Jucla, M. 1 , Maziero, S. 1 , Biotteau, M. 1, 2, 3 , Blais, M. 2, 3 , Tallet, J. 2, 3 , Albaret, J. 2, 3 , Barbeau, E. 4 & Chaix, Y. 2, 3, 5
1 URI Octogone-Lordat (EA 4156), Université Toulouse II Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France
2 INSERM, UMR 1214 Toulouse NeuroImaging center (ToNIc), CHU Purpan, Place du Dr Baylac, F-31059 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
3 University of Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, UMR 1214 Toulouse NeuroImaging center (ToNIc), CHU Purpan, Place du Dr Baylac, F-31059 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
4 Centre de recherche Cerveau et Cognition (CerCo), University of Toulouse and National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), Toulouse, France
5 Children's Hospital, Toulouse-Purpan University Hospital, Place du Dr Baylac, F-31059 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
For about 10 years, researchers started questioning the role of different memory components in explaining reading and cognitive deficits in dyslexia. For instance, part of the phonological deficit reported in the majority of dyslexic children could be reinterpreted as verbal short-term memory impairment. Contradictory results are reported concerning verbal learning and later recall. In the present study we extensively tested short-term and declarative memory in dyslexia (verbal and non verbal learning and recall, semantic and episodic/autobiographic memory). The study is on-going but we analysed results in 13 children with developmental dyslexia (DD) and without associated disorders (120 months +/- 14) compared with 12 typically developing (TD) children (118,5 months +/- 13) using a Mann-Whitney U test. Consistently with previous studies, children with DD showed significantly poorer performance than TD in verbal short-term memory and verbal learning. There is no significant difference between groups for non-verbal tasks, and semantic long-term memory. Surprisingly, autobiographic memory seems less efficient in the DD group, who gives less information in spontaneous recall or even after cueing. Results will be discussed within the recent theoretical framework of Ullman and Pullman (2015) that claims a compensatory role of declarative memory in DD.