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Martins B, Baba MY, Dimateo EM, Costa LF, Camara AS, Lukasova K, Nucci MP. Investigating Dyslexia through Diffusion Tensor Imaging across Ages: A Systematic Review. Brain Sci 2024; 14:349. [PMID: 38672001 PMCID: PMC11047980 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14040349] [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: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that presents a deficit in accuracy and/or fluency while reading or spelling that is not expected given the level of cognitive functioning. Research indicates brain structural changes mainly in the left hemisphere, comprising arcuate fasciculus (AF) and corona radiata (CR). The purpose of this systematic review is to better understand the possible methods for analyzing Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) data while accounting for the characteristics of dyslexia in the last decade of the literature. Among 124 articles screened from PubMed and Scopus, 49 met inclusion criteria, focusing on dyslexia without neurological or psychiatric comorbidities. Article selection involved paired evaluation, with a third reviewer resolving discrepancies. The selected articles were analyzed using two topics: (1) a demographic and cognitive assessment of the sample and (2) DTI acquisition and analysis. Predominantly, studies centered on English-speaking children with reading difficulties, with preserved non-verbal intelligence, attention, and memory, and deficits in reading tests, rapid automatic naming, and phonological awareness. Structural differences were found mainly in the left AF in all ages and in the bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus for readers-children and adults. A better understanding of structural brain changes of dyslexia and neuroadaptations can be a guide for future interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce Martins
- Laboratório de Investigação Médica em Neurorradiologia—LIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (M.Y.B.); (E.M.D.)
| | - Mariana Yumi Baba
- Laboratório de Investigação Médica em Neurorradiologia—LIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (M.Y.B.); (E.M.D.)
| | - Elisa Monteiro Dimateo
- Laboratório de Investigação Médica em Neurorradiologia—LIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (M.Y.B.); (E.M.D.)
| | - Leticia Fruchi Costa
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André 09210-580, Brazil; (L.F.C.); (A.S.C.); (K.L.)
| | - Aila Silveira Camara
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André 09210-580, Brazil; (L.F.C.); (A.S.C.); (K.L.)
| | - Katerina Lukasova
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André 09210-580, Brazil; (L.F.C.); (A.S.C.); (K.L.)
| | - Mariana Penteado Nucci
- Laboratório de Investigação Médica em Neurorradiologia—LIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (M.Y.B.); (E.M.D.)
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Lasnick OHM, Hancock R, Hoeft F. Left-dominance for resting-state temporal low-gamma power in children with impaired word-decoding and without comorbid ADHD. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0292330. [PMID: 38157354 PMCID: PMC10756518 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
One theory of the origins of reading disorders (i.e., dyslexia) is a language network which cannot effectively 'entrain' to speech, with cascading effects on the development of phonological skills. Low-gamma (low-γ, 30-45 Hz) neural activity, particularly in the left hemisphere, is thought to correspond to tracking at phonemic rates in speech. The main goals of the current study were to investigate temporal low-γ band-power during rest in a sample of children and adolescents with and without reading disorder (RD). Using a Bayesian statistical approach to analyze the power spectral density of EEG data, we examined whether (1) resting-state temporal low-γ power was attenuated in the left temporal region in RD; (2) low-γ power covaried with individual reading performance; (3) low-γ temporal lateralization was atypical in RD. Contrary to our expectations, results did not support the hypothesized effects of RD status and poor decoding ability on left hemisphere low-γ power or lateralization: post-hoc tests revealed that the lack of atypicality in the RD group was not due to the inclusion of those with comorbid attentional deficits. However, post-hoc tests also revealed a specific left-dominance for low-γ rhythms in children with reading deficits only, when participants with comorbid attentional deficits were excluded. We also observed an inverse relationship between decoding and left-lateralization in the controls, such that those with better decoding skills were less likely to show left-lateralization. We discuss these unexpected findings in the context of prior theoretical frameworks on temporal sampling. These results may reflect the importance of real-time language processing to evoke gamma rhythms in the phonemic range during childhood and adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver H. M. Lasnick
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Roeland Hancock
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Fumiko Hoeft
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States of America
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Zhao J, Zhao Y, Song Z, Thiebaut de Schotten M, Altarelli I, Ramus F. Adaptive compensation of arcuate fasciculus lateralization in developmental dyslexia. Cortex 2023; 167:1-11. [PMID: 37515830 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have reported anomalies in the arcuate fasciculus (AF) lateralization in developmental dyslexia (DD). Still, the relationship between AF lateralization and literacy skills in DD remains largely unknown. The purpose of our study is to investigate the relationship between lateralization of three segments of AF (AF anterior segment (AFAS), AF long segment (AFLS), and AF posterior segment (AFPS)) and literacy skills in DD. A total of 26 children with dyslexia and 31 age-matched control children were included in this study. High angular diffusion imaging, combined with spherical deconvolution tractography, was used to reconstruct the AF. Connectivity measures of hindrance-modulated orientational anisotropy (HMOA) were computed for each of the three segments of the AF. The lateralization index (LI) of each AF segment was calculated by (right HMOA - left HMOA)/(right HMOA + left HMOA). Results showed that the LIs of AFAS and AFLS were positively correlated with reading accuracy in children with dyslexia. Specifically, the LI of AFAS was positively correlated with nonword and meaningless text reading accuracy, while the LI of AFLS accounted for word reading accuracy. The results suggest adaptive compensation of arcuate fasciculus lateralization in developmental dyslexia and functional dissociation of the anterior segment and long segment in the compensation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Zhao
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University and Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China.
| | - Yueye Zhao
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University and Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China
| | - Zujun Song
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University and Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China
| | - Michel Thiebaut de Schotten
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives-UMR5293, CNRS, CEA, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France; Brain Connectivity and Behavior Laboratory, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France
| | - Irene Altarelli
- LaPsyDÉ Laboratory (UMR 8240), Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Franck Ramus
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique (ENS, EHESS, CNRS), Département D'Etudes Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL University, Paris, France.
