1
|
Mahé G, Grisetto F, Macchi L, Javourey-Drevet L, Roger C. Error-monitoring: A predictor of future reading skills? A 3-year longitudinal study in children. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 66:101350. [PMID: 38286090 PMCID: PMC10839262 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101350] [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: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Investigation of the factors explaining individual differences in the acquisition of expert reading skills has become of particular interest these last decades. Non-verbal abilities, such as visual attention and executive functions play an important role in reading acquisition. Among those non-verbal factors, error-monitoring, which allows one to detect one's own errors and to avoid repeating them in the future, has been reported to be impaired in dyslexic readers. The present three-year longitudinal study aims at determining whether error-monitoring efficiency evaluated before and during reading instruction could improve the explanation of reading skills. To do so, 85 children will be followed from the last year of kindergarten to the second grade. The classic predictors of reading will be assessed at each grade level. Error-monitoring indices in domain-general and reading-related contexts will be derived from EMG data recorded during a Simon task in kindergarten and during both a Simon and a lexical decision tasks in the first and second grades. Findings concerning the role of error-monitoring on reading skills are expected to have an important impact on reading instruction to prevent reading difficulties in at-risk children and improve remediation to help children with reading difficulties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gwendoline Mahé
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, F-59000 Lille, France.
| | - Fanny Grisetto
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Lucie Macchi
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8163 - STL - Savoirs Textes Langage, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Ludivine Javourey-Drevet
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Clémence Roger
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, F-59000 Lille, France
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Blockmans L, Kievit R, Wouters J, Ghesquière P, Vandermosten M. Dynamics of cognitive predictors during reading acquisition in a sample of children overrepresented for dyslexia risk. Dev Sci 2024; 27:e13412. [PMID: 37219071 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13412] [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: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Literacy acquisition is a complex process with genetic and environmental factors influencing cognitive and neural processes associated with reading. Previous research identified factors that predict word reading fluency (WRF), including phonological awareness (PA), rapid automatized naming (RAN), and speech-in-noise perception (SPIN). Recent theoretical accounts suggest dynamic interactions between these factors and reading, but direct investigations of such dynamics are lacking. Here, we investigated the dynamic effect of phonological processing and speech perception on WRF. More specifically, we evaluated the dynamic influence of PA, RAN, and SPIN measured in kindergarten (the year prior to formal reading instruction), first grade (the first year of formal reading instruction) and second grade on WRF in second and third grade. We also assessed the effect of an indirect proxy of family risk for reading difficulties using a parental questionnaire (Adult Reading History Questionnaire, ARHQ). We applied path modeling in a longitudinal sample of 162 Dutch-speaking children of whom the majority was selected to have an increased family and/or cognitive risk for dyslexia. We showed that parental ARHQ had a significant effect on WRF, RAN and SPIN, but unexpectedly not on PA. We also found effects of RAN and PA directly on WRF that were limited to first and second grade respectively, in contrast to previous research reporting pre-reading PA effects and prolonged RAN effects throughout reading acquisition. Our study provides important new insights into early prediction of later word reading abilities and into the optimal time window to target a specific reading-related subskill during intervention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Blockmans
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neuroscience, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rogier Kievit
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Wouters
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neuroscience, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neuroscience, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hernández-Vásquez R, Córdova García U, Barreto AMB, Rojas MLR, Ponce-Meza J, Saavedra-López M. An Overview on Electrophysiological and Neuroimaging Findings in Dyslexia. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY 2023; 18:503-509. [PMID: 37881421 PMCID: PMC10593994 DOI: 10.18502/ijps.v18i4.13638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Objective: Dyslexia is a prevalent neurodevelopmental condition that is characterized by inaccurate and slow word recognition. This article reviews neural correlates of dyslexia from both electrophysiological and neuroimaging studies. Method : In this brief review, we provide electrophysiological and neuroimaging evidence from electroencephalogram (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in dyslexia to understand functional and structural brain changes in this condition. Results: In both electrophysiological and neuroimaging studies, the most frequently reported functional impairments in dyslexia include aberrant activation of the left hemisphere occipito-temporal cortex (OTC), temporo-parietal cortex (TPC), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and cerebellar areas. EEG studies have mostly highlighted the important role of lower frequency bands in dyslexia, especially theta waves. Furthermore, neuroimaging studies have suggested that dyslexia is related to functional and structural impairments in the left hemisphere regions associated with reading and language, including reduced grey matter volume in the left TPC, decreased white matter connectivity between reading networks, and hypo-activation of the left OTC and TPC. In addition, neural evidence from pre-reading children and infants at risk for dyslexia show that there are abnormalities in the dyslexic brain before learning to read begins. Conclusion: Advances in comprehending the neural correlates of dyslexia could bring closer translation from basic to clinical neuroscience and effective rehabilitation for individuals who struggle to read. However, neuroscience still has great potential for clinical translation that requires further research.
