Resting-State Functional MRI in Dyslexia: A Systematic Review

<b>Background/Objectives:</b> The present review addresses and systematically analyses the most frequently reported neuropsychological and functional connectivity (FC) alterations in individuals with dyslexia compared to controls. By synthesizing extant evidence, this work aims to clarif...

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Main Authors: Bruce Martins, Isabel A. B. Verrone, Mariana M. I. Sakamoto, Mariana Y. Baba, Melissa E. Yvata, Katerina Lukasova, Mariana P. Nucci
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Biomedicines
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/5/1210
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author Bruce Martins
Isabel A. B. Verrone
Mariana M. I. Sakamoto
Mariana Y. Baba
Melissa E. Yvata
Katerina Lukasova
Mariana P. Nucci
author_facet Bruce Martins
Isabel A. B. Verrone
Mariana M. I. Sakamoto
Mariana Y. Baba
Melissa E. Yvata
Katerina Lukasova
Mariana P. Nucci
author_sort Bruce Martins
collection DOAJ
description <b>Background/Objectives:</b> The present review addresses and systematically analyses the most frequently reported neuropsychological and functional connectivity (FC) alterations in individuals with dyslexia compared to controls. By synthesizing extant evidence, this work aims to clarify dyslexic connectivity profiles and provide a foundation for future research and clinical translation. <b>Methods:</b> This systematic review analyzed publications from the last 10 years in two scientific databases, focusing on individuals with dyslexia, without previous injuries, who underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) assessments, comparing them with typical readers. <b>Results:</b> This review revealed that most dyslexia studies on brain FC using rs-fMRI focused on children (92%), underscoring a gap in research on adults and limiting our understanding of brain maturation processes and neuroplasticity across the lifespan. FC alterations primarily involved ipsilateral connections (60%), with reduced connectivity mainly in the left hemisphere (40%), particularly in posterior regions, aligning with the neurobiological hypothesis of phonological and visual–phonological dysfunctions in dyslexia. Conversely, increased connectivity in the right hemisphere (20%) may indicate the engagement of an alternative network and highlight the complexity of neural adaptations in dyslexia. <b>Conclusions:</b> The findings highlight a significant gap in the study of adult dyslexia and suggest that FC alterations predominantly affect the left hemisphere, with possible compensatory mechanisms in the right hemisphere. Reading fluency improvements in dyslexia may be linked to connectivity changes across multiple brain networks rather than the classical reading circuitry alone. Increased and decreased connectivity in various regions related to executive function, language, and salience processing indicate that broader cognitive mechanisms play a key role in reading performance.
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spelling doaj-art-39a8d60fc9b241e8a873137495f48d8f2025-08-20T02:33:40ZengMDPI AGBiomedicines2227-90592025-05-01135121010.3390/biomedicines13051210Resting-State Functional MRI in Dyslexia: A Systematic ReviewBruce Martins0Isabel A. B. Verrone1Mariana M. I. Sakamoto2Mariana Y. Baba3Melissa E. Yvata4Katerina Lukasova5Mariana P. Nucci6LIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, BrazilLIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, BrazilLIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, BrazilLIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, BrazilLIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, BrazilCentro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André 09210-580, BrazilLIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil<b>Background/Objectives:</b> The present review addresses and systematically analyses the most frequently reported neuropsychological and functional connectivity (FC) alterations in individuals with dyslexia compared to controls. By synthesizing extant evidence, this work aims to clarify dyslexic connectivity profiles and provide a foundation for future research and clinical translation. <b>Methods:</b> This systematic review analyzed publications from the last 10 years in two scientific databases, focusing on individuals with dyslexia, without previous injuries, who underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) assessments, comparing them with typical readers. <b>Results:</b> This review revealed that most dyslexia studies on brain FC using rs-fMRI focused on children (92%), underscoring a gap in research on adults and limiting our understanding of brain maturation processes and neuroplasticity across the lifespan. FC alterations primarily involved ipsilateral connections (60%), with reduced connectivity mainly in the left hemisphere (40%), particularly in posterior regions, aligning with the neurobiological hypothesis of phonological and visual–phonological dysfunctions in dyslexia. Conversely, increased connectivity in the right hemisphere (20%) may indicate the engagement of an alternative network and highlight the complexity of neural adaptations in dyslexia. <b>Conclusions:</b> The findings highlight a significant gap in the study of adult dyslexia and suggest that FC alterations predominantly affect the left hemisphere, with possible compensatory mechanisms in the right hemisphere. Reading fluency improvements in dyslexia may be linked to connectivity changes across multiple brain networks rather than the classical reading circuitry alone. Increased and decreased connectivity in various regions related to executive function, language, and salience processing indicate that broader cognitive mechanisms play a key role in reading performance.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/5/1210dyslexiaresting staters-fMRIneurodevelopmentfunctional connectivity
spellingShingle Bruce Martins
Isabel A. B. Verrone
Mariana M. I. Sakamoto
Mariana Y. Baba
Melissa E. Yvata
Katerina Lukasova
Mariana P. Nucci
Resting-State Functional MRI in Dyslexia: A Systematic Review
Biomedicines
dyslexia
resting state
rs-fMRI
neurodevelopment
functional connectivity
title Resting-State Functional MRI in Dyslexia: A Systematic Review
title_full Resting-State Functional MRI in Dyslexia: A Systematic Review
title_fullStr Resting-State Functional MRI in Dyslexia: A Systematic Review
title_full_unstemmed Resting-State Functional MRI in Dyslexia: A Systematic Review
title_short Resting-State Functional MRI in Dyslexia: A Systematic Review
title_sort resting state functional mri in dyslexia a systematic review
topic dyslexia
resting state
rs-fMRI
neurodevelopment
functional connectivity
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/5/1210
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AT marianaybaba restingstatefunctionalmriindyslexiaasystematicreview
AT melissaeyvata restingstatefunctionalmriindyslexiaasystematicreview
AT katerinalukasova restingstatefunctionalmriindyslexiaasystematicreview
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