IU physicist and neuroscientist Jorge José is part of a team that received a grant from the National Science Foundation last week to study ways of diagnosing and possibly treating learning disabilities, according to an IU release.
José and researchers from University of California, San Diego; Rutgers University; University of Washington; and the Salk Institute will partner for the study, according to the release.
“By pooling our expertise to study movement signatures in children who experience learning difficulties in school, this study will develop new quantitative methods to detect learning disorders like ADHD, autism spectrum disorder and dystonia,” José said in the release.
The study will measure minute movements of the body, face and eyes to identify signs of learning disabilities in children, according to the release. José previously performed research with another group that discovered the first evidence that bodily movements could reveal signs of an autism spectrum disorder.
Grant leader for this research, Leanne Chukoskie, from UC, San Diego, said the research team is excited to work with José on this study.
“His expertise in novel mathematical analyses for characterizing movement will be central to this project,” Chukoskie said in the release. “We expect that our collaboration will produce a novel and productive perspective for understanding learning disorders, including how we evaluate and treat them.”
José said skills like the ability to point quickly and accurately can possibly show a learning disorder because this physical movement is a learned skill.
“The difference between typically developing children and the children with autism spectrum disorder is that the latter group of children never completely transition to fully controlling their movements,” José said in the release. “In our previous tests in autistic children, they never learn to control their movement with the same precision.”
Research will also explore using the part of the brain responsible for movement to improve cognitive function in kids. This section of the brain, called the motor cortex, is more trainable than most other parts, according to the release.
“Our joint work will set the stage to use this mental plasticity as a lever to improve cognitive functioning,” José said in the release. “Ultimately, our aim is that this work can be used to improve the chances that children who require early intervention due to learning disorders are more likely to get the assistance they need very early in their educational careers.”
Nyssa Kruse
