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Horowitz-Kraus T, Meri R, Holland SK, Farah R, Rohana T, Haj N. Language First, Cognition Later: Different Trajectories of Subcomponents of the Future-Reading Network in Processing Narratives from Kindergarten to Adolescence. Brain Connect 2024; 14:60-69. [PMID: 38265789 PMCID: PMC10890959 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2023.0012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Narrative comprehension is a linguistic ability that emerges early in life and has a critical role in language development, reading acquisition, and comprehension. According to the Simple View of Reading model, reading is acquired through word decoding and linguistic comprehension. Here, within and between networks, functional connectivity in several brain networks supporting both language and reading abilities was examined from prereading to proficient reading age in 32 healthy children, ages 5-18 years, scanned annually while listening to stories over 12 years. Functional connectivity changes within and between the networks were assessed and compared between the years using hierarchical linear regression and were related to reading abilities. At prereading age, the networks related to basic language processing accounted for 32.5% of the variation of reading ability at reading age (at 12-14 years) (R2 = 0.325, p = 0.05). At age 17, more complex cognitive networks were involved and accounted for 97.4% of the variation in reading ability (R2 = 0.974, p = 0.022). Overall, networks composing the future-reading network are highly involved in processing narratives along development; however, networks related to semantic, phonological, and syntactic processing predict reading ability earlier in life, and more complex networks predict reading proficiency later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- Department of Neuropsychology, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Raya Meri
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tamara Rohana
- Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Narmeen Haj
- Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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Martin-Martinez C, Valenzuela PL, Martinez-Zamora M, Martinez-de-Quel Ó. School-based physical activity interventions and language skills: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Sci Med Sport 2023; 26:140-148. [PMID: 36609085 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2022.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES School-based physical activity (PA) interventions have proven beneficial for improving cognitive performance and overall academic achievement, but their benefits on language skills remain unclear. We aimed to assess the effects of school-based PA interventions on language skills in children and adolescents. DESIGN Systematic review with meta-analysis. METHODS A systematic search was performed in PubMed, PsycINFO and Scopus until September 10th, 2022. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that performed a school-based PA intervention in children/adolescents and that assessed language-related outcomes (i.e., reading, spelling, vocabulary, verbal fluency, comprehension and grammar) or language school grades. Random effect meta-analyses were conducted to pool study results. RESULTS Thirty-one studies (18,651 participants) were finally included. Significant benefits were observed for reading (standardized mean difference [SMD]: 0.15; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.08, 0.22), vocabulary (SMD: 0.71; 95%CI: 0.44, 0.97), and comprehension (SMD: 0.24; 95%CI: 0.09, 0.40), with a non-significant trend (p = 0.083) also observed for language school grades (SMD: 0.40; 95%CI: -0.05, 0.86). No significant benefits were observed for spelling or verbal fluency (both p > 0.05), and no meta-analysis could be performed for grammar skills. No consistent differences were observed between integrated (i.e., performing PA along with the academic content) and non-integrated PA interventions (e.g., extra physical education lessons). CONCLUSIONS School-based PA interventions appear as an effective strategy for improving different language-related skills, although further research is needed to determine how interventions' and participants' characteristics moderate these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Martin-Martinez
- Department of Didactics of Language, Arts and Physical Education, University Complutense of Madrid, Spain
| | - Pedro L Valenzuela
- Research Institute of the Hospital 12 de Octubre ("imas12", PaHerg group), Spain; Department of Systems Biology, University of Alcalá, Madrid, Spain. https://twitter.com/pl_valenzuela
| | - Marcos Martinez-Zamora
- Department of Didactics of Language, Arts and Physical Education, University Complutense of Madrid, Spain
| | - Óscar Martinez-de-Quel
- Department of Didactics of Language, Arts and Physical Education, University Complutense of Madrid, Spain; Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences-INEF, Technical University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Prefrontal and frontostriatal structures mediate academic outcomes associated with ADHD symptoms. BRAIN DISORDERS 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dscb.2021.100023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Farah R, Dudley J, Hutton JS, Greenwood P, Holland S, Horowitz-Kraus T. Maternal depression is associated with decreased functional connectivity within semantics and phonology networks in preschool children. Depress Anxiety 2021; 38:826-835. [PMID: 34010495 DOI: 10.1002/da.23168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Maternal depression is characterized by a lack of emotional responsiveness and engagement with their child, which may lead to the child's decreased cognitive, and language outcomes all related to the child's future reading outcomes. The relations between maternal depression and functional connectivity in neural circuits supporting language in the child was explored. METHODS Eleven 4-year-old girls completed language abilities assessment and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. Their mothers completed the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) to examine maternal depression when the child was 12 months old and at the age of 4. Functional connections within the child's resting-state phonology, semantics, language networks were correlated with maternal BDI scores at the age of 4 years. RESULTS Higher maternal depression was associated with the child's decreased within the semantic and phonological networks connectivity during rest. Higher maternal depression at 4 years moderated the relationship between early depression scores and functional connectivity within the phonological network. CONCLUSIONS Maternal depression in the first year of life is related to functional connections of phonological processing and enhanced by current maternal depression levels. We conclude that after a mother gives birth, resources should be provided to minimize depressive symptoms and interventions should be applied to support their child's language development for future reading acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Jonathan Dudley
- Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - John S Hutton
- Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Paige Greenwood
- Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.,Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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Wang S, Zhao Y, Li J, Wang X, Luo K, Gong Q. Brain structure links trait conscientiousness to academic performance. Sci Rep 2019; 9:12168. [PMID: 31434943 PMCID: PMC6704183 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48704-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In the long history of identifying factors to predict academic performance, conscientiousness, a so-called ‘big five’ personality trait describing self-regulation and goal-directed behavior, has emerged as a stable predictor for this purpose. However, the neuroanatomical substrates of trait conscientiousness and the underlying brain mechanism linking trait conscientiousness and academic performance are still largely unknown. Here, we examined these issues in 148 high school students within the same grade by estimating cortical gray matter volume (GMV) utilizing a voxel-based morphometry method based on structural magnetic resonance imaging. A whole-brain regression analysis showed that trait conscientiousness was positively associated with the GMV in the bilateral superior parietal lobe (SPL) and was negatively associated with the GMV in the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG). Furthermore, mediation analysis revealed that trait conscientiousness mediated the influences of the SPL and MFG volume on academic performance. Importantly, our results persisted even when we adjusted for general intelligence, family socioeconomic status and ‘big five’ personality traits other than conscientiousness. Altogether, our study suggests that the GMV in the frontoparietal network is a neurostructural marker of adolescents’ conscientiousness and reveals a potential brain-personality-achievement pathway for predicting academic performance in which gray matter structures affect academic performance through trait conscientiousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Wang
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.,Department of Psychoradiology, Chengdu Mental Health Center, Chengdu, 610036, China.,Psychoradiology Research Unit of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2018RU011), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yajun Zhao
- School of Sociology and Psychology, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Jingguang Li
- College of Education, Dali University, Dali, 671003, China
| | - Xu Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Kui Luo
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China. .,Department of Psychoradiology, Chengdu Mental Health Center, Chengdu, 610036, China. .,Psychoradiology Research Unit of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2018RU011), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
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Meiri R, Levinson O, Horowitz-Kraus T. Altered association between executive functions and reading and math fluency tasks in children with reading difficulties compared with typical readers. DYSLEXIA (CHICHESTER, ENGLAND) 2019; 25:267-283. [PMID: 31298465 PMCID: PMC6677596 DOI: 10.1002/dys.1624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Revised: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Fluent reading in children relies on executive functions (EF). Recent research suggests that EF skills also affect arithmetic abilities. Children with reading difficulties (RD) experience deficits in EF. It is still unknown to what extent these EF deficits are the basis for both reading and arithmetic skills in children with RD compared with typical readers. To define the role of EF in reading and arithmetic in children with RD and typical readers, EF measures and reading and arithmetic fluency and non-fluency measures were assessed in 8 to 12-year-old children with RD and age-matched typical readers. Comparison and correlation analyses were performed within and between the two groups. Children with RD scored lower on reading and arithmetic fluency and non-fluency tasks compared with typical readers. For both groups, fluency measures were lower than non-fluency measures. Strong correlations were found within the entire study population between fluency measures and EF, as well as between non-fluency measures and EF compared with mixed correlations observed for the groups separately. Fluency was related to subcomponents of EF expressed in both reading and arithmetic domains for the two groups. The role of each domain and comparison with non-fluency results for each group are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raya Meiri
- Educational Neuroimaging Center Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ophir Levinson
- Educational Neuroimaging Center Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Center Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion, Haifa, Israel
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Levinson O, Hershey A, Farah R, Horowitz-Kraus T. Altered Functional Connectivity of the Executive Functions Network During a Stroop Task in Children with Reading Difficulties. Brain Connect 2019; 8:516-525. [PMID: 30289278 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2018.0595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Children with reading difficulties (RDs) often receive related accommodations in schools, such as additional time for examinations and reading aloud written material. Existing data suggest that these readers share challenges in executive functions (EFs). Our study was designed to determine whether children with RDs have specific challenges in EFs and define neurobiological signatures for such difficulties using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Reading and EFs abilities were assessed in 8-12-year-old children with RDs and age-matched typical readers. Functional MRI data were acquired during a Stroop task, and functional connectivity of the EFs defined network was calculated in both groups and related to reading ability. Children with RDs showed lower reading and EFs abilities and demonstrated greater functional connectivity between the EFs network and visual, language, and cognitive control regions during the Stroop task, compared to typical readers. Our results suggest that children with RDs utilize neural circuits supporting EFs more so than do typical readers to perform a cognitive task. These results also provide a neurobiological explanation for the challenges in EFs shared by children with RDs and explain challenges this group shares outside of the reading domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ophir Levinson
