Rewiring young brains: can targeted drills ease math struggles?
NCT ID NCT07778706
First seen Aug 21, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests two different math training methods—speeded practice and arithmetic strategy training—in children aged 6 to 12, including those with math learning disabilities like dyscalculia. Researchers will measure changes in arithmetic speed, accuracy, and brain activity using fMRI scans. The goal is to understand how these interventions affect the brain's processing of math, which could lead to better teaching approaches for struggling learners.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Two behavioral training programs: speeded practice training and arithmetic strategy training
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward more effective, personalized math interventions for children with learning disabilities.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study focused on understanding brain changes, not a proven treatment. Results may not apply to all children or lead to immediate classroom changes.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 160 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2031
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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6 to 12 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Elementary school-aged children starting from first grade (6-12 years old) 2. Intelligence Quotient: Participants with a Full Scale Intelligence Quotient is greater than 70 on the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence Quotient 3. Identification of Mathematical Learning Disabilities: Scores below the 20th percentile on two or more Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Fourth Edition math subtests 4. Identification of typically developing children: Scores at or above the 50th percentile on two or more Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Fourth Edition math subtests 5. Normal or corrected-to-normal vision and no hearing impairments 6. Inclusion in MRI scan session: Right-handed Exclusion Criteria: 1. History of neurological or psychiatric disorder (i.e., schizophrenia, psychosis, depression, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) 2. History of trauma involving head injury 3. Consistent psychiatric medications 4. Exclusion from magnetic resonance imaging scan session: No major contraindication for magnetic resonance imaging (braces, metal implants, pacemakers, vascular stents, metallic ear tubes, consistent exposure to metal, or claustrophobia)
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Stanford University
Palo Alto, California, 94304, United States
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