Rapid and widespread white matter plasticity during an intensive reading intervention

Using MRI measurements of the brain’s neural connections, or “white matter,” researchers from the University of Washington showed that, in struggling readers, the neural circuitry strengthened — and their reading performance improved — after just eight weeks of a specialized tutoring program. The study focused on three areas of white matter — regions rich with neuronal connections — that link regions of the brain involved in language and vision. The study is the first to measure white matter during an intensive educational intervention and link children’s learning with their brains’ flexibility.