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4
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Cross AM, Lammert JM, Peters L, Frijters JC, Ansari D, Steinbach KA, Lovett MW, Archibald LMD, Joanisse MF. White matter correlates of reading subskills in children with and without reading disability. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2023; 241:105270. [PMID: 37141728 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2023.105270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Individual differences in reading ability are associated with characteristics of white matter microstructure in the brain. However, previous studies have largely measured reading as a single construct, resulting in difficulty characterizing the role of structural connectivity in discrete subskills of reading. The present study used diffusion tensor imaging to examine how white matter microstructure, measured by fractional anisotropy (FA), relates to individual differences in reading subskills in children aged 8 to 14 (n = 65). Findings showed positive correlations between FA of the left arcuate fasciculus and measures of single word reading and rapid naming abilities. Negative correlations were observed between FA of the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus and bilateral uncinate fasciculi, and reading subskills, particularly reading comprehension. The results suggest that although reading subskills rely to some extent on shared tracts, there are also distinct characteristics of white matter microstructure supporting different components of reading ability in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra M Cross
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
| | - Jessica M Lammert
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Lien Peters
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Jan C Frijters
- Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada
| | - Daniel Ansari
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | | | - Maureen W Lovett
- The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, Canada; Paediatrics and Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Lisa M D Archibald
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Marc F Joanisse
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Haskins Laboratories, New Haven CT, USA
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Davison KE, Zuk J, Mullin LJ, Ozernov-Palchik O, Norton E, Gabrieli JDE, Yu X, Gaab N. Examining Shared Reading and White Matter Organization in Kindergarten in Relation to Subsequent Language and Reading Abilities: A Longitudinal Investigation. J Cogn Neurosci 2023; 35:259-275. [PMID: 36378907 PMCID: PMC9884137 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Parent-child language interaction in early childhood carries long-term implications for children's language and reading development. Conversational interaction, in particular, has been linked to white matter organization of neural pathways critical for language and reading. However, shared book reading serves an important role for language interaction as it exposes children to sophisticated vocabulary and syntax. Despite this, it remains unclear whether shared reading also relates to white matter characteristics subserving language and reading development. If so, to what extent do these environmentally associated changes in white matter organization relate to subsequent reading outcomes? This longitudinal study examined shared reading and white matter organization in kindergarten in relation to subsequent language and reading outcomes among 77 typically developing children. Findings reveal positive associations between the number of hours children are read to weekly (shared reading time) and the fractional anisotropy of the left arcuate fasciculus, as well as left lateralization of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). Furthermore, left lateralization of the SLF in these kindergarteners is associated with subsequent reading abilities in second grade. Mediation analyses reveal that left lateralization of the SLF fully mediates the relationship between shared reading time and second-grade reading abilities. Results are significant when controlling for age and socioeconomic status. This is the first evidence demonstrating how white matter structure, in relation to shared reading in kindergarten, is associated with school-age reading outcomes. Results illuminate shared reading as a key proxy for the home language and literacy environment and further our understanding of how language interaction may support neurocognitive development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University
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Schuler AL, Ferrazzi G, Colenbier N, Arcara G, Piccione F, Ferreri F, Marinazzo D, Pellegrino G. Auditory driven gamma synchrony is associated with cortical thickness in widespread cortical areas. Neuroimage 2022; 255:119175. [PMID: 35390460 PMCID: PMC9168448 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Gamma synchrony is a fundamental functional property of the cerebral cortex, impaired in multiple neuropsychiatric conditions (i.e. schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, stroke etc.). Auditory stimulation in the gamma range allows to drive gamma synchrony of the entire cortical mantle and to estimate the efficiency of the mechanisms sustaining it. As gamma synchrony depends strongly on the interplay between parvalbumin-positive interneurons and pyramidal neurons, we hypothesize an association between cortical thickness and gamma synchrony. To test this hypothesis, we employed a combined magnetoencephalography (MEG) - Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) study. METHODS Cortical thickness was estimated from anatomical MRI scans. MEG measurements related to exposure of 40 Hz amplitude modulated tones were projected onto the cortical surface. Two measures of cortical synchrony were considered: (a) inter-trial phase consistency at 40 Hz, providing a vertex-wise estimation of gamma synchronization, and (b) phase-locking values between primary auditory cortices and whole cortical mantle, providing a measure of long-range cortical synchrony. A correlation between cortical thickness and synchronization measures was then calculated for 72 MRI-MEG scans. RESULTS Both inter-trial phase consistency and phase locking values showed a significant positive correlation with cortical thickness. For inter-trial phase consistency, clusters of strong associations were found in the temporal and frontal lobes, especially in the bilateral auditory and pre-motor cortices. Higher phase-locking values corresponded to higher cortical thickness in the frontal, temporal, occipital and parietal lobes. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS In healthy subjects, a thicker cortex corresponds to higher gamma synchrony and connectivity in the primary auditory cortex and beyond, likely reflecting underlying cell density involved in gamma circuitries. This result hints towards an involvement of gamma synchrony together with underlying brain structure in brain areas for higher order cognitive functions. This study contributes to the understanding of inherent cortical functional and structural brain properties, which might in turn constitute the basis for the definition of useful biomarkers in patients showing aberrant gamma synchronization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Giulio Ferrazzi
- IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Via Alberoni 70, Venice 30126, Italy
| | - Nigel Colenbier
- IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Via Alberoni 70, Venice 30126, Italy
| | - Giorgio Arcara
- IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Via Alberoni 70, Venice 30126, Italy
| | | | - Florinda Ferreri
- Unit of Neurology, Unit of Clinical Neurophysiology, Study Center of Neurodegeneration (CESNE), Department of Neuroscience, University of Padua, Padua, Italy; Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Daniele Marinazzo
- Department of Data Analysis, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University
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Weiss B, Nárai Á, Vidnyánszky Z. Lateralization of early orthographic processing during natural reading is impaired in developmental dyslexia. Neuroimage 2022; 258:119383. [PMID: 35709947 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Skilled reading requires specialized visual cortical processing of orthographic information and its impairment has been proposed as a potential correlate of compromised reading in dyslexia. However, which stage of orthographic information processing during natural reading is disturbed in dyslexics remains unexplored. Here we addressed this question by simultaneously measuring the eye movements and EEG of dyslexic and control young adults during natural reading. Isolated meaningful sentences were presented at five inter-letter spacing levels spanning the range from minimal to extra-large spacing, and participants were instructed to read the text silently at their own pace. Control participants read faster, performed larger saccades and shorter fixations compared to dyslexics. While reading speed peaked around the default letter spacing, saccade amplitude increased and fixation duration decreased with the increase of letter spacing in both groups. Lateralization of occipito-temporal fixation-related EEG activity (FREA) was found in three consecutive time intervals corresponding to early orthographic processing in control readers. Importantly, the lateralization in the time range of the first negative left occipito-temporal FREA peak was specific for first fixations and exhibited an interaction effect between reading ability and letter spacing. The interaction originated in the significant decrease of FREA lateralization at extra-large compared to default letter spacing in control readers and the lack of lateralization in both letter spacing conditions in the case of dyslexics. These findings suggest that expertise-driven hemispheric functional specialization for early orthographic processing thought to be responsible for letter identity extraction during natural reading is compromised in dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Béla Weiss
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2., Budapest H-1117, Hungary.
| | - Ádám Nárai
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2., Budapest H-1117, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Vidnyánszky
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2., Budapest H-1117, Hungary.
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Yu X, Dunstan J, Jacobson SW, Molteno CD, Lindinger NM, Turesky TK, Meintjes EM, Jacobson JL, Gaab N. Distinctive neural correlates of phonological and reading impairment in fetal alcohol-exposed adolescents with and without facial dysmorphology. Neuropsychologia 2022; 169:108188. [PMID: 35218791 PMCID: PMC9922095 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been linked to atypical brain and cognitive development, including poor academic performance in reading. This study utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging to characterize functional and structural mechanisms mediating reading deficits in 26 adolescents with PAE-related facial dysmorphology (fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)/partial FAS (PFAS)), 29 heavily-exposed (HE) non-syndromal adolescents, in comparison with 19 typically developing controls. The FAS/PFAS and HE groups were balanced in terms of levels of PAE and reading (dis)ability. While neural alterations in the posterior association cortices were evident in both PAE groups, distinctive neural correlates of reading (dis)abilities were observed between adolescents with and without facial dysmorphology. Specifically, compared to the HE and control groups, the syndromal adolescents showed greater activation in the right precentral gyrus during phonological processing and rightward lateralization in an important reading-related tract (inferior longitudinal fasciculus, ILF), suggesting an atypical reliance on the right hemisphere. By contrast, in the HE, better reading skills were positively correlated with neural activation in the left angular gyrus and white matter organization of the left ILF, although the brain function-behavior relation was weaker than among the controls, suggesting less efficient function of the typical reading network. Our findings provide converging evidence at both the neural functional and structural levels for distinctive brain mechanisms underlying atypical reading and phonological processing in PAE adolescents with and without facial dysmorphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Jade Dunstan
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Sandra W Jacobson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa; Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Christopher D Molteno
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Nadine M Lindinger
- Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Ted K Turesky
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Ernesta M Meintjes
- Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Joseph L Jacobson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA; Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa.
