Reading Studies

Reading in Aphasia

We are currently recruiting for a study that looks at how the brain works during reading and we are looking for adults in the Atlanta, GA area to participate! We are looking for all levels of reading ability – general reading difficulties (dyslexia or poor reading abilities,) reading difficulties after stroke/aphasia, and typical readers. The study involves two visits, each approximately 3 hours. In the first visit, we will test your reading skills and in the second visit we will scan your brain in an MRI.  Receive up to $65, based on number of sessions completed (minimum $15)

If you are interested in learning more, e-mail me at [email protected].

TMS Study of Reading

We are currently recruiting for a study that looks at how the brain works during reading and we are looking for adults in the Atlanta, GA area to participate! We are looking for new people with general reading difficulties such as dyslexia or poor reading abilities. This reading study includes two sessions that take place over 2 days. During the first session you will complete some questionnaires and perform some reading tasks which will last approximately 2 hours. On the second session you will do some more reading tasks. You will also have 2 MRI brain scans with a transcranial magnet stimulation (TMS) session in between. The second session will last no more than 4 hours You can receive up to $75 for participating in both session of our study and we can provide transportation to and from the study if you would need it.

We are looking for people who meet the following qualifications:

• Male or female, ages 18 to 50
• Native English speaker
• Right-handed
• Struggling reader (reading will be screened to see if you qualify)
• No permanent metal in or on body
• No pacemaker, cochlear impact, permanent hearing aid
• Not claustrophobic
• Healthy (no heart or neurological diseases, history of seizures, other organ failure, sickle cell anemia, high or low blood pressure)

If you are interested in learning more, e-mail Dr. Nikki Arrington at [email protected].

Reading Strategies Program

This research is being done to determine how the brain supports our reading ability, and whether differences exist between the way typically reading individuals and individuals with (a past diagnosis of) dyslexia process text. Participation will involve filling out a number of questionnaires and tests about your language and medical history. In addition, you will be asked to undergo five MRI sessions (where we take pictures of your brain using a large magnet) and four TMS sessions (where we can stimulate parts of your brain using a magnetic coil). The first visit, which will consist of above mentioned questionnaires, behavioral assessments, and the first MRI scan, will last for a total of 4 hours, there is no TMS component to the first visit. The remaining 4 sessions include both TMS and MRI sessions and will last 3-4 hours each. Each visit will be scheduled at least one-week apart. Before and after each TMS session, you will be asked to perform a set of simple computer tasks, such as deciding if pairs of words/pictures are similar or identical.

We are looking for people who meet the following qualifications:

• Male or female, ages 18 to 50
• Native English speaker
• Right-handed
• Struggling reader (reading will be screened to see if you qualify)
• No permanent metal in or on body
• No pacemaker, cochlear impact, permanent hearing aid
• Not claustrophobic
• Healthy (no heart or neurological diseases, history of seizures, other organ failure, sickle cell anemia, high or low blood pressure)

If you are interested in learning more, e-mail [email protected].

Articles

Arrington, CN, Ossowski, AE, Baig, H, Persichetti, E., & Morris, R (2021). The impact of transcranial magnetic stimulation on reading processes: A systematic review. Neuropsychology Review.

Krishnamurthy, LC, Champion, GN, McGregor, KM, Krishnamurthy, V, Turabi, A, Roberts, SR, Nocera, JR, Harrington, R, et al. (2021). The effect of time since stroke, gender, age, and lesion size on thalamus volume in chronic stroke: a pilot study. Scientific Reports, 10(1): 1-5.

Arrington, C.N., Baig, H., Harrington, R., Krishnamurthy, L.C., & Morris, R. (2020). Effects of continuous theta burst stimulation on the reading network 20 and 50 minutes post stimulation of the middle temporal gyrus. Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface.

Arrington, C.N., Ossowski, A., Baig, H., Persichetti, E^*., & Morris, R. (under review). The impact of transcranial magnetic stimulation on reading outcomes: A systematic review. Neuropsychology Review.

