Reevaluating the neural noise in dyslexia using biomarkers from electroencephalography and high-resolution magnetic resonance spectroscopy

The neural noise hypothesis of dyslexia posits an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory (E/I) brain activity as an underlying mechanism of reading difficulties. This study provides the first direct test of this hypothesis using both electroencephalography (EEG) power spectrum measures in 120 P...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Agnieszka Glica, Katarzyna Wasilewska, Julia Jurkowska, Jarosław Żygierewicz, Bartosz Kossowski, Katarzyna Jednoróg
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 2025-03-01
Series:eLife
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Online Access:https://elifesciences.org/articles/99920
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Summary:The neural noise hypothesis of dyslexia posits an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory (E/I) brain activity as an underlying mechanism of reading difficulties. This study provides the first direct test of this hypothesis using both electroencephalography (EEG) power spectrum measures in 120 Polish adolescents and young adults (60 with dyslexia, 60 controls) and glutamate (Glu) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentrations from magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at 7T MRI scanner in half of the sample. Our results, supported by Bayesian statistics, show no evidence of E/I balance differences between groups, challenging the hypothesis that cortical hyperexcitability underlies dyslexia. These findings suggest that alternative mechanisms must be explored and highlight the need for further research into the E/I balance and its role in neurodevelopmental disorders.
ISSN:2050-084X