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
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Cheema K, Sweneya S, Craig J, Huynh T, Ostevik AV, Reed A, Cummine J. An investigation of white matter properties as they relate to spelling behaviour in skilled and impaired readers. Neuropsychol Rehabil 2022:1-29. [PMID: 35323090 DOI: 10.1080/09602011.2022.2053168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
RESULTS While the inferior longitudinal fasciculus was more strongly related to spelling behaviour in skilled adults, the uncinate fasciculus was more strongly related to spelling behaviour in impaired adults. We found strong left lateralization of the arcuate fasciculus and inferior longitudinal fasciculus in both groups. However, lateralization of the inferior frontal occipital fasciculus was more strongly related to spelling response time behaviour in skilled adults, whereas lateralization of the uncinate fasciculus was more strongly related to spelling accuracy behaviour in the impaired adults. CONCLUSION This study provides some useful information for understanding the underlying white matter pathways that support spelling in skilled and impaired adults and underscore the advantage of adopting multiple spelling tasks and outcomes (i.e., response time and accuracy) to better characterize brain-behaviour relationships in skilled and impaired adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kulpreet Cheema
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Sarah Sweneya
- Faculty of Education, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Julia Craig
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Faculty of Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Truc Huynh
- Faculty of Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Amberley V Ostevik
- Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Alesha Reed
- Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jacqueline Cummine
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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Mundorf A, Peterburs J, Ocklenburg S. Asymmetry in the Central Nervous System: A Clinical Neuroscience Perspective. Front Syst Neurosci 2021; 15:733898. [PMID: 34970125 PMCID: PMC8712556 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2021.733898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent large-scale neuroimaging studies suggest that most parts of the human brain show structural differences between the left and the right hemisphere. Such structural hemispheric asymmetries have been reported for both cortical and subcortical structures. Interestingly, many neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders have been associated with altered functional hemispheric asymmetries. However, findings concerning the relation between structural hemispheric asymmetries and disorders have largely been inconsistent, both within specific disorders as well as between disorders. In the present review, we compare structural asymmetries from a clinical neuroscience perspective across different disorders. We focus especially on recent large-scale neuroimaging studies, to concentrate on replicable effects. With the notable exception of major depressive disorder, all reviewed disorders were associated with distinct patterns of alterations in structural hemispheric asymmetries. While autism spectrum disorder was associated with altered structural hemispheric asymmetries in a broader range of brain areas, most other disorders were linked to more specific alterations in brain areas related to cognitive functions that have been associated with the symptomology of these disorders. The implications of these findings are highlighted in the context of transdiagnostic approaches to psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annakarina Mundorf
- Institute for Systems Medicine and Department of Human Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jutta Peterburs
- Institute for Systems Medicine and Department of Human Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Ocklenburg
- Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Department of Psychology, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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Alterations in white matter integrity and asymmetry in patients with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes and childhood absence epilepsy: An automated fiber quantification tractography study. Epilepsy Behav 2021; 123:108235. [PMID: 34411950 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.108235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate whether patients with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) and childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) show distinct patterns of white matter (WM) alterations and structural asymmetry compared with healthy controls and the relationship between WM alterations and epilepsy-related clinical variables. METHODS We used automated fiber quantification to create tract profiles of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) in twenty-six patients with BECTS, twenty-nine patients with CAE, and twenty-four healthy controls. Group differences in FA and MD were quantified at 100 equidistant nodes along the fiber tract and these alterations and epilepsy-related clinical variables were correlated. A lateralization index (LI) representing the structural asymmetry of the fiber tract was computed and compared between both patient groups and controls. RESULTS Compared with healthy controls, the BECTS group showed widespread FA reduction in 43.75% (7/16) and MD elevation in 50% (8/16) of identified fiber tracts, and the CAE group showed regional FA reduction in 31.25% (5/16) and MD elevation in 25% (4/16) of identified fiber tracts. In the BECTS group, FA and MD in the right anterior thalamic radiation positively and negatively correlated with the number of antiepileptic drugs, respectively, and MD in the right arcuate fasciculus (AF) positively correlated with seizure frequency. In the CAE group, the LI values were significantly lower in the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and the AF. CONCLUSION The two childhood epilepsy syndromes display different patterns of WM alterations and structural asymmetry, suggesting that neuroanatomical differences may underlie the different profiles of BECTS and CAE.
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12
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Van Der Auwera S, Vandermosten M, Wouters J, Ghesquière P, Vanderauwera J. A three-time point longitudinal investigation of the arcuate fasciculus throughout reading acquisition in children developing dyslexia. Neuroimage 2021; 237:118087. [PMID: 33878382 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the neural basis of dyslexia has intensively been investigated, results are still unclear about the existence of a white matter deficit in the arcuate fasciculus (AF) throughout development. To unravel this ambiguity, we examined the difference in fractional anisotropy (FA) of the AF between children developing dyslexia and children developing typical reading skills in a longitudinal sample with three MRI time points throughout reading development: the pre-reading stage (5-6 years old), the early reading stage (7-8 years old) and the advanced reading stage (9-10 years old). Applying along-the-tract analyses of white matter organization, our results confirmed that a white matter deficit existed in the left AF prior to the onset of formal reading instruction in children who developed dyslexia later on. This deficit was consistently present throughout the course of reading development. Additionally, we evaluated the use of applying a continuous approach on the participants' reading skills rather than the arbitrary categorization in individuals with or without dyslexia. Our results confirmed the predictive relation between FA and word reading measurements later in development. This study supports the use of longitudinal approaches to investigate the neural basis of the developmental process of learning to read and the application of triangulation, i.e. using multiple research approaches to help gain more insight and aiding the interpretation of obtained results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stijn Van Der Auwera
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Jan Wouters
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jolijn Vanderauwera
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
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13
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Zuk J, Dunstan J, Norton E, Yu X, Ozernov-Palchik O, Wang Y, Hogan TP, Gabrieli JDE, Gaab N. Multifactorial pathways facilitate resilience among kindergarteners at risk for dyslexia: A longitudinal behavioral and neuroimaging study. Dev Sci 2021; 24:e12983. [PMID: 32356911 PMCID: PMC7606625 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Recent efforts have focused on screening methods to identify children at risk for dyslexia as early as preschool/kindergarten. Unfortunately, while low sensitivity leads to under-identification of at-risk children, low specificity can lead to over-identification, resulting in inaccurate allocation of limited educational resources. The present study focused on children identified as at-risk in kindergarten who do not subsequently develop poor reading skills to specify factors associated with better reading outcomes among at-risk children. Early screening was conducted in kindergarten and a subset of children was tracked longitudinally until second grade. Potential protective factors were evaluated at cognitive-linguistic, environmental, and neural levels. Relative to at-risk kindergarteners with subsequent poor reading, those with typical reading outcomes were characterized by significantly higher socioeconomic status (SES), speech production accuracy, and structural organization of the posterior right-hemispheric superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). A positive association between structural organization of the right SLF and subsequent decoding skills was found to be specific to at-risk children and not observed among typical controls. Among at-risk children, several kindergarten-age factors were found to significantly contribute to the prediction of subsequent decoding skills: white matter organization in the posterior right SLF, age, gender, SES, and phonological awareness. These findings suggest that putative compensatory mechanisms are already present by the start of kindergarten. The right SLF, in conjunction with the cognitive-linguistic and socioeconomic factors identified, may play an important role in facilitating reading development among at-risk children. This study has important implications for approaches to early screening, and assessment strategies for at-risk children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Zuk
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jade Dunstan
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Norton
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Xi Yu
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Ola Ozernov-Palchik
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Yingying Wang
- Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Tiffany P. Hogan
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John D. E. Gabrieli
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
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14
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The relation between neurofunctional and neurostructural determinants of phonological processing in pre-readers. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 46:100874. [PMID: 33130464 PMCID: PMC7606842 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Phonological processing skills are known as the most robust cognitive predictor of reading ability. Therefore, the neural determinants of phonological processing have been extensively investigated by means of either neurofunctional or neurostructural techniques. However, to fully understand how the brain represents and processes phonological information, there is need for studies that combine both methods. The present study applies such a multimodal approach with the aim of investigating the pre-reading relation between neural measures of auditory temporal processing, white matter properties of the reading network and phonological processing skills. We administered auditory steady-state responses, diffusion-weighted MRI scans and phonological awareness tasks in 59 pre-readers. Our results demonstrate that a stronger rightward lateralization of syllable-rate (4 Hz) processing coheres with higher fractional anisotropy in the left fronto-temporoparietal arcuate fasciculus. Both neural features each in turn relate to better phonological processing skills. As such, the current study provides novel evidence for the existence of a pre-reading relation between functional measures of syllable-rate processing, structural organization of the arcuate fasciculus and cognitive precursors of reading development. Moreover, our findings demonstrate the value of combining different neural techniques to gain insight in the underlying neural systems for reading (dis)ability.
