Brain Stimulation With Combined Reading and Motor Training for Children With Dyslexia

Summary

This study examines whether combining non-invasive brain stimulation (tDCS) with an integrated reading-and-motor training program improves reading and phonological processing in 9-year-old boys with developmental dyslexia.

Children with dyslexia often have difficulties in phonological awareness and fine motor skills. This study targets two brain areas at the same time: the left temporoparietal junction (important for reading and phonological processing) and the left primary motor cortex (important for hand movements and speech-related motor processes).

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of eight groups. Some groups will receive active brain stimulation, and some will receive sham (inactive) stimulation, while also participating in different types of training: phonological awareness training, fine motor training, combined phonological and fine motor training, or no training. The treatment includes 20 sessions, three times per week for about 7 weeks.

Reading and phonological skills will be measured before treatment, immediately after treatment, and again 3 months and 6 months later. The study will help determine whether a full treatment package-using brain stimulation together with combined reading and motor training-is more effective than single treatments or usual school education.

Conditions

• Developmental Dyslexia

Interventions

DEVICE

Active transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

Active tDCS will be delivered at 1 milliampere for 20 minutes per session, 20 sessions over about 7 weeks. The montage varies by arm: left temporoparietal (TPJ) montage, left primary motor cortex (M1) montage, or dual-site TPJ+M1 montage.

DEVICE

Sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

Sham tDCS will use the same electrode positions as the active groups, but the current will be applied for only 30 seconds and then gradually ramped down.

BEHAVIORAL

Phonological awareness training

20 sessions of 60 minutes each, three times per week for about 7 weeks. Covers syllable segmentation, rhyme, phoneme blending and segmentation, initial and final phoneme identification, phoneme manipulation, and grapheme-to-phoneme mapping.

BEHAVIORAL

Non-targeted fine motor training

20 sessions of 60 minutes each, three times per week for about 7 weeks. Includes activities without linguistic content, such as free play with dough, bead threading, pegboard tasks, and other manual dexterity exercises.

BEHAVIORAL

Integrated phonological and fine motor intervention

20 sessions of 60 minutes each, three times per week for about 7 weeks. Combines phonological awareness training with targeted fine motor activities linked to reading, such as forming letters with dough and stringing beads marked with phonemes.

OTHER

Usual school education

Participants receive the standard school curriculum without additional cognitive or motor training.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Shahid Beheshti University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Shahriar Gharibzadeh, Ph.D. · Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

108 Months

Max Age

119 Months

Sex

MALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-08-23

Primary Completion

2027-07-06

Completion

2027-08-01

Countries

• Iran

Study Locations