Molecular and cognitive effects of Quadrato Motor Training in adult dyslexia: a longitudinal case study

Dyslexia is a complex neurodevelopmental deficit characterized by impaired reading, which has been previously linked to both genetic and neurological components. Quadrato Motor Training (QMT), a structured sensorimotor training that involves sequences of movements based on verbal commands, was shown to improve reading in dyslexic adults, in parallel to a significant increase of cerebellar oscillatory alpha power. QMT was further shown to induce neurotrophin changes, specifically Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) in healthy adults, which in turn correlated with improved attention and working memory, that are known to be lacking in dyslexia. Yet, so far studies on QMT in the context of dyslexia were conducted solely on adults. Consequently, in the current case study, we conducted a longitudinal study examining the cognitive and molecular effects of QMT on a 20-year old dyslexic young adult. Reading, verbal fluency and molecular examination of BDNF and NGF were performed before, after 4 and 10 weeks of daily training, using a 1 Minute Reading and Alternate Uses tests and western blot analysis, respectively. Following 10 weeks of training, the subject showed improved reading revealed by the reading task. In parallel, salivary proBDNF and proNGF increased following the training. Changes in verbal fluency were also observed. The current results are consistent with previous ones demonstrating that QMT is an effective training to treat dyslexia and improve reading. Longitudinal examination of neurotrophic change as it unfolds through time following training can substantially have both theoretical and practical implications, first involving change in proNGF and subsequently in proBDNF.