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15
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Demir A, Ozkan M, Ulug AM. A Macro-Structural Dispersion Characteristic of Brain White Matter and Its Application to Bipolar Disorder. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2020; 68:428-435. [PMID: 32746027 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2020.3002688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Our goal is to find distinct characteristics of brain white matter in bipolar disorder, of which the development of diagnostic imaging measures is necessary for early diagnosis and prospective studies. METHODS Given a tractogram dataset which is a dense set of white matter fiber pathways of the whole brain obtained from diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, we propose to compute a global measure for a voxel from the dispersion statistics of a set of fibers which indicates the complexity of the white matter voxel not locally but at macroscopic scales. RESULTS Our findings demonstrate that macro-structural dispersion information is significant for discrimination of the bipolar patients from the healthy controls, particularly in the frontally associative bundles such as cingulum and inferior occipito-frontal fascicles. CONCLUSION The proposed measure is as informative as the local diffusion measures for the detection of changes in the white matter regions. SIGNIFICANCE Our findings show that the proposed measure is a potential diagnostic imaging marker in bipolar disorder and the proposed novel dispersion map of the brain could be used for other neurological applications.
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16
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Thiede A, Parkkonen L, Virtala P, Laasonen M, Mäkelä J, Kujala T. Neuromagnetic speech discrimination responses are associated with reading-related skills in dyslexic and typical readers. Heliyon 2020; 6:e04619. [PMID: 32904386 PMCID: PMC7452546 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Poor neural speech discrimination has been connected to dyslexia, and may represent phonological processing deficits that are hypothesized to be the main cause for reading impairments. Thus far, neural speech discrimination impairments have rarely been investigated in adult dyslexics, and even less by examining sources of neuromagnetic responses. We compared neuromagnetic speech discrimination in dyslexic and typical readers with mismatch fields (MMF) and determined the associations between MMFs and reading-related skills. We expected weak and atypically lateralized MMFs in dyslexic readers, and positive associations between reading-related skills and MMF strength. MMFs were recorded to a repeating pseudoword /ta-ta/ with occasional changes in vowel identity, duration, or syllable frequency from 43 adults, 21 with confirmed dyslexia. Phonetic (vowel and duration) changes elicited left-lateralized MMFs in the auditory cortices. Contrary to our hypothesis, MMF source strengths or lateralization did not differ between groups. However, better verbal working memory was associated with stronger left-hemispheric MMFs to duration changes across groups, and better reading was associated with stronger right-hemispheric late MMFs across speech-sound changes in dyslexic readers. This suggests a link between neural speech processing and reading-related skills, in line with previous work. Furthermore, our findings suggest a right-hemispheric compensatory mechanism for language processing in dyslexia. The results obtained promote the use of MMFs in investigating reading-related brain processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Thiede
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - L. Parkkonen
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, School of Science, Aalto University, Finland
- Aalto Neuroimaging, Aalto University, Finland
| | - P. Virtala
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - M. Laasonen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Phoniatrics, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland
| | - J.P. Mäkelä
- BioMag Laboratory, HUS Medical Imaging Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland
| | - T. Kujala
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
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17
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Verly M, Gerrits R, Sleurs C, Lagae L, Sunaert S, Zink I, Rommel N. The mis-wired language network in children with developmental language disorder: insights from DTI tractography. Brain Imaging Behav 2020; 13:973-984. [PMID: 29934818 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-018-9903-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
This study aims to detect the neural substrate underlying the language impairment in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography. Deterministic DTI tractography was performed in a group of right-handed children with DLD (N = 17; mean age 10;07 ± 2;01 years) and a typically developing control group matched for age, gender and handedness (N = 22; mean age 11;00 ± 1;11 years) to bilaterally identify the superior longitudinal fascicle, arcuate fascicle, anterior lateral segment and posterior lateral segment (also called dorsal language network) and the middle and inferior longitudinal fascicle, extreme capsule fiber system and uncinate fascicle (also called ventral language network). Language skills were assessed using an extensive, standardized test battery. Differences in language performance, white matter organization and structural lateralization of the language network were statistically analyzed. Children with DLD showed a higher overall volume and higher ADC values for the left-hemispheric language related WM tracts. In addition, in children with DLD, the majority (88%; 7/8) of the studied language related WM tracts did not show a significant left or right lateralization pattern. These structural alterations might underlie the language impairment in children with DLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjolein Verly
- Department of Neurosciences, ExpORL, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, bus 721, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Robin Gerrits
- Department of Neurosciences, ExpORL, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, bus 721, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Lieven Lagae
- Department of Pediatrics, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stefan Sunaert
- Department of Radiology, Translational MRI, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Radiology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Inge Zink
- Department of Neurosciences, ExpORL, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, bus 721, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nathalie Rommel
- Department of Neurosciences, ExpORL, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, bus 721, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
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18
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Assaf Y, Johansen-Berg H, Thiebaut de Schotten M. The role of diffusion MRI in neuroscience. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2019; 32:e3762. [PMID: 28696013 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.3762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Revised: 04/25/2017] [Accepted: 05/17/2017] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Diffusion-weighted imaging has pushed the boundaries of neuroscience by allowing us to examine the white matter microstructure of the living human brain. By doing so, it has provided answers to fundamental neuroscientific questions, launching a new field of research that had been largely inaccessible. We briefly summarize key questions that have historically been raised in neuroscience concerning the brain's white matter. We then expand on the benefits of diffusion-weighted imaging and its contribution to the fields of brain anatomy, functional models and plasticity. In doing so, this review highlights the invaluable contribution of diffusion-weighted imaging in neuroscience, presents its limitations and proposes new challenges for future generations who may wish to exploit this powerful technology to gain novel insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaniv Assaf
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Heidi Johansen-Berg
- FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Michel Thiebaut de Schotten
- Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Group, Frontlab, Brain and Spine Institute, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, Institut du cerveau et la moelle (ICM) - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Boulevard de l'hôpital, Paris, France
- Centre de Neuroimagerie de Recherche CENIR, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
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19
