Project description
New methods to read the brain
Right now, your brain is doing something unique only to humans – reading. Advances in psychology and neuroscience over the last 20 years have provided new insight into how literacy works. There is still much to learn about the neural architecture supporting reading. The EU-funded ENGRAVINg project will use quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) and modern magnetoencephalographic methods (MEG) to investigate the connection between visual and language systems. The aim is to explain how changes in myelination of the reading brain tracts relate to the functional interactions between language and visual areas. The findings will contribute to the development of effective literacy interventions for children with learning disabilities.
Objective
Literacy is a fundamental human right and the foundation for lifelong learning. Acquiring a new writing system has huge consequences for our everyday life but also for our brain. However, the neural underpinnings of this unique human skill are still unclear. Understanding how the brain learns to quickly map visual configurations to sounds and concepts represents a scientific challenge with educational and clinical implications. Visual and language brain circuits are strongly influenced by the experience of literacy1. With reading acquisition, these two brain circuits have to adjust and start to interact in completely new ways. The present project will investigate the structural and functional connections between visual and language systems by combining for the first time new cutting-edge techniques of cognitive neuroscience. Modern magnetoencephalographic (MEG) methods allow us to collect fine-grained time course description about cortical activations of visual and language areas, as well as about their spatial localizations and functional connectivity. Moreover, recent advances in quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) methods enable us to collect structural measures of the white matter tissue connecting the reading network and measure properties that affect signal conduction, such as myelination. The present proposal will combine these two methodologies in order to describe how changes in myelination of the reading brain tracts are related to the functional interactions between language and visual areas. This new knowledge will allow us to 1) tease apart interactive and modular predictions on the reading network 2) uncover how this structural-functional relation between brain areas changes in reading acquisition and reading impairment.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology cognitive neuroscience
- engineering and technology medical engineering diagnostic imaging magnetic resonance imaging
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
20009 San Sebastian
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.