Curriculum
Neuroscience, Technology, and Society, XXXVI series
Grant sponsor
Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, UNIPD
Supervisor

Andrea Facoetti
Co-supervisor
s
Claudio Palazzi
Contact
giovanna.puccio@studenti.unipd.it

Project description
Developmental Dyslexia (DD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by specific difficulties in reading abilities in spite of normal intellectual abilities and adequate teaching, and regardless of any manifest sensory or neurologic deficit. Although the most common explanation of DD suggests a specific disorder in phonological and auditory processing, several studies also showed visual attention deficits in DD and the crucial role played by altered Magnocellular-Dorsal (MD) pathway. Starting from the results of some visual-attentional training, this project will investigate the MD dysfunction in children and adults with reading difficulties through the use of Action Video-Game (AVG). In particular, the goals of this PhD project will be: (i) evaluation of the long-term effects of AVG training; (ii) assessment of transient effect of AVG training; (iii) measurement of the effects of emotional factors on cognitive abilities during AVG training; (iv) identification of personality traits and of cognitive functioning associated with an improvement in reading skills following AVG treatment. The MD function and dysfunction will be investigated with different tasks and through an inter-disciplinary approach, linking psychology and computer science. The results of this study will propose an effective and innovative training to the treatment of DD and other neurodevelopmental disorders associated with reading difficulties.