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Banfi C, Koschutnig K, Moll K, Schulte-Körne G, Fink A, Landerl K. White matter alterations and tract lateralization in children with dyslexia and isolated spelling deficits. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 40:765-776. [PMID: 30267634 PMCID: PMC6492145 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study investigated whether children with a typical dyslexia profile and children with isolated spelling deficits show a distinct pattern of white matter alteration compared with typically developing peers. Relevant studies on the topic are scarce, rely on small samples, and often suffer from the limitations of conventional tensor-based methods. The present Constrained Spherical Deconvolution study includes 27 children with typical reading and spelling skills, 21 children with dyslexia and 21 children with isolated spelling deficits. Group differences along major white matter tracts were quantified utilizing the Automated Fiber Quantification software and a lateralization index was calculated in order to investigate the structural asymmetry of the tracts. The two deficit groups mostly displayed different patterns of white matter alterations, located in the bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculi, right superior longitudinal fasciculus, and cingulum for the group with dyslexia and in the left arcuate fasciculus for the group with isolated spelling deficits. The two deficit groups differed also with respect to structural asymmetry. Children with dyslexia did not show the typical leftward asymmetry of the arcuate fasciculus, whereas the group with isolated spelling deficits showed absent rightward asymmetry of the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. This study adds evidence to the notion that different profiles of combined or isolated reading and spelling deficits are associated with different neural signatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Banfi
- University of Graz, Institute of Psychology, Graz, Austria
| | | | - Kristina Moll
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Gerd Schulte-Körne
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas Fink
- University of Graz, Institute of Psychology, Graz, Austria
| | - Karin Landerl
- University of Graz, Institute of Psychology, Graz, Austria.,BioTechMed-Graz, Graz, Austria
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20
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Vanderauwera J, Altarelli I, Vandermosten M, De Vos A, Wouters J, Ghesquière P. Atypical Structural Asymmetry of the Planum Temporale is Related to Family History of Dyslexia. Cereb Cortex 2018; 28:63-72. [PMID: 29253247 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on the neural correlates of developmental dyslexia indicates atypical anatomical lateralization of the planum temporale, a higher-order cortical auditory region. Yet whether this atypical lateralization precedes reading acquisition and is related to a familial risk for dyslexia is not currently known. In this study, we address these questions in 2 separate cohorts of young children and adolescents with and without a familial risk for dyslexia. Planum temporale surface area was manually labeled bilaterally, on the T1-weighted MR brain images of 54 pre-readers (mean age: 6.2 years, SD: 3.2 months; 33 males) and 28 adolescents (mean age: 14.7 years, SD: 3.3 months; 11 males). Half of the pre-readers and adolescents had a familial risk for dyslexia. In both pre-readers and adolescents, group comparisons of left and right planum temporale surface area showed a significant interaction between hemisphere and family history of dyslexia, with participants who had no family risk for dyslexia showing greater leftward asymmetry of the planum temporale. This effect was confirmed when analyses were restricted to normal reading participants. Altered planum temporale asymmetry thus seems to be related to family history of dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolijn Vanderauwera
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Astrid De Vos
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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21
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Žarić G, Timmers I, Gerretsen P, Fraga González G, Tijms J, van der Molen MW, Blomert L, Bonte M. Atypical White Matter Connectivity in Dyslexic Readers of a Fairly Transparent Orthography. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1147. [PMID: 30042708 PMCID: PMC6049043 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Atypical structural properties of the brain's white matter bundles have been associated with failing reading acquisition in developmental dyslexia. Because these white matter properties may show dynamic changes with age and orthographic depth, we examined fractional anisotropy (FA) along 16 white matter tracts in 8- to 11-year-old dyslexic (DR) and typically reading (TR) children learning to read in a fairly transparent orthography (Dutch). Our results showed higher FA values in the bilateral anterior thalamic radiations of DRs and FA values of the left thalamic radiation scaled with behavioral reading-related scores. Furthermore, DRs tended to have atypical FA values in the bilateral arcuate fasciculi. Children's age additionally predicted FA values along the tracts. Together, our findings suggest differential contributions of cortical and thalamo-cortical pathways to the developing reading network in dyslexic and typical readers, possibly indicating prolonged letter-by-letter reading or increased attentional and/or working memory demands in dyslexic children during reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gojko Žarić
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (M-BIC), Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Inge Timmers
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | | | - Gorka Fraga González
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Jurgen Tijms
- IWAL Instituut Voor Leerproblemen, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Leo Blomert
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (M-BIC), Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Milene Bonte
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (M-BIC), Maastricht, Netherlands
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22
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Su M, Thiebaut de Schotten M, Zhao J, Song S, Zhou W, Gong G, McBride C, Ramus F, Shu H. Vocabulary growth rate from preschool to school-age years is reflected in the connectivity of the arcuate fasciculus in 14-year-old children. Dev Sci 2018; 21:e12647. [PMID: 29411464 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The acquisition of language involves the functional specialization of several cortical regions. Connectivity between these brain regions may also change with the development of language. Various studies have demonstrated that the arcuate fasciculus was essential for language function. Vocabulary learning is one of the most important skills in language acquisition. In the present longitudinal study, we explored the influence of vocabulary development on the anatomical properties of the arcuate fasciculus. Seventy-nine Chinese children participated in this study. Between age 4 and age 10, they were administered the same vocabulary task repeatedly. Following a previous study, children's vocabulary developmental trajectories were clustered into three subgroups (consistently good, catch-up, consistently poor). At age 14, diffusion tensor imaging data were collected. Using ROI-based tractography, the anterior, posterior and direct segments of the bilateral arcuate fasciculus were delineated in each child's native space. Group comparisons showed a significantly reduced fractional anisotropy in the left arcuate fasciculus of children in the consistently poor group, in particular in the posterior and direct segments of the arcuate fasciculus. No group differences were observed in the right hemisphere, nor in the left anterior segment. Further regression analyses showed that the rate of vocabulary development, rather than the initial vocabulary size, was a specific predictor of the left arcuate fasciculus connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengmeng Su
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.,Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique (ENS, CNRS, EHESS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France.,College of Elementary Education, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Michel Thiebaut de Schotten
- Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Group, Brain and Spine Institute (ICM), CNRS, UMR 7225, INSERM-UPMC, UMRS 1127, Paris, France
| | - Jingjing Zhao
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University and Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an, China
| | - Shuang Song
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.,College of Teacher Education, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- Beijing Key Lab of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Gaolang Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Catherine McBride
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Franck Ramus
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique (ENS, CNRS, EHESS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Hua Shu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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23
