Transcranial direct current stimulation and dyslexia: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Developmental dyslexia is a disorder of neurobiological origin (APA, 2014) characterized by impairments in decoding and accurate automatic recognition of written words associated with deficits in the phonological component of language. Those disorders are atypical in terms of age and cognitive-linguistic abilities. Studies with functional magnetic resonance imaging in individuals with developmental dyslexia aren't unanimous in their results yet, but point to brain, functional and structural anomalies in areas related to the processing of phonological and visual information. Non-invasive neuromodulation techniques are currently a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of various neurodevelopmental disorders, including dyslexia. However, there is still uncertainty regarding the indication, clinical effects, medium and long-term results, and application parameters. Goal: to investigate in the relevant literature evidence that the use of tDCS in children and adolescents with developmental dyslexia improves their reading skills. Method: only articles in English and Portuguese published between 2012 and 2022, in the Medline/PubMed databases, will be searched, using the descriptors: "transcranial direct current stimulation AND dyslexia" and "transcranial direct current stimulation AND dyslexia AND clinical trial" (Transcranial direct current stimulation AND dyslexia and Transcranial direct current stimulation AND dyslexia AND clinical trial, respectively). Expected results: After tabulating the studies and analyzing the data, the effectiveness of tDCS will be verified, whether there was another type of intervention and relevant and significant results in the treatment of developmental dyslexia.(AU)