Does binocular instability influence static body balance in adults with developmental dyslexia?

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Motor Control
• Developmental Disorders

Background:

• Dyslexia is associated with various neurodevelopmental differences.
• Body balance control is crucial for daily activities and may be affected in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate body balance control deficits in adults with dyslexia.
• To determine if unstable binocular fixation relates to impaired body balance in dyslexic adults.

Main Methods:

• Posturography was used to assess body balance in 15 dyslexic and 15 non-dyslexic adults.
• Balance was measured during single-task (quiet standing) and dual-task (standing with mental task) conditions.
• Visual conditions included monocular fixation, binocular fixation, and eyes closed, with analysis of center of pressure (CoP) parameters.

Main Results:

• Dyslexic adults showed significantly higher exo-fixation disparity (exo-FD) compared to controls.
• Both groups demonstrated better body stabilization with binocular fixation than with eyes closed.
• Posturographic deficits in dyslexic adults were observed and were not influenced by visual conditions.

Conclusions:

• Adults with dyslexia exhibit impaired body balance control.
• Despite a higher incidence of fixation disparity, binocular fixation did not exacerbate postural instability in dyslexics.
• The findings suggest that both postural deficits and fixation disparity in dyslexia may indicate underlying cerebellar dysfunction.