Krishnamurthy LC*, Krishnamurthy V*, Crosson B, Rothman DL, Schwam DM, Greenberg D, Pugh KR, Morris RD. Strength of resting state functional connectivity and local GABA concentrations predict oral reading of real and pseudo-words. Scientific Reports Aug 6; 9(1):11385. 2019. *denotes Co-first author (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-47889-9)

Arrington, C. N., Malins, J. G., Winter, R., Frijters, J. C., Mechl, W., Pugh, K., Morris, R. (2019). Examining individual differences in reading and attention networks using an oddball paradigm fMRI task. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 38, 100674. DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100674 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929318302032)

Krishnamurthy LC*, Krishnamurthy V*, Schwam DM, Ealey A, Shin J, Greenberg D, Morris RD. Retrospective correction of physiological noise: impact on sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of resting-state functional connectivity in a reading network model. Brain Connectivity. 8(2):94. 2018. *denotes Co-first author (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29226700/)

Arrington, C. N., Kulesz, P. A., Juranek, J., Cirino, P. T., & Fletcher, J. M. (2017). White matter microstructructure integrity in relation to reading proficiency in typical and poor readers. Brain and Language, 174, 103-111. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28818624/)

Abstracts

Harrington, R, Krishnamurthy, LC, Ossowski, A, Jeter, M, Davis, A, Morris, R, Arrington, CN (accepted). Observed timing and facilitation effects after theta-burst stimulation of the reading network. Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Ossowski, A., Morris, R., Jeter, M., & Arrington, C. N. (2021). The Effects of Theta-Burst Stimulation on Reading Fluency in Typical and Impaired Adult Readers. North American Neuromodulation Society, Orlando, FL.

Jeter, M., Khorrami, M., Ossowski, A., Morris, R., & Arrington, C. N. (2021). Relations Between White Matter Tract Integrity and Change in Lexical Decision-Making Following Theta-burst Stimulation. North American Neuromodulation Society, Orlando, FL.

Harrington, R, Arrington, CN, Krishnamurthy, LC, Crosson, B, & Morris R (2021). Resting-state connectivity and functional activation during reading in persons with alexia. Society for Neurobiology of Language, Virtual.

Malins, J, Baig, H, Harrington, R, Morris, R, Arrington, CN (2021). Modulating the reading and language network by applying continuous theta burst stimulation to the left supramarginal gyrus. 4th International Brain Stimulation Conference; Charleston, SC.

Davis, A.^*, Arrington, C.N., Slaby, R., & Morris, R. (2020). Increased white matter integrity in children with developmental dyslexia after 70-hour reading intervention. Oral presentation presented at GSU Undergraduate Research Conference, Atlanta, GA.

     -2^nd place Natural & Computational Sciences Oral Presentation

Harrington, R, Arrington, CN, Krishnamurthy, L, Krishnamurthy, V, Crosson, B, Morris, R. (2019). Localizing activation of component processes of reading in adult struggling readers. Poster presented at Society for Neurobiology of Language, Helsinki, Finland.

Arrington, C. N., Baig, H.^*, Harrington, R., Krishnamurthy, L. C., & Morris, R. (2019). Effects of continuous theta burst stimulation on the reading network 20 and 50 minutes post – stimulation to the middle temporal gyrus. Poster presented at Neuromodulation: The Science, Napa, CA.

Ossowski, A.^*, Arrington, C.N., & Morris, R. (2019). Transcranial magnetic stimulation for the improvement of reading fluency. Poster presented at 89^th International Neuropsychological Society Meeting, Rio, Brazil.

     - International Neuropsychological Society Student Liaison Committee Award winner

Slaby, R.J.^*,Arrington, C.N., & Morris, R. White matter tract integrity in developmental dyslexia versus comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Poster presented at New England Research on Dyslexia Society, Boston, MA.

Arrington, C.N., Rogers, S.^*, Acosta, E.^*, & Morris, R. (2019). The moderating effect of white matter tract integrity on phonemic decoding after transcranial magnetic stimulation. Poster presented at Cognitive Neuroscience Society, San Francisco, CA.

