless, if it does not seem to change the structure of the network, the internet gives birth to new protesting practices whose youngest militants resort to. Those practices reshape the core of the militant network

The cognitive deficits responsible for developmental dyslexia: Review of evidence for a visual attentional deficit hypothesis.

International audienceThere is strong converging evidence suggesting that developmental dyslexia stems from a phonological processing deficit. However, this hypothesis has been challenged by the widely admitted heterogeneity of the dyslexic population, and by several reports of dyslexic individuals with no apparent phonological deficit. In this paper, we discuss the hypothesis that a phonological deficit may not be the only core deficit in developmental dyslexia and critically examine several alternative proposals. To establish that a given cognitive deficit is causally related to dyslexia, at least two conditions need to be fulfilled. First, the hypothesised deficit needs to be associated with developmental dyslexia independently of additional phonological deficits. Second, the hypothesised deficit must predict reading ability, on both empirical and theoretical grounds. While most current hypotheses fail to fulfil these criteria, we argue that the visual attentional deficit hypothesis does. Recent studies providing evidence for the independence of phonological and visual attentional deficits in developmental dyslexia are reviewed together with empirical data showing that phonological and visual attentional processing skills contribute independently to reading performance. A theoretical model of reading is outlined in support of a causal link between a visual attentional disorder and a failure in reading acquisition

Developmental dyslexia: The visual attention span deficit hypothesis

International audienceThe visual attention (VA) span is defined as the amount of distinct visual elements which can be processed in parallel in a multi-element array. Both recent empirical data and theoretical accounts suggest that a VA span deficit might contribute to developmental dyslexia, independently of a phonological disorder. In this study, this hypothesis was assessed in two large samples of French and British dyslexic children whose performance was compared to that of chronological-age matched control children. Results of the French study show that the VA span capacities account for a substantial amount of unique variance in reading, as do phonological skills. The British study replicates this finding and further reveals that the contribution of the VA span to reading performance remains even after controlling IQ, verbal fluency, vocabulary and single letter identification skills, in addition to phoneme awareness. In both studies, most dyslexic children exhibit a selective phonological or VA span disorder. Overall, these findings support a multi-factorial view of developmental dyslexia. In many cases, developmental reading disorders do not seem to be due to phonological disorders. We propose that a VA span deficit is a likely alternative underlying cognitive deficit in dyslexia

Ovariohysterectomy in the Bitch

Ovariohysterectomy is a surgical procedure widely employed in practice by vets. It is indicated in cases of pyometra, uterine tumours, or other pathologies. This procedure should only be undertaken if the bitch is in a fit state to withstand general anaesthesia. However, the procedure is contradicated if the bitch presents a generalised condition with hypothermia, dehydration, and mydriasis. Ovariohysterectomy is generally performed via the linea alba. Per-vaginal hysterectomy can also be performed in the event of uterine prolapse, if the latter cannot be reduced or if has been traumatised to such an extent that it cannot be replaced safely. Specific and nonspecific complictions can occur as hemorrhage, adherences, urinary incontinence, return to oestrus including repeat surgery. After an ovariectomy, bitches tend to put on weight, it is therefore important to inform the owner and to reduce the daily ration by 10%

How strong is the relationship between general phonological processes and pseudo-word reading? (51st Academy of Aphasia Proceedings)

Phonological dyslexia (PD) is an acquired reading disorder characterised by an abnormally strong lexicality effect, i.e., with impaired pseudo-word reading contrasting with relatively preserved real word reading (Beauvois & Derouesne, 1979). Parallel distributed models of reading aloud (Harm & Seidenberg, 2001) have made the strong claim that PD is due to a general, non-reading specific deficit to central phonological representations which manifests during pseudo-word reading due to the inherently high demands they place on the phonological system. Under this account, patients with impaired phonology should show impaired pseudo-word reading and vice-versa. Consistent with this view, phonological deficits frequently co-occur with PD (Friedman, 1996). In contrast, dual route models posit that PD may result from a deficit to grapheme-phoneme conversion processes (sublexical reading process) that does not have to implicate a general phonological deficit. We present two cases that directly challenge the phonological deficit view