International Conference 2024 - Announcing our first Keynote Speaker

Q & A with Professor Silvia Paracchini...

What do you love about being a researcher/educator?

The overall aim of my research is to understand the genetics contributing to reading abilities and dyslexia susceptibility. Hundreds of genes are expected to be involved and to interact with one another through complex mechanisms. Unravelling this problem cannot be achieved by individual laboratories and large scale projects are necessary to assemble big enough datasets. I work as part of large international research programmes. While it can be challenging to coordinate different teams, working with scientists from many different countries is certainly one of the most exciting sides of my work. Particularly, I take pride in hosting and attracting international researchers to my lab. This summer alone, it has been a great pleasure to host researchers from Germany, Poland, Italy, Cameroon and Hong Kong.

What are you working on right now?

I am working on different projects including a large genetic study for mathematical abilities and a very focussed study on families presenting very specific dyslexia phenotypes to test whether they might share the same mutations. A specific interest of my group is to explore the link between neurodevelopmental traits, brain asymmetries and dyslexia. We recently showed that there is an increase, although small, of left-handedness among people with reading and language difficulties, Read more here.

In parallel to my research program, I have recently co-funded with my colleague Prof Michelle Luciano, the Specific Learning Difficulties Network (SLDN) to better coordinate research efforts in this field while engaging with stakeholders. The SLDN have over 40 members working across 5 different themes. Just to mention one of the current projects that we are are setting up, is a focus group representing people with lived experiences of learning difficulties, to get their input on what should be the most pressing research priorities.

Why is it important and what impact do you hope it will have?

I always felt that one of the limitations of my genetic work is that it did not involve a direct interaction with study participants, making it difficult to interact with the direct beneficiaries of my research. One of the motivations for establishing the SLDN is to fill this gap. Furthermore, through the SLDN I will be able to communicate more effectively the results of my research. Genetic studies are often at the centre of media hype which tend to favour over-simplification and sensationalism. It is vital that scientists communicate their result in a clear and honest way to avoid misinterpretations.

Where can I find out more?

You can find more information on my research website or on the SLDN website where you will also find our newsletter.

What other historic or current research are you particularly interested in and why?

Artificial intelligence is entering every aspect of our life and it is not unsurprising that it is also high on the agenda of our research. I have recently started a collaboration with Canon Medical Research Europe, a company that specialises in the development and application of AI methods to biomedical data. Together with Bonn and computer scientists at St Andrews, we are developing AI methods in combination with neuroimaging data to understand how genetic susceptibility for neurodevelopmental conditions may influence brain characteristics. These approaches are well beyond my expertise, and I am excited to be involved in such a multidisciplinary project working with collaborators within and outside academia.

What do you hope will be researched in the future?

It Is clear that genetic research in the field of learning difficulties is lagging behind compared to, for example, other neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and ADHD. When looking across learning difficulties, there is a disparity in research efforts between dyslexia and, for example, dyscalculia which is much less researched. These discrepancies are partly explained by funding and investments which are not equally distributed across different conditions. Different factors influence funding allocations. Raising awareness can certainly help to prioritise certain conditions in the strategic priorities of funding agencies. Through the SLDN, I hope that learning difficulties will get more attention, more funding and, in turn, research with adequate resources. More research in this area is vital for evidence-based policy making which will ultimately benefit the key stakeholders.

If you could recommend one book or article to a member of the public interested in dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties, it would be:

This article by Kevin Mitchell and Uta Frith published in The Conversation is excellent: Read here.

Both authors have recently published books which I strongly recommend:

Innate: How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are by Kevin Mitchell.

Two Heads: A Graphic Exploration of How Our Brains Work With Other Brains by Frith et al.

Tell us something interesting!

People seem surprised when I say that I prefer to swim in the North Sea than in the Mediterranean. But I believe that they say so because they have not tried it themselves.