Jeter, M.^*, Arrington, C.N., & Morris, R. (2019). Volumetric Differences of the Thalamus in Developmental Dyslexia. Poster presented at Cognitive Neuroscience Society, San Francisco, CA.

Baig, H.^*, Arrington, C.N., Harrington, R., Krishnamurthy, L.C., & Morris, R. (2019). Effects of continuous theta burst stimulation on the reading network after stimulation of the middle temporal gyrus. Poster present at GSU Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference, Atlanta, GA

     - First place overall best poster award

     - Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Neuroscience Award winner

Jeter, M.^*, Arrington, C.N., & Morris, R. (2018). Volumetric Differences of the Thalamus in Developmental Dyslexia. Poster presented at GSU/GT Center for Advanced Brain Imaging Research Symposium, Atlanta, GA.

     - Best Undergraduate Poster Award winner

Jeter, M.^*, Arrington, C.N., & Morris, R. (2018). Volumetric Differences of the Thalamus in Developmental Dyslexia. Poster presented at GSU Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference, Atlanta, GA.

     - Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Neuroscience Award winner

Baig, H.^*, Arrington, C.N., Harjani, S.^*, Persichetti, E.^*, Shekar, M., & Morris, R. (2017). Does ethnicity account for differences in motor threshold for transcranial magnetic stimulation. Poster presented at GSU/GT Center for Advanced Brain Imaging Research Symposium, Atlanta, GA.           

     - Best Undergraduate Poster Award winner

Talks

Emory University. Graduate level MRI course in Biomedical Engineering Program. “Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Human Cerebral Venous Oxygenation.” 11/29/2017. Speaker: Lisa C. Krishnamurthy, Ph.D. On behalf of: Shella Keilholz, Ph.D.

Georgia State University: MRI lecture for undergraduate level Cognitive Neuroscience course. “Neuroimaging using MRI.” 02/07/2019 Speaker: Lisa C. Krishnamurthy, Ph.D. On behalf of: Keith McGregor, Ph.D.

Georgia State University: SLP lecture for graduate level Aphasia course. "Post-stroke reading impairment." 10/10/2019 Speaker: Rachael M Harrington, Ph.D. on behalf of: Jacqueline Laures-Gore, Ph.D.

Robin Morris

Robin Morris serves as the executive officer for entrepreneurship, overseeing the University’s strategic efforts for student start-ups, campus activities centered around entrepreneurship and related degree programs. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Morris served as the Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation guiding the university during the first half of the strategic plan’s implementation. He is Regent’s Professor of Psychology at Georgia State University and is the past Vice President for Research, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Georgia State.  He currently holds faculty research appointments in the Center for Research on Atypical Development and Learning and GSU/Georgia Tech Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, and is an Associate Faculty in the Neurosciences Institutes.  Dr. Morris received his B.A. from Emory University, M.S. from Trinity University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Florida.  He has published widely and has federal grant awards from the National Institutes of Health, National Science

C. Nikki Arrington

Dr. Arrington's education is in Developmental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience. Her expertise is in structural neuroimaging and neuromodulation techniques. Her research focuses on the neurocognitive and neurobiological basis of reading and executive function. She holds positions at the GSU TReNDS Center and CABI, where she oversees research operations at the center and provides administrative assistance to users.

Lisa Krishnamurthy

Dr. Lisa Krishnamurthy is a Magnetic Resonance (MR) Physicist with considerable experience in designing and optimizing MRI acquisition and experiments. Her work in this area was recognized internationally by the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) by being selected as a semi-finalist in the ISMRM Young Investigator Award competition for her development of T2-Relaxation Under Phase Contrast (TRU-PC) MRI. The

goal of her research is to develop clinically-relevant novel MR acquisition schemes to

mechanistically understand the human brain, and how it changes in the presence of pathology, cognitive disability, and aging. Dr. Krishnamurthy is currently PI on a VA RR&D CDA1, and co-I on two VA RR&D Merits.