Collapse
|
4
|
Fan T, Zhang L, Liu J, Niu Y, Hong T, Zhang W, Shu H, Zhao J. Phonemic mismatch negativity mediates the association between phoneme awareness and character reading ability in young Chinese children. Neuropsychologia 2023; 188:108624. [PMID: 37328027 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108624] [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: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Poor phonological awareness is associated with greater risk for reading disability. The underlying neural mechanism of such association may lie in the brain processing of phonological information. Lower amplitude of auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) has been associated with poor phonological awareness and with the presence of reading disability. The current study recorded auditory MMN to phoneme and lexical tone contrast with odd-ball paradigm and examined whether auditory MMN mediated the associations between phonological awareness and character reading ability through a three-year longitudinal study in 78 native Mandarin-speaking kindergarten children. Hierarchical linear regression and mediation analyses showed that the effect of phoneme awareness on the character reading ability was mediated by the phonemic MMN in young Chinese children. Findings underscore the key role of phonemic MMN as the underlying neurodevelopmental mechanism linking phoneme awareness and reading ability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tengwen Fan
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University and Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710062, China
| | - Liming Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University and Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710062, China
| | - Jianyi Liu
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University and Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710062, China
| | - Yanbin Niu
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University and Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710062, China
| | - Tian Hong
- School of Humanities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
| | - Wenfang Zhang
- Affiliated Kindergarten of Shaanxi Normal University, Shaanxi, 710062, China
| | - Hua Shu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, China
| | - Jingjing Zhao
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University and Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710062, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Church JA, Grigorenko EL, Fletcher JM. The Role of Neural and Genetic Processes in Learning to Read and Specific Reading Disabilities: Implications for Instruction. READING RESEARCH QUARTERLY 2023; 58:203-219. [PMID: 37456924 PMCID: PMC10348696 DOI: 10.1002/rrq.439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
To learn to read, the brain must repurpose neural systems for oral language and visual processing to mediate written language. We begin with a description of computational models for how alphabetic written language is processed. Next, we explain the roles of a dorsal sublexical system in the brain that relates print and speech, a ventral lexical system that develops the visual expertise for rapid orthographic processing at the word level, and the role of cognitive control networks that regulate attentional processes as children read. We then use studies of children, adult illiterates learning to read, and studies of poor readers involved in intervention, to demonstrate the plasticity of these neural networks in development and in relation to instruction. We provide a brief overview of the rapid increase in the field's understanding and technology for assessing genetic influence on reading. Family studies of twins have shown that reading skills are heritable, and molecular genetic studies have identified numerous regions of the genome that may harbor candidate genes for the heritability of reading. In selected families, reading impairment has been associated with major genetic effects, despite individual gene contributions across the broader population that appear to be small. Neural and genetic studies do not prescribe how children should be taught to read, but these studies have underscored the critical role of early intervention and ongoing support. These studies also have highlighted how structured instruction that facilitates access to the sublexical components of words is a critical part of training the brain to read.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Elena L Grigorenko
- University of Houston, Texas, USA; Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA; and St. Petersburg State University, Russia
| | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Cermakova P, Chlapečka A, Csajbók Z, Andrýsková L, Brázdil M, Marečková K. Parental education, cognition and functional connectivity of the salience network. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2761. [PMID: 36797291 PMCID: PMC9935859 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29508-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim was to investigate the association of parental education at birth with cognitive ability in childhood and young adulthood and determine, whether functional connectivity of the salience network underlies this association. We studied participants of the Czech arm of the European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood who underwent assessment of their cognitive ability at age 8 (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) and 28/29 years (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) and measurement with resting state functional MRI at age 23/24. We estimated the associations of parental education with cognitive ability and functional connectivity between the seeds in the salience network and other voxels in the brain. We found that lower education of both mothers and fathers was associated with lower verbal IQ, performance IQ and full-scale IQ of the offspring at age 8. Only mother´s education was associated with performance IQ at age 28/29. Lower mother´s education correlated with greater functional connectivity between the right rostral prefrontal cortex and a cluster of voxels in the occipital cortex, which, in turn, was associated with lower performance IQ at age 28/29. We conclude that the impact of parental education, particularly father´s, on offspring´s cognitive ability weakens during the lifecourse. Functional connectivity between the right rostral prefrontal cortex and occipital cortex may be a biomarker underlying the transmission of mother´s education on performance IQ of their offspring.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pavla Cermakova
- Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University Prague, 150 06, Prague 5, Czech Republic. .,National Institute of Mental Health, 250 67, Klecany, Czech Republic.
| | - Adam Chlapečka
- grid.4491.80000 0004 1937 116XThird Faculty of Medicine, Charles University Prague, 100 00 Prague 10, Czech Republic ,grid.4491.80000 0004 1937 116XCentre of Clinical Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, First Faculty of Medicine, General University Hospital, Charles University in Prague, 128 21 Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Zsófia Csajbók
- grid.4491.80000 0004 1937 116XFaculty of Humanities, Charles University Prague, 182 00 Prague 8, Czech Republic
| | - Lenka Andrýsková
- grid.10267.320000 0001 2194 0956RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Milan Brázdil
- grid.10267.320000 0001 2194 0956Brain and Mind Research, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Klára Marečková
- grid.10267.320000 0001 2194 0956Brain and Mind Research, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Landi N, Kleinman D, Agrawal V, Ashton G, Coyne-Green A, Roberts P, Blair N, Russell J, Stutzman A, Scorrano D, Frazier N, Pugh KR, Hoeft F. Researcher-practitioner partnerships and in-school laboratories facilitate translational research in reading. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN READING 2022; 45:367-384. [PMID: 36970562 PMCID: PMC10038566 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9817.12392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Educational neuroscience approaches have helped to elucidate the brain basis of Reading Disability (RD) and of reading intervention response; however, there is often limited translation of this knowledge to the broader scientific and educational communities. Moreover, this work is traditionally lab-based, and thus the underlying theories and research questions are siloed from classroom practices. With growing awareness of the neurobiological origins of RD and increasing popularity of putative "brain-based" approaches in clinics and classrooms, it is imperative that we create more direct and bidirectional communication between scientists and practitioners. Such direct collaborations can help dispel neuromyths, and lead to increased understanding of the promises and pitfalls of neuroscience approaches. Moreover, direct partnerships between researchers and practitioners can lead to greater ecological validity in study designs to improve upon the translational potential of findings. To this end, we have forged collaborative partnerships, and built cognitive neuroscience laboratories within independent reading disabilities schools. This approach affords frequent and ecologically valid neurobiological assessment as children's reading improves in response to intervention. It also permits the creation of dynamic models of leading and lagging relationships of students' learning, and identification of individual-level predictors of intervention response. The partnerships also provide in-depth knowledge of student characteristics and classroom practices, which, when combined with the data we acquire, may facilitate optimization of instructional approaches. In this commentary, we discuss the creation of our partnerships, the scientific problem we are addressing (variable response to reading intervention), and the epistemological significance of researcher-practitioner bi-directional learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Landi
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA and Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jay Russell
- The Windward Institute, White Plains, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | - Kenneth R Pugh
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA and Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Fumiko Hoeft
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA and Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Investigating the association between variability in sulcal pattern and academic achievement. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12323. [PMID: 35854034 PMCID: PMC9296655 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15335-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Investigating how the brain may constrain academic achievement is not only relevant to understanding brain structure but also to providing insight into the origins of individual differences in these academic abilities. In this pre-registered study, we investigated whether the variability of sulcal patterns, a qualitative feature of the brain determined in-utero and not affected by brain maturation and learning, accounted for individual differences in reading and mathematics. Participants were 97 typically developing 10-year-olds. We examined (a) the association between the sulcal pattern of the IntraParietal Sulcus (IPS) and mathematical ability; (b) the association between the sulcal pattern of the Occipito Temporal Sulcus (OTS) and reading ability; and (c) the overlap and specificity of sulcal morphology of IPS and OTS and their associations with mathematics and reading. Despite its large sample, the present study was unable to replicate a previously observed relationship between the IPS sulcal pattern and mathematical ability and a previously observed association between the left posterior OTS sulcal pattern and reading. We found a weak association between right IPS sulcal morphology and symbolic number abilities and a weak association between left posterior OTS and reading. However, both these associations were the opposite of previous reports. We found no evidence for a possible overlap or specificity in the effect of sulcal morphology on mathematics and reading. Possible explanations for this weak association between sulcal morphology and academic achievement and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Collapse
