Dyslexia

Low levels of DHA in the blood have been linked to dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, and hyperactivity. They have also been linked to dementia, including Alzheimer s, in the elderly. Scientists have found that these conditions are much less prevalent in cul-... 

Finally, psychological testing is sometimes nsed to complete evalnation. This testing not only provides feedback regarding the child s attention and ability to process information bnt can also identify other problems snch as learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia) that can complicate the pictnre. 

Kairaluoma, L., Narhl, V., Ahonen, T., Westerholm, J., and Aro, M. (2008). Do fatty acids help in overcoming reading difficultires A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid and carnosine supplementation on children with dyslexia. Child Care Health Dev. (in press). 

Oddly enough. Diamond and Scheibel found Einstein to have fewer glial cells than expected in Area 39 of Einstein s left brain hemisphere. Could Einstein s low number of glial cells account for his slower (or unusual) speech development We know that this area impacts speech because lesions in this area lead to dyslexia. As we discussed in Chapter 2, Einstein once mentioned that written and spoken words were not important when he formulated his theories. Imagery and emotion actually... 

Kantha, S., Albert Einstein s dyslexia and the significance of Brodmann Area 39 of his left cerebral cortex, Medical Hypotheses 37 119-122, 1992. 

Linkage studies identified genes for a variety of ailments including bipolar disorder, cerulean cataracts, melanoma, hearing loss, dyslexia, thyroid cancer, sudden infant death sy ndrome, prostate cancer, and dwarfism. 

Beaton AA. 1997. The relation of planum temporale asymmetry and morphology of the corpus callosum to handedness, gender, and dyslexia A review of the evidence. Brain Lang... 

Developmental disabilities, which again through continued research are often referred to currently as cognitive disabilities, include Tourette s syndrome, dyslexia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Mental illness includes depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality, to name only a few of the conditions that can destroy the lives of individuals and wreak havoc on family and friends. 

Grigorenko EL, Wood FB, Meyer MS et al 1997 Susceptibility loci for distinct components of developmental dyslexia on chromosomes 6 and 15. Am J Hum Genet 60 27-39... 

MHC genes also determine the susceptibility of individuals to autoimmune diseases. Among the diseases clearly related to MHC genes are insulin-dependent diabetes, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus, erythematosus, myasthenia gravis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Alleles of MHC genes are also associated with non-immune system diseases, e.g., hemochromatosis, narcolepsy, and dyslexia. 

Initial reports of deficiencies of essential fatty acids among children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia raised the promise of potential nondrug treatments. Convincing treatment data from interventional trials has not yet been reported. (Stevens et al. (1995) found that 53 subjects with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder had significantly lower concentrations of AA, EPA. and DHA in plasma polar phospholipids when compared to 43 control subjects. (Stordy 1995) has described decreased rod function comparing 10 young dyslexics to 10 controls. In an open trial, supplementation... 

Stordy BJ. Dark adaptation, motor skills, docosahexaenoic acid, and dyslexia. Am J Clin Nutr 2000 71(1) 323S-326S. 

Rumsey JM, Hamburger SD (1990) Neuropsychological divergence of high-level autism and severe dyslexia. J Autism Devel Disord 20 155-168. 

Alexia acquired disorder of reading ability often accompanied by aphasia. Distinguish from dyslexia (developmental reading problem)... 

One of the major learning disabilities is childhood developmental dyslexia, a difficulty with written language (for example,... 

Habib, M. (2000). The neurological basis of developmental dyslexia an overview and working hypothesis. Brain. 123 2373—2399. 

Frith, U. (2001). Dyslexia cultural diversity and biological unity. Science. 291 2165—2167. 

Thus, at a recent symposium sponsored by the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) devoted entirely to the therapeutic use of fats in mental illness, several presenters reported the beneficial effects of EFA supplementation on depression, bipolar illness, and schizophrenia. Adding EFAs to the diets of research subjects has been associated with improvements in dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as improved intelligence measures in ten-month-olds and in adults with Alzheimer s disease. ... 

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