Completed projects

In our longitudinal study LEXI, we examined children with a family history of increased risk for dyslexia at four test points from kindergarten to second grade using simultaneous EEG and MRI imaging. The results of these investigations show very impressively how the brain specialises in the processing of letters during learning to read.

As part of this project, we have also developed the first Swiss version of the digital learning software "GraphoLearn" for the German language, in collaboration with Prof Ulla Richardson from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland.

This learning software supports the automation of written speech sound correspondences and is therefore particularly suitable for children with problems in written language acquisition. The approximately three-month training programme during first grade showed positive effects on the children's decoding reading. These positive results also formed the basis for a comprehensive revision and further development of the app and a second larger evaluation study as part of the "AllRead" project, and a further investigation of the reading network in the brain towards the end of primary school as part of the "READY" study. The project was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Hartmann-Müller Foundation and the Olga Mayenfisch Foundation.

The READY project builds on our longitudinal study LEXI. With an additional test point in Year 5, we tracked the development of brain networks in the reading process up to the end of primary school. With the extended sample in the fifth grade, we also investigated the differences in the language networks of children with and without reading problems as well as the influence of family risk and the reading environment on this development. Of particular interest were the results on connectivity between language areas in the brain, which showed clear differences in children with and without Dyslexia. These differences could at least partly explain the reading difficulties. The READY project was supported by the Fondation Botnar.

As part of a joint project between the University of Zurich and the University of Jyväskylä (Prof. Ulla Richardson), the learning software GraphoLearn was developed and evaluated as an app-based training programme, particularly for children with weak reading skills. The aim was to gain a deeper understanding of the learning processes in the brains of these children and to develop predictive measures for the development of reading skills in order to improve the early identification of children with impaired reading abilities.

Children with reading difficulties from first to third grade underwent approximately four months of training with GraphoLearn. We conducted electroencephalography (EEG) and behavioural tests before and after the training. In addition, EEG, MRI, and behavioural tests were conducted to investigate the reading development of children with and without reading difficulties.

Initial results show positive effects of the GraphoLearn app on the children's reading skills.

The app is available at the App Store or Google Play Store.

This study was supported by the Fondation Botnar.

The link of spoken language sounds (phonemes) and orthographic representations (letters in the alphabet; graphemes) is a crucial component when learning to read.

As part of the Grapholemo project, we have identified the mechanisms of our brain in the formation of sound-letter connections. In a task, adults learned to make new connections between phonemes and unfamiliar characters while their brain activity was recorded using MRI. The initial results give us insights into the neuronal networks involved in learning new letter-sound correspondences.

The study aims to develop new approaches to characterise individual differences in the formation of sound-letter associations. These can be used in the long term to detect reading problems early and design suitable training methods.

The project was supported by the University of Zurich (Postdoc Grant, G. Fraga-Gonzalez)

The incidence of depression (Major Depressive Disorders "MDD") increases rapidly with puberty, with girls being affected more frequently than boys. This illness is associated with considerable reduction in quality of life and a dramatically increased suicidal tendency.

Our MRI-based study on depression aims to use imaging, neuropsychological and biological methods to record the changes in the function and structure of the brain during depression in childhood and adolescence. This study, supported by the Olga Mayenfisch Foundation, focusses on emotion processing and reward learning in adolescents with depression as well as their brain function in resting state.

Initial results show important differences in the mechanism of reward learning and inefficient processing of ambivalent emotional faces in adolescents with depression. These differences are also reflected in changes in brain activity and connections between brain regions. These findings help us to better understand the disease mechanisms and could provide important ideas for the development of new treatment methods such as neurofeedback and neurostimulation.

Initial results show important differences in the mechanism of reward learning as well as inefficient processing of ambivalent emotional faces in adolescents with depression. These differences are also reflected in changes in brain activity and connections between brain regions. These findings help us to better understand the disease mechanisms and could provide important suggestions for the development of new treatment methods such as neurofeedback and neurostimulation.