Learning, aging and dyslexia (LeADy)

Learning difficulties at an older age are understudied. In this project we will focus on dyslexia, or reading difficulty, how it manifests in older individuals, how it is associated with aging-related cognitive decline. We will utilize a longitudinal sample (Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia, JLD) that has been studied over the past 30 years. In the new data collection phase, we can study the onset of aging-related decline, for example, in general working memory processes and how the deficits in verbal working memory with origins in early brain development interact with aging-related decline. In a similar manner, we will also study the associations between hearing loss, speech perception, phonological processing, processing speed and rapid naming. The results provide new information on the dyslexia profile and how learning difficulties impact life at an older age.


Previous publications

Lohvansuu, K., Torppa, M., Ahonen, T., Eklund, K., Hämäläinen, J. A., Leppänen, P. H. T. & Lyytinen, H. (2021). Unveiling the Mysteries of Dyslexia - Lessons Learned from the Prospective Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia. Brain Sciences, 11 (4), 427. 

Hsu, Y.-F., Tu, C.-A., Bekinschtein, T. A. & Hämäläinen, J. A. (2023). Longitudinal Evidence for Attenuated Local-Global Deviance Detection as a Precursor of Working Memory Decline. eNeuro, 10 (8).

Hsu, Y.-F., Waszak, F., Strömmer, J.  & Hämäläinen, J. A. (2021). Human Brain Ages With Hierarchy-Selective Attenuation of Prediction Errors. Cerebral Cortex, 31 (4), 2156–2168.

Lohvansuu, K., Hämäläinen, J. A., Ervast, L., Lyytinen, H. & Leppänen, P. H. T. (2018). Longitudinal interactions between brain and cognitive measures on reading development from 6 months to 14 years. Neuropsychologia, 108 (8), 6–12. (limited access)


JLD publications from other researchers

Khanolainen, D., Salminen, J., Eklund, K., Lerkkanen, M.-K. & Torppa, M. (2022). Intergenerational Transmission of Dyslexia: How do Different Identification Methods of Parental Difficulties Influence the Conclusions Regarding Children's Risk for Dyslexia? Reading Research Quarterly, 58 (2).

Torppa, M., Eklund, K., van Bergen, E., & Lyytinen, H. (2011). Parental literacy predicts children’s literacy: A longitudinal family-risk study. Dyslexia, 17 (4), 339–355. (limited access)


Students

Anni Korhonen
Master’s student in Psychology

Ranja Koski
MSc (Sport Sciences), Master’s student in Psychology


Collaborators

Prof. Kenneth R. Pugh
President of Haskins Laboratories, assoc. prof. Yale University, prof. University of Conneticut, USA

Prof. Yi-Fang Hsu
National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan


Network

InterLearn – Research Team of Educational Sciences