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Wilkinson M, Lim AR, Cohen AH, Galaburda AM, Takahashi E. Detection and Growth Pattern of Arcuate Fasciculus from Newborn to Adult. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:389. [PMID: 28769741 PMCID: PMC5509799 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fractional anisotropy (FA) threshold is commonly used to perform diffusion MRI tractography. However, FA threshold may be one aspect of tractography that needs additional scrutiny in accurately assessing pathways in immature, developing brains, as well as in adult brains. Using high-angular resolution diffusion MRI (HARDI) tractography without an FA threshold, we identified the arcuate fasciculus (AF) of 83 healthy subjects ranging in age from 40 gestational weeks (GW) (newborns) to 28-year-old adults. The AF was identified in both hemispheres in all subjects with high inter-rater reliability. The detected AF included regions with very low FA values. The entire AF was segmented into anterior, posterior, and long tracts. Growth and laterality patterns were investigated using tract count (number of detected streamlines), total volume of imaging voxels (touched by the detected streamlines), mean length, mean FA, and mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). Comparison of subjects under 3 years old, to those that were older, revealed the three AF tracts that took different developmental courses. As expected, the anterior and long tracts showed lower ADC values in subjects over 3 years old, while the posterior tract showed higher ADC in that same age range. The posterior tract did not show age-related effect in terms of FA, tract count, length, and volume. These results suggest that the posterior AF tract shows a matured state, indexed by most of the used measurements in early postnatal developmental ages, and ADC is a measurement that can detect further maturation of the posterior tract. Interestingly, in all tracts, hemispheric asymmetries were found in raw (left<right), and in whole brain (WB)-normalized (left>right) tract count, as well as in raw volume (left<right). In raw, and in WB-normalized length, as well as in WB-normalized volume, rightward asymmetry (left<right) was found only in the anterior tract; other tracts were not significantly affected by hemisphere. Although many previous studies have observed a leftward asymmetry in the AF, rightward asymmetry has also been reported in other studies, and together with the present report, the results in the literature are likely to reflect differences in the methods used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly Wilkinson
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA, United States.,Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBoston, MA, United States
| | - Ashley R Lim
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBoston, MA, United States.,Department of Psychology, Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA, United States
| | - Andrew H Cohen
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA, United States.,Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBoston, MA, United States
| | - Albert M Galaburda
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical SchoolBoston, MA, United States
| | - Emi Takahashi
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBoston, MA, United States
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24
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Wang Y, Mauer MV, Raney T, Peysakhovich B, Becker BLC, Sliva DD, Gaab N. Development of Tract-Specific White Matter Pathways During Early Reading Development in At-Risk Children and Typical Controls. Cereb Cortex 2017; 27:2469-2485. [PMID: 27114172 PMCID: PMC5964366 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a strong genetic basis. Previous studies observed white matter alterations in the left posterior brain regions in adults and school-age children with dyslexia. However, no study yet has examined the development of tract-specific white matter pathways from the pre-reading to the fluent reading stage in children at familial risk for dyslexia (FHD+) versus controls (FHD-). This study examined white matter integrity at pre-reading, beginning, and fluent reading stages cross-sectionally ( n = 78) and longitudinally (n = 45) using an automated fiber-tract quantification method. Our findings depict white matter alterations and atypical lateralization of the arcuate fasciculus at the pre-reading stage in FHD+ versus FHD- children. Moreover, we demonstrate faster white matter development in subsequent good versus poor readers and a positive association between white matter maturation and reading development using a longitudinal design. Additionally, the combination of white matter maturation, familial risk, and psychometric measures best predicted later reading abilities. Furthermore, within FHD+ children, subsequent good readers exhibited faster white matter development in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus compared with subsequent poor readers, suggesting a compensatory mechanism. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of white matter pathway maturation in the development of typical and atypical reading skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingying Wang
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Meaghan V. Mauer
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Talia Raney
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Barbara Peysakhovich
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Bryce L. C. Becker
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Danielle D. Sliva
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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25
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Darki F, Massinen S, Salmela E, Matsson H, Peyrard-Janvid M, Klingberg T, Kere J. Human ROBO1 regulates white matter structure in corpus callosum. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 222:707-716. [PMID: 27240594 PMCID: PMC5334444 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-016-1240-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Accepted: 05/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The axon guidance receptor, Robo1, controls the pathfinding of callosal axons in mice. To determine whether the orthologous ROBO1 gene is involved in callosal development also in humans, we studied polymorphisms in the ROBO1 gene and variation in the white matter structure in the corpus callosum using both structural magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging. We found that five polymorphisms in the regulatory region of ROBO1 were associated with white matter density in the posterior part of the corpus callosum pathways. One of the polymorphisms, rs7631357, was also significantly associated with the probability of connections to the parietal cortical regions. Our results demonstrate that human ROBO1 may be involved in the regulation of the structure and connectivity of posterior part of corpus callosum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fahimeh Darki
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Satu Massinen
- Research Programs Unit, Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Folkhälsan Institute of Genetics, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Elina Salmela
- Research Programs Unit, Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Folkhälsan Institute of Genetics, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hans Matsson
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Hälsovägen 7, 14183, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Myriam Peyrard-Janvid
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Hälsovägen 7, 14183, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Torkel Klingberg
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Juha Kere
- Research Programs Unit, Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- Folkhälsan Institute of Genetics, Helsinki, Finland.
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Hälsovägen 7, 14183, Huddinge, Sweden.
- Science for Life Laboratory, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
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26
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Rueckriegel SM, Homola GA, Hummel M, Willner N, Ernestus RI, Matthies C. Probabilistic Fiber-Tracking Reveals Degeneration of the Contralateral Auditory Pathway in Patients with Vestibular Schwannoma. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2016; 37:1610-6. [PMID: 27256855 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a4833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 03/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Vestibular schwannomas cause progressive hearing loss by direct damage to the vestibulocochlear nerve. The cerebral mechanisms of degeneration or plasticity are not well-understood. Therefore, the goal of our study was to show the feasibility of probabilistic fiber-tracking of the auditory pathway in patients with vestibular schwannomas and to compare the ipsi- and contralateral volume and integrity, to test differences between the hemispheres. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifteen patients with vestibular schwannomas were investigated before surgery. Diffusion-weighted imaging (25 directions) was performed on a 3T MR imaging system. Probabilistic tractography was performed for 3 partial sections of the auditory pathway. Volume and fractional anisotropy were determined and compared ipsilaterally and contralaterally. The laterality ratio was correlated with the level of hearing loss. RESULTS Anatomically reasonable tracts were depicted in all patients for the acoustic radiation. Volume was significantly decreased on the hemisphere contralateral to the tumor side for the acoustic radiation and diencephalic section, while fractional anisotropy did not differ significantly. Tracking did not yield meaningful tracts in 3 patients for the thalamocortical section and in 5 patients for the diencephalic section. No statistically significant correlations between the laterality quotient and classification of hearing loss were found. CONCLUSIONS For the first time, this study showed that different sections of the auditory pathway between the inferior colliculus and the auditory cortex can be visualized by using probabilistic tractography. A significant volume decrease of the auditory pathway on the contralateral hemisphere was observed and may be explained by transsynaptic degeneration of the crossing auditory pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Rueckriegel
- From the Departments of Neurosurgery (S.M.R., M.H., N.W., R.-I.E., C.M.)
| | - G A Homola
- Neuroradiology (G.A.H.), Würzburg University Hospital, Würzburg, Germany
| | - M Hummel
- From the Departments of Neurosurgery (S.M.R., M.H., N.W., R.-I.E., C.M.)
| | - N Willner
- From the Departments of Neurosurgery (S.M.R., M.H., N.W., R.-I.E., C.M.)
| | - R-I Ernestus
- From the Departments of Neurosurgery (S.M.R., M.H., N.W., R.-I.E., C.M.)
| | - C Matthies
- From the Departments of Neurosurgery (S.M.R., M.H., N.W., R.-I.E., C.M.)
