Bridging the Gap Between Brain Network Science and High-definition Non-invasive Brain Stimulation to Develop a Scalable Adult Literacy Intervention
Vanderbilt University
Summary
The goal of this project is to address the urgent need for effective, scalable adult literacy interventions by integrating breakthroughs in two separate fields: 1.) the brain network science of resilience to reading disorders and 2.) high-definition non-invasive brain network stimulation. This study will first establish the efficacy of a novel, noninvasive stimulation protocol on reading behavior and brain metrics; then will determine how stimulation-induced effects interact with baseline reading comprehension ability; and lastly, will identify whether stimulation-induced effects are more clinically-beneficial than canonical behavioral interventions. Results may change the foundation for how we treat low adult literacy, and have the potential for wider reaching impacts on non-invasive stimulation protocols for other clinical disorders.
Description
One in five adults in the US are unable to adequately comprehend a sentence. Low literacy is a major public health crisis, with no existing solution: findings from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) reveal that there have been no significant improvements to US national statistics on literacy in the past 30 years. Studies of the survey data reveal that adults with low literacy in the US have in-tact but slow word reading processes and vocabulary, and struggle to comprehend sentences and passages. Rates of poor reading comprehension (RC) ability are espe…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–40 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: This study will be open to all right-handed, native English monolingual speakers, who meet eligibility criteria regardless of race, gender, minority or socioeconomic status. Due to age-related differences in the language and learning processes, the age range of subjects will be a minimum of 18 years and a maximum of 40 years. Exclusion Criteria: We will exclude individuals with a personal medical history of stroke or seizures or those taking medications specifically prescribed for the treatment of stroke or seizures. However, participants who are on medications that carr…
Interventions
- DeviceSham intervention
Use of the non-invasive brain stimulation device to simulate peripheral experience of stimulation without actually stimulating the brain.
- DeviceRLN real non-invasive brain stimulation intervention
Real non-invasive brain stimulation to the left angular gyrus using transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS).
- DeviceRLN and CCN real non-invasive brain stimulation intervention
Real non-invasive brain stimulation to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left angular gyrus using transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS).
Location
- Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Tennessee