|
10
|
Farah R, Glukhovsky N, Rosch K, Horowitz-Kraus T. Structural white matter characteristics for working memory and switching/inhibition in children with reading difficulties: The role of the left superior longitudinal fasciculus. Netw Neurosci 2022; 6:897-915. [PMID: 36605413 PMCID: PMC9810373 DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Reading difficulties (RDs) are characterized by slow and inaccurate reading as well as additional challenges in cognitive control (i.e., executive functions, especially in working memory, inhibition, and visual attention). Despite evidence demonstrating differences in these readers' language and visual processing abilities, white matter differences associated with executive functions (EFs) difficulties in children with RDs are scarce. Structural correlates for reading and EFs in 8- to 12-year-old children with RDs versus typical readers (TRs) were examined using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data. Results suggest that children with RDs showed significantly lower reading and EF abilities versus TRs. Lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in left temporo-parietal tracts was found in children with RDs, who also showed positive correlations between reading and working memory and switching/inhibition scores and FA in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). FA in the left SLF predicted working memory performance mediated by reading ability in children with RDs but not TRs. Our findings support alterations in white matter tracts related to working memory, switching/inhibition, and overall EF challenges in children with RDs and the linkage between working memory difficulties and FA alterations in the left SLF in children with RDs via reading.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Noam Glukhovsky
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Keri Rosch
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel,Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,* Corresponding Author:
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Brignoni-Pérez E, Dubner SE, Ben-Shachar M, Berman S, Mezer AA, Feldman HM, Travis KE. White matter properties underlying reading abilities differ in 8-year-old children born full term and preterm: A multi-modal approach. Neuroimage 2022; 256:119240. [PMID: 35490913 PMCID: PMC9213558 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Many diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) studies document associations between reading skills and fractional anisotropy (FA) within brain white matter, suggesting that efficient transfer of information across the brain contributes to individual differences in reading. Use of complementary imaging methods can determine if these associations relate to myelin content of white matter tracts. Compared to children born at term (FT), children born preterm (PT) are at risk for reading deficits. We used two MRI methods to calculate associations of reading and white matter properties in FT and PT children. Participants (N=79: 36 FT and 43 PT) were administered the Gray's Oral Reading Test at age 8. We segmented three dorsal (left arcuate and bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus) and four ventral (bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus and bilateral uncinate) tracts and quantified (1) FA from dMRI and (2) R1 from quantitative T1 relaxometry. We examined correlations between reading scores and these metrics along the trajectories of the tracts. Reading positively correlated with FA in segments of left arcuate and bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculi in FT children; no FA associations were found in PT children. Reading positively correlated with R1 in segments of the left superior longitudinal, right uncinate, and left inferior longitudinal fasciculi in PT children; no R1 associations were found in FT children. Birth group significantly moderated the associations of reading and white matter metrics. Myelin content of white matter may contribute to individual differences in PT but not FT children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Edith Brignoni-Pérez
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, 3145 Porter Drive, MC 5395, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States
| | - Sarah E Dubner
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, 3145 Porter Drive, MC 5395, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States
| | - Michal Ben-Shachar
- The Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel; Department of English Literature and Linguistics, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Shai Berman
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Aviv A Mezer
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Heidi M Feldman
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, 3145 Porter Drive, MC 5395, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States
| | - Katherine E Travis