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27
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White matter microstructural properties correlate with sensorimotor synchronization abilities. Neuroimage 2016; 138:1-12. [PMID: 27165760 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Revised: 05/03/2016] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensorimotor synchronization (SMS) to an external auditory rhythm is a developed ability in humans, particularly evident in dancing and singing. This ability is typically measured in the lab via a simple task of finger tapping to an auditory beat. While simplistic, there is some evidence that poor performance on this task could be related to impaired phonological and reading abilities in children. Auditory-motor synchronization is hypothesized to rely on a tight coupling between auditory and motor neural systems, but the specific pathways that mediate this coupling have not been identified yet. In this study, we test this hypothesis and examine the contribution of fronto-temporal and callosal connections to specific measures of rhythmic synchronization. Twenty participants went through SMS and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) measurements. We quantified the mean asynchrony between an auditory beat and participants' finger taps, as well as the time to resynchronize (TTR) with an altered meter, and examined the correlations between these behavioral measures and diffusivity in a small set of predefined pathways. We found significant correlations between asynchrony and fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left (but not right) arcuate fasciculus and in the temporal segment of the corpus callosum. On the other hand, TTR correlated with FA in the precentral segment of the callosum. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that relates these particular white matter tracts with performance on an auditory-motor rhythmic synchronization task. We propose that left fronto-temporal and temporal-callosal fibers are involved in prediction and constant comparison between auditory inputs and motor commands, while inter-hemispheric connections between the motor/premotor cortices contribute to successful resynchronization of motor responses with a new external rhythm, perhaps via inhibition of tapping to the previous rhythm. Our results indicate that auditory-motor synchronization skills are associated with anatomical pathways that have been previously related to phonological awareness, thus offering a possible anatomical basis for the behavioral covariance between these abilities.
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28
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Molinaro N, Lizarazu M, Lallier M, Bourguignon M, Carreiras M. Out-of-synchrony speech entrainment in developmental dyslexia. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 37:2767-83. [PMID: 27061643 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2015] [Revised: 03/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia is a reading disorder often characterized by reduced awareness of speech units. Whether the neural source of this phonological disorder in dyslexic readers results from the malfunctioning of the primary auditory system or damaged feedback communication between higher-order phonological regions (i.e., left inferior frontal regions) and the auditory cortex is still under dispute. Here we recorded magnetoencephalographic (MEG) signals from 20 dyslexic readers and 20 age-matched controls while they were listening to ∼10-s-long spoken sentences. Compared to controls, dyslexic readers had (1) an impaired neural entrainment to speech in the delta band (0.5-1 Hz); (2) a reduced delta synchronization in both the right auditory cortex and the left inferior frontal gyrus; and (3) an impaired feedforward functional coupling between neural oscillations in the right auditory cortex and the left inferior frontal regions. This shows that during speech listening, individuals with developmental dyslexia present reduced neural synchrony to low-frequency speech oscillations in primary auditory regions that hinders higher-order speech processing steps. The present findings, thus, strengthen proposals assuming that improper low-frequency acoustic entrainment affects speech sampling. This low speech-brain synchronization has the strong potential to cause severe consequences for both phonological and reading skills. Interestingly, the reduced speech-brain synchronization in dyslexic readers compared to normal readers (and its higher-order consequences across the speech processing network) appears preserved through the development from childhood to adulthood. Thus, the evaluation of speech-brain synchronization could possibly serve as a diagnostic tool for early detection of children at risk of dyslexia. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2767-2783, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Molinaro
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, San Sebastian, Spain.,Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Mikel Lizarazu
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Marie Lallier
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Mathieu Bourguignon
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, San Sebastian, Spain.,Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, Espoo, Finland
| | - Manuel Carreiras
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, San Sebastian, Spain.,Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
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29
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Altered hemispheric lateralization of white matter pathways in developmental dyslexia: Evidence from spherical deconvolution tractography. Cortex 2016; 76:51-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2015.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2014] [Revised: 05/13/2015] [Accepted: 12/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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30
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Lu C, Qi Z, Harris A, Weil LW, Han M, Halverson K, Perrachione TK, Kjelgaard M, Wexler K, Tager-Flusberg H, Gabrieli JDE. Shared neuroanatomical substrates of impaired phonological working memory across reading disability and autism. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2016; 1:169-177. [PMID: 26949750 PMCID: PMC4776338 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2015.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals with reading disability or individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are characterized, respectively, by their difficulties in reading or social communication, but both groups often have impaired phonological working memory (PWM). It is not known whether the impaired PWM reflects distinct or shared neuroanatomical abnormalities in these two diagnostic groups. METHODS White-matter structural connectivity via diffusion weighted imaging was examined in sixty-four children, ages 5-17 years, with reading disability, ASD, or typical development (TD), who were matched in age, gender, intelligence, and diffusion data quality. RESULTS Children with reading disability and children with ASD exhibited reduced PWM compared to children with TD. The two diagnostic groups showed altered white-matter microstructure in the temporo-parietal portion of the left arcuate fasciculus (AF) and in the temporo-occipital portion of the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), as indexed by reduced fractional anisotropy and increased radial diffusivity. Moreover, the structural integrity of the right ILF was positively correlated with PWM ability in the two diagnostic groups, but not in the TD group. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that impaired PWM is transdiagnostically associated with shared neuroanatomical abnormalities in ASD and reading disability. Microstructural characteristics in left AF and right ILF may play important roles in the development of PWM. The right ILF may support a compensatory mechanism for children with impaired PWM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunming Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
- Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Zhenghan Qi
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Adrianne Harris
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Lisa Wisman Weil
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Michelle Han
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Kelly Halverson
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Tyler K. Perrachione
- Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Margaret Kjelgaard
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Kenneth Wexler
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Helen Tager-Flusberg
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - John D. E. Gabrieli
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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31
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Swanson MR, Wolff JJ, Elison JT, Gu H, Hazlett HC, Botteron K, Styner M, Paterson S, Gerig G, Constantino J, Dager S, Estes A, Vachet C, Piven J. Splenium development and early spoken language in human infants. Dev Sci 2015; 20. [PMID: 26490257 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2014] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The association between developmental trajectories of language-related white matter fiber pathways from 6 to 24 months of age and individual differences in language production at 24 months of age was investigated. The splenium of the corpus callosum, a fiber pathway projecting through the posterior hub of the default mode network to occipital visual areas, was examined as well as pathways implicated in language function in the mature brain, including the arcuate fasciculi, uncinate fasciculi, and inferior longitudinal fasciculi. The hypothesis that the development of neural circuitry supporting domain-general orienting skills would relate to later language performance was tested in a large sample of typically developing infants. The present study included 77 infants with diffusion weighted MRI scans at 6, 12 and 24 months and language assessment at 24 months. The rate of change in splenium development varied significantly as a function of language production, such that children with greater change in fractional anisotropy (FA) from 6 to 24 months produced more words at 24 months. Contrary to findings from older children and adults, significant associations between language production and FA in the arcuate, uncinate, or left inferior longitudinal fasciculi were not observed. The current study highlights the importance of tracing brain development trajectories from infancy to fully elucidate emerging brain-behavior associations while also emphasizing the role of the splenium as a key node in the structural network that supports the acquisition of spoken language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan R Swanson
- The Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Jason J Wolff
- The Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.,Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, USA
| | - Jed T Elison
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, USA
| | - Hongbin Gu
- The Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Heather C Hazlett
- The Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
| | | | - Martin Styner
- The Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.,Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Sarah Paterson
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, USA.,Center for Autism Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, USA
| | - Guido Gerig
- Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, USA
| | | | - Stephen Dager
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, USA
| | - Annette Estes
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, USA
| | - Clement Vachet
- Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, USA
| | - Joseph Piven