- 1 Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Educational Neuroimaging Center , Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Alexander Hershey
- 2 Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center , Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Rola Farah
- 1 Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Educational Neuroimaging Center , Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- 1 Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Educational Neuroimaging Center , Technion, Haifa, Israel .,2 Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center , Cincinnati, Ohio
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Farah R, Horowitz-Kraus T. Increased Functional Connectivity Within and Between Cognitive-Control Networks from Early Infancy to Nine Years During Story Listening. Brain Connect 2019; 9:285-295. [PMID: 30777454 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2018.0625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The cingulo-opercular (CO) and frontoparietal (FP) networks are part of the cognitive-control system of the brain. Evidence suggests that over the course of development, brain regions supporting cognitive-control functions become more integrated within their networks (i.e., have increased within-network connectivity), more separated from other networks, and, due to increased maturation along development, are more functionally connected between the networks. The focus of this study was to characterize the developmental trajectory of the CO and FP networks from early infancy (17 months) to 9 years of age in typically developing children while listening to stories, using functional connectivity analyses. Seventy-four children underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging session while listening to stories inside the scanner. Within- and between-network functional connectivity and graph theory measures were compared during development. Developmental increase in functional connectivity within the CO network and between the CO and FP networks, as well as global efficiency of the CO network from 17 months to 9 years of age, was observed. These findings highlight the involvement of the CO and FP networks in story listening from early infancy, which increases along development. Future studies examining failures in language acquisition to further explore the role of these networks in story listening are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rola Farah
- 1 Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Educational Neuroimaging Center, Technion, Haifa, Israel.,2 Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Educational Neuroimaging Center, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- 1 Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Educational Neuroimaging Center, Technion, Haifa, Israel.,3 Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
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9
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Horowitz-Kraus T, Hutton JS. Brain connectivity in children is increased by the time they spend reading books and decreased by the length of exposure to screen-based media. Acta Paediatr 2018; 107:685-693. [PMID: 29215151 DOI: 10.1111/apa.14176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Revised: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
AIM This study compared the time spent using screen-based media or reading on the functional connectivity of the reading-related brain regions in children aged 8-12. METHODS We recruited 19 healthy American children from a private school in Cincinnati, USA, in 2015-6 after advertising the study to parents. The parents completed surveys on how many hours their children spent on independent reading and screen-based media time, including smartphones, tablets, desktop or laptop computers and television. The children underwent magnetic resonance imaging that assessed their resting-state connectivity between the left visual word form area, as the seed area, and other brain regions, with screen time and reading time applied as predictors. RESULTS Time spent reading was positively correlated with higher functional connectivity between the seed area and left-sided language, visual and cognitive control regions. In contrast, screen time was related to lower connectivity between the seed area and regions related to language and cognitive control. CONCLUSION Screen time and time spent reading showed different effects on functional connectivity between the visual word form area and language, visual and cognitive control regions of the brain. These findings underscore the importance of children reading to support healthy brain development and literacy and limiting screen time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Faculty of Education in Science and Technology; Educational Neuroimaging Center; Technion Israel
- Division of General and Community Pediatrics; Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Cincinnati OH USA
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center; Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Cincinnati OH USA
- Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium; Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Cincinnati OH USA
| | - John S. Hutton
- Division of General and Community Pediatrics; Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Cincinnati OH USA
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center; Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Cincinnati OH USA
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Wang S, Zhou M, Chen T, Yang X, Chen G, Wang M, Gong Q. Grit and the brain: spontaneous activity of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex mediates the relationship between the trait grit and academic performance. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2017; 12:452-460. [PMID: 27672175 PMCID: PMC5390743 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsw145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 09/21/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
