Effects of the Combination of RRT With tDCS on Dyslexic Adults

Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Developmental Dyslexia

Treatments: Behavioral: Rhythmic Reading Training; Device: Transcranial direct current stimulation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03119402

RRT+tDCS

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the combination of Rhythmic Reading Training (RRT), a computer-assisted intervention method that combines sublexical reading exercises with rhythm processing, and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on reading abilities of a group of Italian undergraduate students with dyslexia. Two experimental conditions (active vs. sham) will be compared. Finally, the effects of the intervention on other cognitive functions involved in the process of reading (i.e., rapid automatized naming, verbal working memory, rhythm perception abilities) will be measured.

Enrollment: 20 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 19 to 30 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• having been diagnosed with DD (ICD-10 code: F81.0) on the basis of standard inclusion and exclusion criteria (ICD-10: World Health Organization, 1992) and of the diagnosis procedure followed in the Italian practice

Exclusion criteria

• presence of comorbidity with other neuropsychiatric or psychopathological conditions (whereas comorbidity with other learning disabilities were allowed)
• exclusion criteria for the use of tDCS (e.g. epilepsy, pregnancy).

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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20 participants in 2 patient groups

RRT + active tDCS

Experimental group

Description:

Rhythmic Reading Training, administered for 5 hours over 10 days consecutive (30-minute training sessions per day) + simultaneous 20 minutes of active tDCS (1.5 mA, 5x5cm anodal electrode on left parieto-temporal regions and 5x5cm cathodal electrode on right parieto-temporal regions).

Treatment:

Device: Transcranial direct current stimulation

Behavioral: Rhythmic Reading Training

RRT + sham tDCS

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Rhythmic Reading Training, administered for 5 hours over 10 days consecutive (30-minute training sessions per day) + simultaneous 20 minutes of sham tDCS (with the same active tDCS setup, current applied for 30 seconds,

Treatment:

Device: Transcranial direct current stimulation

Behavioral: Rhythmic Reading Training