An fMRI single-subject study with severe reading impairment – a new paradigm towards personalised medicine

Motivation: Typically, fMRI studies predominantly rely on group comparisons, often lacking direct applications at an individual subject level, whether for research or clinical purposes. Goal(s): We aimed to unveil the power of fMRI studies using an fMRI experiment to highlight the brain’s area of abnormalities in a 9 years old child experiencing severe reading impairment. Approach: Three fMRI tasks were used to characterize different reading network sections that were compared to an age matched control group via Crawford-Howell t-test. Results: The study subject showed a different activation pattern in the right insula, an area associated with reading comprehension. Impact: fMRI experiments can compare and emphasize differences in brain function at an individual subject basis in comparison to a control population. This evidence suggests the potential use of fMRI as an informative tool within the precision medicine framework.