Neuronal asymmetries in primary visual cortex of dyslexic and nondyslexic brains

Dyslexic brains exhibit histologic changes in the magnocellular (magno) cells of the lateral geniculate nucleus, and consistent with these changes, dyslexics demonstrate abnormal visually evoked potentials and brain activation to magno-specific stimuli. The current study was aimed at determining whether these findings were associated with changes in the primary visual cortex with the prediction that magno components of this cortex would be affected. We measured cross-sectional neuronal areas in primary visual cortex (area 17) in dyslexic and nondyslexic autopsy specimens. There was a significant interaction between hemispheres and diagnostic category; ie, nondyslexic brains had larger neurons in the left hemisphere, whereas dyslexic brains had no asymmetry. On the other hand, cell layers associated with magno input from the lateral geniculate nucleus did not show consistent changes in dyslexic brains. Thus, there is a neuronal size asymmetry in favor of the left primary visual cortex in nondyslexics that is absent in dyslexic brains. This is yet another example of anomalous expression of cerebral asymmetry in dyslexia similar to that of the planum temporale, which in our view reflects abnormality in circuits involved in reading.