As a personality trait, grit involves the tendency to strive to achieve long-term goals with continual passion and perseverance and plays an extremely crucial role in personal achievement. However, the neural mechanisms of grit remain largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to explore the association between grit and the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) in 217 healthy adolescent students using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI). We found that an individual’s grit was negatively related to the regional fALFF in the right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC), which is involved in self-regulation, planning, goal setting and maintenance, and counterfactual thinking for reflecting on past failures. The results persisted even after the effects of general intelligence and the ‘big five’ personality traits were adjusted for. More importantly, the fALFF of the right DMPFC played a mediating role in the association between grit and academic performance. Overall, these findings reveal regional fALFF as a neural basis of grit and highlight the right DMPFC as a neural link between grit and academic performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Wang
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Ming Zhou
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Taolin Chen
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Xun Yang
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Guangxiang Chen
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Meiyun Wang
- Department of Radiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital & The People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450003, China
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.,Department of Psychology, School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
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Hutton JS, Phelan K, Horowitz-Kraus T, Dudley J, Altaye M, DeWitt T, Holland SK. Story time turbocharger? Child engagement during shared reading and cerebellar activation and connectivity in preschool-age children listening to stories. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0177398. [PMID: 28562619 PMCID: PMC5451016 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Expanding behavioral and neurobiological evidence affirms benefits of shared (especially parent-child) reading on cognitive development during early childhood. However, the majority of this evidence involves factors under caregiver control, the influence of those intrinsic to the child, such as interest or engagement in reading, largely indirect or unclear. The cerebellum is increasingly recognized as playing a "smoothing" role in higher-level cognitive processing and learning, via feedback loops with language, limbic and association cortices. We utilized functional MRI to explore the relationship between child engagement during a mother-child reading observation and neural activation and connectivity during a story listening task, in a sample of 4-year old girls. Children exhibiting greater interest and engagement in the narrative showed increased activation in right-sided cerebellar association areas during the task, and greater functional connectivity between this activation cluster and language and executive function areas. Our findings suggest a potential cerebellar "boost" mechanism responsive to child engagement level that may contribute to emergent literacy development during early childhood, and synergy between caregiver and child factors during story sharing.
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Affiliation(s)
- John S. Hutton
- Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Kieran Phelan
- Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- Communication Sciences Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- Education Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Jonathan Dudley
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- Communication Sciences Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Mekibib Altaye
- Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- Communication Sciences Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- Division of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Thomas DeWitt
- Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Scott K. Holland
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- Communication Sciences Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- Division of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
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Wang S, Zhou M, Chen T, Yang X, Chen G, Wang M, Gong Q. Examining gray matter structure associated with academic performance in a large sample of Chinese high school students. Sci Rep 2017; 7:893. [PMID: 28420876 PMCID: PMC5429851 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00677-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Achievement in school is crucial for students to be able to pursue successful careers and lead happy lives in the future. Although many psychological attributes have been found to be associated with academic performance, the neural substrates of academic performance remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the relationship between brain structure and academic performance in a large sample of high school students via structural magnetic resonance imaging (S-MRI) using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) approach. The whole-brain regression analyses showed that higher academic performance was related to greater regional gray matter density (rGMD) of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which is considered a neural center at the intersection of cognitive and non-cognitive functions. Furthermore, mediation analyses suggested that general intelligence partially mediated the impact of the left DLPFC density on academic performance. These results persisted even after adjusting for the effect of family socioeconomic status (SES). In short, our findings reveal a potential neuroanatomical marker for academic performance and highlight the role of general intelligence in explaining the relationship between brain structure and academic performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Wang
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Ming Zhou
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Taolin Chen
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xun Yang
- School of Sociality and Psychology, Southwest University for Nationalities, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Guangxiang Chen
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Meiyun Wang
- Department of Radiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital & the People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450003, China.
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Department of Psychology, School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
- Department of Psychology, Chengdu Mental Health Center, Chengdu, 610031, China
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