Grey matter reduction in the occipitotemporal cortex in Spanish children with dyslexia: A voxel-based morphometry study

Structural and functional neuroimaging studies have reported brain alterations in occipitotemporal, temporoparietal, and left frontal areas in dyslexic patients. These areas have been linked to reading skill impairments, due to their involvement in word recognition and processing. However, most of the patients in these studies were speakers of languages with a deep orthography. In this study, we used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to investigate brain differences in grey matter volume associated with a transparent language in a sample of 25 native Spanish participants (13 dyslexic and 12 non-dyslexic children). Results revealed a volume reduction in the left occipitotemporal cortex and right cerebellum in dyslexics. Significantly, the reduction in occipitotemporal areas has been previously linked to reading in transparent languages. Our results support previous studies and are consistent with the idea that reading problems in languages with a shallow orthography are related to the ventral reading network.