- The Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
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32
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Van Beek L, Ghesquière P, Lagae L, De Smedt B. Mathematical Difficulties and White Matter Abnormalities in Subacute Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. J Neurotrauma 2015; 32:1567-78. [DOI: 10.1089/neu.2014.3809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Leen Van Beek
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, University of Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, University of Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lieven Lagae
- Department of Development and Regeneration, University of Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert De Smedt
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, University of Leuven, Belgium
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33
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Seifan A, Assuras S, Huey ED, Mez J, Tsapanou A, Caccappolo E. Childhood Learning Disabilities and Atypical Dementia: A Retrospective Chart Review. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0129919. [PMID: 26106899 PMCID: PMC4481274 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2014] [Accepted: 05/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective To further our understanding of the association between self-reported childhood learning disabilities (LDs) and atypical dementia phenotypes (Atypical Dementia), including logopenic primary progressive aphasia (L-PPA), Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA), and Dysexecutive-type Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Methods This retrospective case series analysis of 678 comprehensive neuropsychological assessments compared rates of self-reported LD between dementia patients diagnosed with Typical AD and those diagnosed with Atypical Dementia. 105 cases with neuroimaging or CSF data available and at least one neurology follow-up were identified as having been diagnosed by the neuropsychologist with any form of neurodegenerative dementia. These cases were subject to a consensus diagnostic process among three dementia experts using validated clinical criteria for AD and PPA. LD was considered Probable if two or more statements consistent with prior LD were documented within the Social & Developmental History of the initial neuropsychological evaluation. Results 85 subjects (Typical AD n=68, Atypical AD n=17) were included in the final analysis. In logistic regression models adjusted for age, gender, handedness, education and symptom duration, patients with Probable LD, compared to patients without Probable LD, were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with Atypical Dementia vs. Typical AD (OR 13.1, 95% CI 1.3-128.4). All three of the L-PPA cases reporting a childhood LD endorsed childhood difficulty with language. By contrast, both PCA cases reporting Probable childhood LD endorsed difficulty with attention and/or math. Conclusions In people who develop dementia, childhood LD may predispose to atypical phenotypes. Future studies are required to confirm whether atypical neurodevelopment predisposes to regional-specific neuropathology in AD and other dementias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alon Seifan
- Department of Neurology Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Stephanie Assuras
- Department of Neuropsychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Edward D. Huey
- Department of Neurology Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Cognitive neuroscience division, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Jesse Mez
- Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Angeliki Tsapanou
- Cognitive neuroscience division, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Elise Caccappolo
- Department of Neuropsychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
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34
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Vanderauwera J, Vandermosten M, Dell'Acqua F, Wouters J, Ghesquière P. Disentangling the relation between left temporoparietal white matter and reading: A spherical deconvolution tractography study. Hum Brain Mapp 2015; 36:3273-87. [PMID: 26037303 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2015] [Revised: 05/13/2015] [Accepted: 05/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have shown that left temporoparietal white matter is related to phonological aspects of reading. However, DTI lacks the sensitivity to disentangle whether phonological processing is sustained by intrahemispheric connections, interhemispheric connections, or projection tracts. Spherical deconvolution (SD) is a nontensor model which enables a more accurate estimation of multiple fiber directions in crossing fiber regions. Hence, this study is the first to investigate whether the observed relation with reading aspects in left temporoparietal white matter is sustained by a particular pathway by applying a nontensor model. Second, measures of degree of diffusion anisotropy, which indirectly informs about white matter organization, were compared between DTI and SD tractography. In this study, 71 children (5-6 years old) participated. Intrahemispheric, interhemispheric, and projection pathways were delineated using DTI and SD tractography. Anisotropy indices were extracted, that is, fractional anisotropy (FA) in DTI and quantitative hindrance modulated orientational anisotropy (HMOA) in SD. DTI results show that diffusion anisotropy in both the intrahemispheric and projection tracts was positively correlated to phonological awareness; however, the effect was confounded by subjects' motion. In SD, the relation was restricted to the left intrahemispheric connections. A model comparison suggested that FA was, relatively to HMOA, more confounded by fiber crossings; however, anisotropy indices were highly related. In sum, this study shows the potential of SD to quantify white matter microstructure in regions containing crossing fibers. More specifically, SD analyses show that phonological awareness is sustained by left intrahemispheric connections and not interhemispheric or projection tracts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolijn Vanderauwera
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Flavio Dell'Acqua
- NATBRAINLAB, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Wouters
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Wigand M, Kubicki M, von Hohenberg CC, Leicht G, Karch S, Eckbo R, Pelavin PE, Hawley K, Rujescu D, Bouix S, Shenton ME, Mulert C. Auditory verbal hallucinations and the interhemispheric auditory pathway in chronic schizophrenia. World J Biol Psychiatry 2015; 16:31-44. [PMID: 25224883 PMCID: PMC4698973 DOI: 10.3109/15622975.2014.948063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The interhemispheric auditory pathway has been shown to play a crucial role in the processing of acoustic stimuli, and alterations of structural and functional connectivity between bilateral auditory areas are likely relevant to the pathogenesis of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs). The aim of this study was to examine this pathway in patients with chronic schizophrenia regarding their lifetime history of AVHs. METHODS DTI scans were acquired from 33 healthy controls (HC), 24 schizophrenia patients with a history of AVHs (LT-AVH) and nine schizophrenia patients without any lifetime hallucinations (N-LT-AVH). The interhemispheric auditory fibre bundles were extracted using streamline tractography. Subsequently, diffusivity indices, namely Fractional Anisotropy (FA), Trace, Mode, Axial and Radial diffusivity, were calculated. RESULTS FA was decreased over the entire pathway in LT-AVH compared with N-LT-AVH. Moreover, LT-AVH displayed decreased FA and Mode as well as increased radial diffusivity in the midsagittal section of the fibre tract. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate complex microstructural changes in the interhemispheric auditory pathway of schizophrenia patients with a history of AVHs. Alterations appear to be absent in patients who have never hallucinated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Wigand
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany,Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Branch, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marek Kubicki
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Department of Radiology, Surgical Planning Laboratory, MRI Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Christian Clemm von Hohenberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany,Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Branch, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Gregor Leicht
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Branch, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Karch
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Ryan Eckbo
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paula E. Pelavin
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kathryn Hawley
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dan Rujescu
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany,Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Sylvain Bouix
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Department of Radiology, Surgical Planning Laboratory, MRI Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Martha E. Shenton
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Department of Radiology, Surgical Planning Laboratory, MRI Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA,Department of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School, Brockton, MA, USA
| | - Christoph Mulert
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Branch, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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36
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Elmer S, Jäncke L. Intracerebral functional connectivity-guided neurofeedback as a putative rehabilitative intervention for ameliorating auditory-related dysfunctions. Front Psychol 2014; 5:1227. [PMID: 25400606 PMCID: PMC4212614 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2014] [Accepted: 10/09/2014] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Electroencephalography (EEG) constitutes one of the most eligible candidates for neurofeedback applications, principally due to its excellent temporal resolution best reflecting the natural dynamics of brain processes. In addition, EEG is easy to use and provides the opportunity for mobile applications. In the present opinion article, we pinpoint the advantages of using intracerebral functional connectivity (IFC) instead of quantitative scalp EEG for interventional applications. In fact, due to the convergence of multiple signals originating from different spatial locations and electrophysiological interactions, miscellaneous scalp signals are too unspecific for therapeutic neurofeedback applications. Otherwise, IFC opens novel perspectives for influencing brain activity in specific dysfunctional small- and large-scale neuronal networks with a reasonable spatial resolution. In the present article, we propose concrete interventional IFC applications that may be used to ameliorate auditory-related dysfunctions such as developmental dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Elmer
- Division Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of ZurichZurich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Division Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of ZurichZurich, Switzerland
- Center for Integrative Human PhysiologyZurich, Switzerland
- International Normal Aging and Plasticity Imaging CenterZurich, Switzerland
- Research Unit for Plasticity and Learning of the Healthy Aging Brain, University of ZurichZurich, Switzerland
- Dynamic of Healthy Aging, University Research Priority Program University of ZurichSwitzerland
- Department of Special Education, King Abdulaziz UniversityJeddah, Saudi Arabia
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