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Sent: Monday, June 06, 2005 18:24
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Subject: ISRAELI TEAM HELPING DYSLEXICS
Dyslexia is a neurologically-based, often familial, disorder which
interferes with the acquisition and processing of language. . . .
BrightStar is the first prototype of its kind to use non-invasive
technology to help with those suffering not only from dyslexia, but also
other neurological disorders including ADHD and dyspraxia.
B"H
Helping dyslexics one heartbeat at a time
By Kelly Hartog June 05, 2005
Isralert.com source <http://www.isralert.com> : www.Israel 21c.org
http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enScript=PrintVersion.jsp
<http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enScript=PrintVersion.jsp&enDispWho
=Articles^l1006> &enDispWho=Articles^l1006
A father and son team from Israel has patented an innovative technology
called Brightstar that is helping thousands of Americans overcome
dyslexia.
Dyslexia is a neurologically-based, often familial, disorder which
interferes with the acquisition and processing of language. Varying in
degrees of severity, it is manifested by difficulties in receptive and
expressive language, including phonological processing, in reading,
writing, spelling, handwriting, and sometimes in arithmetic.
US government statistics show 25 million Americans are functionally
illiterate, with the primary cause being dyslexia or one of its many
variations.
42-year-old Yossi Kullok and his father Saul invested 11 years of
research and development in Israel before unveiling BrightStar
Technology in 2001.
BrightStar is the first prototype of its kind to use non-invasive
technology to help with those suffering not only from dyslexia, but also
other neurological disorders including ADHD and dyspraxia.
Patented by the Kulloks in the United Kingdom, their company - Epoch
Innovations - has made inroads in working with dyslexics throughout
Britain, and is recognized by the British Dyslexics Association.
But the Kulloks' success is not just limited to the UK. BrightStar is
now also based in Palo Alto in northern California, where Americans have
benefited from the technology over the last two years.
Kullok came to Israel from Buenos Aires with his family when he was 12,
and says he is proud of the fact that he represents the third generation
in his family to dedicated their life to developing non-invasive
technology for those with learning disabilities.
Kullok and his father began their research in Israel back in the 1980s
into how the heart works - specifically heart contractions - gradually
moving into Heart Rate Viability (HRV) and how the autonomic nervous
system works.
In 1999 the father and son duo developed an audiovisual program called
bio tuning - a non-invasive technology designed to treat children with
ADHD. The program was based on biofeedback and computerized interactive
AV stimulation synchronized to the heart. A pilot study was conducted at
Sarah Herzog hospital, with the findings published in the Israeli
Journal of Psychiatry.
It was this work that resulted in the Kulloks being invited to London to
create BrightStar. The successful prototype was tested at Nottingham
University, paving the way for the company to branch out to the US.
The BrightStar program itself is a combination of one-on-one special
needs teaching and the Kulloks' innovative technology.
Twice a week for six weeks, participants undergo a 20-minute program.
Through the use of light via a computer screen, the BrightStar
technology targets specific areas of the brain, designed to improve the
underlying neurological processing abilities of the dyslexic person.
Participants are hooked up to a heart rate monitor as, flashing lights
appear on the computer screen in front of them, exercising ocular
tracking, aligning neural pathways and stimulating the cerebellum while
the participant performs a series of basic computer exercises. During
the exercises, the BrightStar technology stimulates the areas of the
brain responsible for reading, writing and spelling.
It may sound like something out of a futuristic science fiction tale,
but according to Kullok, it is not.
"What we're doing is trying to approach the neurological functions
directly," he told ISRAEL21c. "Seventy-five percent of dyslexia is due
to phonological (hearing) dysfunction.
When dyslexics hear words, he explains, they can't separate them into
consonants and vowels.
The remaining 25 percent of dyslexia is due to visual impairment.
"There are cells in the eye that process information and are sent to
areas such as the cerebellum, which are imperative for the programming
of eye movement when reading," says Kollek.
When there's a deficiency, he says, the eye cannot focus on the
information and extract the relevant data needed for reading fluency and
comprehension. That's where BrightStar comes in.
In his research, Kullok discovered that if sensory stimulation is
synchronized to the physiological timings of the body, then a window of
opportunity opens up for the information that is contained in the
stimuli to reach the autonomic nervous system.
"We are bombarded all day by all kinds of stimulation, but it's not
synchronized," explains Kullok. "BrightStar times the delivery of the
stimulation -- be it sound or light -- to the individual's heartbeat."
As a result, when the heart contracts, it allows an individual's
perception to grab and transfer the information with minimal obstacles
to the different stations of the brain.
"That way the eye movements are programmed correctly at the right moment
and the eye will fixate automatically," says Kullok.
Where BrightStar is successful is in helping the brain convert
information from the visual to the aural. "When you read something
silently you actually voice what you're reading in your head," explains
Kullok. But dyslexics can't do that.
In the four years that BrightStar has been operational in both the UK
and the US, Kullok says the company has managed to statistically measure
the average improvement of children in five key measures after only six
weeks.
In addition, he says, the benefits of the program have been measured and
have shown the effects of the technology to last for eight months.
"Our aim is to invest a lot of money to prove scientifically that this
program works," says Kullok. "We're still at the beginning stages, but
we have five internal studies being undertaken this summer, and we aim
to make this a sound scientific proof."
Kullok says while his father still remains in Israel, he made the move
to Palo Alto with his wife and children, because the company hopes to
make an international impact with its technology.
"The US is the place to be. And in Palo Alto we're dominated by Stanford
University. We want to make an impact on the world with BrightStar and
to be successful both clinically and commercially. And if we can do that
here, we're almost guaranteed success in other places."
Kullok and his family plan to move back home to Israel within the next
six to twelve months, once BrightStar can function at full capacity
without him at the helm.
"As an Israeli I have always wanted to bring credibility and fame to
Israel in some way," says Kullok. "It's always been my personal
aspiration, for people to think more positively about Israel and the
things we do there."
Kullok has plans to work on other startups in Israel in an effort to
make a contribution in other areas of neurology, possibly in the fields
of Alzheimer's or autism.
Kullok believes it's his mission to help people and to give back to
people. "My father was very successful in Buenos Aires, but we came to
Israel in 1976 because he said he'd rather give his efforts to Israel,
and I feel the same way."
Ultimately, Kullok's goal is to change one life at a time. "I owe
Israel," he says. "Israel has been the incubator of all my ideas and I
just want to be able to continue to contribute."
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