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, 3145 Porter Drive, MC 5395, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Gao Y, Meng X, Bai Z, Liu X, Zhang M, Li H, Ding G, Liu L, Booth JR. Left and Right Arcuate Fasciculi Are Uniquely Related to Word Reading Skills in Chinese-English Bilingual Children. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2022; 3:109-131. [PMID: 37215330 PMCID: PMC10158580 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Whether reading in different writing systems recruits language-unique or language-universal neural processes is a long-standing debate. Many studies have shown the left arcuate fasciculus (AF) to be involved in phonological and reading processes. In contrast, little is known about the role of the right AF in reading, but some have suggested that it may play a role in visual spatial aspects of reading or the prosodic components of language. The right AF may be more important for reading in Chinese due to its logographic and tonal properties, but this hypothesis has yet to be tested. We recruited a group of Chinese-English bilingual children (8.2 to 12.0 years old) to explore the common and unique relation of reading skill in English and Chinese to fractional anisotropy (FA) in the bilateral AF. We found that both English and Chinese reading skills were positively correlated with FA in the rostral part of the left AF-direct segment. Additionally, English reading skill was positively correlated with FA in the caudal part of the left AF-direct segment, which was also positively correlated with phonological awareness. In contrast, Chinese reading skill was positively correlated with FA in certain segments of the right AF, which was positively correlated with visual spatial ability, but not tone discrimination ability. Our results suggest that there are language universal substrates of reading across languages, but that certain left AF nodes support phonological mechanisms important for reading in English, whereas certain right AF nodes support visual spatial mechanisms important for reading in Chinese.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yue Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangzhi Meng
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- PekingU-PolyU Center for Child Development and Learning, Beijing, China
| | - Zilin Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Liu
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Manli Zhang
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience and Maastricht Brain Imaging Center, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Hehui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Guosheng Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Li Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - James R. Booth
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Romanovska L, Bonte M. How Learning to Read Changes the Listening Brain. Front Psychol 2021; 12:726882. [PMID: 34987442 PMCID: PMC8721231 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.726882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Reading acquisition reorganizes existing brain networks for speech and visual processing to form novel audio-visual language representations. This requires substantial cortical plasticity that is reflected in changes in brain activation and functional as well as structural connectivity between brain areas. The extent to which a child's brain can accommodate these changes may underlie the high variability in reading outcome in both typical and dyslexic readers. In this review, we focus on reading-induced functional changes of the dorsal speech network in particular and discuss how its reciprocal interactions with the ventral reading network contributes to reading outcome. We discuss how the dynamic and intertwined development of both reading networks may be best captured by approaching reading from a skill learning perspective, using audio-visual learning paradigms and longitudinal designs to follow neuro-behavioral changes while children's reading skills unfold.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Milene Bonte
- *Correspondence: Linda Romanovska, ; Milene Bonte,
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Polspoel B, Vandermosten M, De Smedt B. The value of structural brain imaging in explaining individual differences in children's arithmetic fluency. Cortex 2021; 144:99-108. [PMID: 34666301 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
How do different measures of brain structure correlate with individual differences in arithmetic fluency? This paper builds on two previously published studies in which individual differences in children's arithmetic fluency were correlated with measures of white (Polspoel et al., 2019) and grey matter (Polspoel et al., 2020) in one sample of children. We combined the brain imaging data of these two studies with measures of cognitive abilities that have been shown to be predictive of arithmetic fluency, i.e., numerical magnitude processing, working memory and rapid automatized naming (RAN). This allowed us to investigate to which extend the observed structural brain imaging measures uniquely correlated with children's arithmetic fluency, on top of each other as well as on top of the abovementioned cognitive variables. Participants were 43 typically developing 9-10-year-olds. All measures were added to a hierarchical multiple regression model. This regression model showed that the white matter integrity of the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus and the cortical complexity of the left postcentral gyrus remained unique predictors of individual differences in arithmetic when the abovementioned cognitive variables were taken into account. This indicates that structural neuroimaging measures can explain individual differences in arithmetic performance that are not merely accounted for by relevant cognitive predictors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brecht Polspoel
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Experimental ORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Bert De Smedt
