Neurogenetics and auditory processing in developmental dyslexia

Dyslexia is a polygenic developmental reading disorder characterized by an auditory/phonological deficit. Based on the latest genetic and neurophysiological studies, we propose a tentative model in which phonological deficits could arise from genetic anomalies of the cortical micro-architecture in the temporal lobe.

► Developmental dyslexia is a specific reading disability with a genetic component. ► Genetic variations associated with dyslexia disrupt neuronal migration and auditory processing. ► Anomalies of cortical micro-circuitry translate in abnormal cortical oscillations. ► Neural oscillations in auditory cortex facilitate processing of phonological units. ► Disrupted auditory cortical oscillations alter access to phonological representations.