Rachael Harrington

Dr. Rachael Harrington is a clinically trained speech-language pathologist with an emphasis on rehabilitation of post-stroke aphasia.  She has been published in Brain Stimulation, Frontiers in Neurology, Neuroscience Letters, and Neurorehabilitation Neural Repair. She  has received pre and postdoctoral funding from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association. The goal of her research is to design individualized intervention for post-stroke aphasia and alexia rehabilitation using non-invasive brain

Adriane Davis

Adriane Davis is a graduate of Georgia State University with a degree in neuroscience. She is passionate about mental health and child brain development research. During her internship, Adriane performed data analysis of MRI studies of children with developmental dyslexia. She is currently working in Dr. Morris’ lab performing TMS data analysis of those with reading and language impairments. She has hopes to pursue a PhD in neuropsychology to research and treat mental and learning disorders.

Ewelina Bledniak

Dena Henry

Alexandra Ossowski

Alexandra Ossowski is a 5^th year clinical neuropsychology doctoral student. Her research interests include the use of TMS for remediation of language/reading impairments, the neural basis of the relationship between rapid automatized naming and reading impairments, and the effects of neuromodulation on component reading skills.

MyKayla Fields

Humza Baig

Rachael Zimmerman

Usman Ahmed

Jeffrey Malins

Jeff uses neuroimaging to study the cognitive neuroscience of reading and language in numerous populations, with a special focus on child development. The goals of his research are to characterize the brain networks that underlie different skills such as reading and attentional control, and to gain a greater understanding of the genetic and environmental factors that shape these networks during development. He is also interested in how the brain works to process speech and print in monolingual and bilingual speakers of different languages such as Mandarin Chinese, English, and Spanish. His work has been supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Manton Foundation, and the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

"Neural mechanisms underlying compensation in dyslexia," NIH/NICHD/1R01HD096261 (9/15/2018 - 6/30/2023) (PI: F. Hoeft)

Goal: Evaluate the functional and neurochemical mechanisms underlying compensated reading in individuals with a history of dyslexia.

"Reading in Aphasia," AHA 20POST35050048 (01/01/2020-12/31/2021) (PI: R.M. Harrington)

Goal: Examine neural differences in persons with aphasia and adult struggling readers during complex reading tasks.

"Beyond lesion-language mapping in aphasia: A novel imaging-based prediction model." VA RR&D CDA-1 (10/1/2018-10/1/2020) (PI: L. Krishnamurthy)

Goal: to create a more complete imaging methodology that contains both anatomical and physiological correlates of language behavior, highlighting key brain areas to target for rehabilitation.

“Examining the Effects of Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation on the Neural Network Associated with Reading in Adult Struggling Readers,” NIH/NC NM4R/P2CHD086844 (07/01/2018 – 04/30/2020) (PI: C.N. Arrington)

Goal: Examine neural mechanisms associated with reading impairment in adults

“Effects of iTBS on the Neural Network Associated with Reading,” GSU/Georgia Tech Center for Advanced Brain Imaging (07/01/2019 – 06/30/2021) (PI: C.N. Arrington)

Goal: Examine the effects of neuromodulation on the reading network in typical and reading impaired adults

“Reading impairment in aphasia”, GSU Program in Research on the Challenges of Acquiring Language & Literacy (7/1/19 – 6/31/20) (PI: R. Morris).

Goal: Evaluate functional and compensatory neural mechanisms used for reading in adults with acquired dyslexia due to aphasia and by struggling adult readers due to developmental reading disabilities

“Reading in aphasia”, GSU Neuroscience Institute Brain & Behavior (7/1/19 – 6/31/20) (PI: R. Morris)

Goal: Evaluate functional and compensatory neural mechanisms used for reading in adults with aphasia

“Identifying dyslexia interventions for treatment non-responders”, Oak Foundation (7/1/16 - 6/30/19) (PI: R. Morris)

Goal: Evaluate the effectiveness of a different reading intervention program over 70 hours of explicit reading instruction to better understand how different types of interventions may result in different learning outcomes in dyslexia.