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Yamasaki BL, McGregor KK, Booth JR. Early Phonological Neural Specialization Predicts Later Growth in Word Reading Skills. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:674119. [PMID: 34720902 PMCID: PMC8551603 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.674119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
According to the Interactive Specialization Theory, cognitive skill development is facilitated by a process of neural specialization. In line with this theory, the current study investigated whether neural specialization for phonological and semantic processing at 5-to-6 years old was predictive of growth in word reading skills 2 years later. Specifically, four regression models were estimated in which reading growth was predicted from: (1) an intercept-only model; (2) measures of semantic and phonological neural specialization; (3) performance on semantic and phonological behavioral tasks; or (4) a combination of neural specialization and behavioral performance. Results from the preregistered analyses revealed little evidence in favor of the hypothesis that early semantic and phonological skills are predictive of growth in reading. However, results from the exploratory analyses, which included a larger sample, added age at Time 1 as a covariate, and investigated relative growth in reading, demonstrated decisive evidence that variability in phonological processing is predictive of reading growth. The best fitting model included both measures of specialization within the posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) and behavioral performance. This work provides important evidence in favor of the Interactive Specialization Theory and, more specifically, for the role of phonological neural specialization in the development of early word reading skills.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brianna L. Yamasaki
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States,*Correspondence: Brianna L. Yamasaki
| | | | - James R. Booth
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Hutton JS, DeWitt T, Hoffman L, Horowitz-Kraus T, Klass P. Development of an Eco-Biodevelopmental Model of Emergent Literacy Before Kindergarten: A Review. JAMA Pediatr 2021; 175:730-741. [PMID: 33720328 DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.6709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Literacy has been described as an important social determinant of health. Its components emerge in infancy and are dependent on genetic, medical, and environmental factors. The American Academy of Pediatrics advocates a substantial role for pediatricians in literacy promotion, developmental surveillance, and school readiness to promote cognitive, relational, and brain development. Many children, especially those from minority and underserved households, enter kindergarten unprepared to learn to read and subsequently have difficulty in school. OBSERVATIONS Emergent literacy is a developmental process beginning in infancy. Component skills are supported by brain regions that must be adequately stimulated and integrated to form a functional reading network. Trajectories are associated with genetic, medical, and environmental factors, notably the home literacy environment, which is defined as resources, motivation, and stimulation that encourage the literacy development process. Eco-biodevelopmental models are advocated by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and these models offer insights into the neurobiological processes associated with environmental factors and the ways in which these processes may be addressed to improve outcomes. Emergent literacy is well suited for such a model, particularly because the mechanisms underlying component skills are elucidated. In addition to cognitive-behavioral benefits, the association of home literacy environment with the developing brain before kindergarten has recently been described via neuroimaging. Rather than a passive approach, which may subject the child to stress and engender negative attitudes, early literacy screening and interventions that are administered by pediatric practitioners can help identify potential reading difficulties, address risk factors during a period when neural plasticity is high, and improve outcomes. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Neuroimaging and behavioral evidence inform an eco-biodevelopmental model of emergent literacy that is associated with genetic, medical, and home literacy environmental factors before kindergarten, a time of rapid brain development. This framework is consistent with recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and provides insights to help identify risk factors and signs of potential reading difficulties, tailor guidance, and provide direction for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John S Hutton
- Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio.,Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Thomas DeWitt
- Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio.,Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Lauren Hoffman
- Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio.,Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio.,Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio.,Educational Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion, Haifa, Israel.,Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Perri Klass
- Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Li H, Kepinska O, Caballero JN, Zekelman L, Marks RA, Uchikoshi Y, Kovelman I, Hoeft F. Decoding the role of the cerebellum in the early stages of reading acquisition. Cortex 2021; 141:262-279. [PMID: 34102410 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.02.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Numerous studies have consistently reported functional activation of the cerebellum during reading tasks, especially in the right cerebellar hemisphere. However, it remains unclear whether this region is also involved in reading during the earliest stages of reading acquisition. Here, we investigated whether and how the cerebellum contributes to reading acquisition. We tested 80 5-6-year-old kindergarteners, who performed a visual word matching task during which functional MRI (fMRI) data were collected. We found that bilateral cerebellar hemispheres were significantly activated during visual word processing. Moreover, activation of left cerebellar lobule VII extending to lobule VIII negatively and significantly correlated with current reading ability, whereas activation of right cerebellar lobule VII extending to lobule VIII significantly and positively correlated with future reading ability. Functional decoding via functional connectivity patterns further revealed that left and right cerebellar lobules connected with different cerebral cortex regions. Our results suggest a division of labor between the left and right cerebellar lobules in beginning readers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hehui Li
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, PR China; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Olga Kepinska
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA; Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Brain and Language Lab, Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Austria; Dept of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Austria; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jocelyn N Caballero
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Leo Zekelman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rebecca A Marks
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yuuko Uchikoshi
- School of Education, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Ioulia Kovelman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Fumiko Hoeft
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA; Brain Imaging Research Center (BIRC), University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA; Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Snowling MJ, Hulme C. Annual Research Review: Reading disorders revisited - the critical importance of oral language. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2021; 62:635-653. [PMID: 32956509 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This paper discusses research on reading disorders during the period since their classification within the overarching category of neurodevelopmental disorders (Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 53, 2012, 593). Following a review of the predictors of learning to read across languages, and the role of language skills as critical foundations for literacy, profiles of reading disorders are discussed and putative causal risk factors at the cognitive, biological, and environmental levels of explanation considered. Reading disorders are highly heritable and highly comorbid with disorders of language, attention, and other learning disorders, notably mathematics disorders. The home literacy environment, reflecting gene-environment correlation, is one of several factors that promote reading development and highlight an important target for intervention. The multiple deficit view of dyslexia (Cognition, 101, 2006, 385) suggests that risks accumulate to a diagnostic threshold although categorical diagnoses tend to be unstable. Implications for assessment and intervention are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Margaret J Snowling
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,St John's College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Charles Hulme
- Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Chyl K, Fraga-González G, Brem S, Jednoróg K. Brain dynamics of (a)typical reading development-a review of longitudinal studies. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2021; 6:4. [PMID: 33526791 PMCID: PMC7851393 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-020-00081-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Literacy development is a process rather than a single event and thus should be studied at multiple time points. A longitudinal design employing neuroimaging methods offers the possibility to identify neural changes associated with reading development, and to reveal early markers of dyslexia. The core of this review is a summary of findings from longitudinal neuroimaging studies on typical and atypical reading development. Studies focused on the prediction of reading gains with a single neuroimaging time point complement this review. Evidence from structural studies suggests that reading development results in increased structural integrity and functional specialization of left-hemispheric language areas. Compromised integrity of some of these tracts in children at risk for dyslexia might be compensated by higher anatomical connectivity in the homologous right hemisphere tracts. Regarding function, activation in phonological and audiovisual integration areas and growing sensitivity to print in the ventral occipito-temporal cortex (vOT) seem to be relevant neurodevelopmental markers of successful reading acquisition. Atypical vOT responses at the beginning of reading training and infant auditory brain potentials have been proposed as neuroimaging predictors of dyslexia that can complement behavioral measures. Besides these insights, longitudinal neuroimaging studies on reading and dyslexia are still relatively scarce and small sample sizes raise legitimate concerns about the reliability of the results. This review discusses the challenges of these studies and provides recommendations to improve this research area. Future longitudinal research with larger sample sizes are needed to improve our knowledge of typical and atypical reading neurodevelopment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Chyl
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Gorka Fraga-González
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Brem
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- MR-Center of the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katarzyna Jednoróg
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Beaulieu C, Yip E, Low PB, Mädler B, Lebel CA, Siegel L, Mackay AL, Laule C. Myelin Water Imaging Demonstrates Lower Brain Myelination in Children and Adolescents With Poor Reading Ability. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:568395. [PMID: 33192398 PMCID: PMC7596275 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.568395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a means to non-invasively investigate the neurological links with dyslexia, a learning disability that affects one’s ability to read. Most previous brain MRI studies of dyslexia and reading skill have used structural or diffusion imaging to reveal regional brain abnormalities. However, volumetric and diffusion MRI lack specificity in their interpretation at the microstructural level. Myelin is a critical neural component for brain function and plasticity, and as such, deficits in myelin may impact reading ability. MRI can estimate myelin using myelin water fraction (MWF) imaging, which is based on evaluation of the proportion of short T2 myelin-associated water from multi-exponential T2 relaxation analysis, but has not yet been applied to the study of reading or dyslexia. In this study, MWF MRI, intelligence, and reading assessments were acquired in 20 participants aged 10–18 years with a wide range of reading ability to investigate the relationship between reading ability and myelination. Group comparisons showed markedly lower MWF by 16–69% in poor readers relative to good readers in the left and right thalamus, as well as the left posterior limb of the internal capsule, left/right anterior limb of the internal capsule, left/right centrum semiovale, and splenium of the corpus callosum. MWF over the entire group also correlated positively with three different reading scores in the bilateral thalamus as well as white matter, including the splenium of the corpus callosum, left posterior limb of the internal capsule, left anterior limb of the internal capsule, and left centrum semiovale. MWF imaging from T2 relaxation suggests that myelination, particularly in the bilateral thalamus, splenium, and left hemisphere white matter, plays a role in reading abilities. Myelin water imaging thus provides a potentially valuable in vivo imaging tool for the study of dyslexia and its remediation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christian Beaulieu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Eugene Yip
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Pauline B Low
- Department of Education and Counseling Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | | | - Linda Siegel
- Department of Education and Counseling Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Alex L Mackay
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Cornelia Laule
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Hashimoto N, Michaels TI, Hancock R, Kusumi I, Hoeft F. Maternal cerebellar gray matter volume is associated with daughters' psychotic experience. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2020; 74:392-397. [PMID: 32353195 PMCID: PMC7424852 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.13011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
AIM A substantial portion of children and adolescents show subthreshold psychotic symptoms called psychotic experience (PE). Because PE shares its biological and environmental risk factors with psychotic spectrum disorders, parental neuroanatomical variation could reflect a heritable biological underpinning of PE that may predict an offspring's PE. METHODS A total of 94 participants from 35 families without a diagnosis of major neuropsychiatric disorders were examined, including 14 mother-daughter, 17 mother-son, 12 father-daughter, and 16 father-son dyads. An offspring's PE was assessed with the Atypicality subscale of the Behavior Assessment System for Children - 2nd Edition, Self-Report of Personality form (BASCaty). We examined correlations between voxel-by-voxel parental gray matter volume and their offspring's BASCaty score. RESULTS Maternal cerebellar gray matter volume using voxel-based morphometry was positively correlated with their daughters' BASCaty scores. The findings were significant in a more robust approach using cerebellum-specific normalization known. We did not find significant correlation between paternal gray matter volume and BASCaty scores or between offspring gray matter volumes and their BASCaty scores. CONCLUSION Expanding upon parent-of-origin effects in psychosis, maternal neuroanatomical variation was associated with daughters' PE. The nature of this sex-specific intergenerational effect is unknown, but maternally transmitted genes may relate cerebellum development to PE pathogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Hashimoto
- Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Timothy I Michaels
- Brain Imaging Research Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA.,Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis, Medical Center, Sacramento, USA
| | - Roeland Hancock
- Brain Imaging Research Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA.,Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA
| | - Ichiro Kusumi
- Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Fumiko Hoeft
- Brain Imaging Research Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA.,Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, USA.,Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Kristanto D, Liu M, Liu X, Sommer W, Zhou C. Predicting reading ability from brain anatomy and function: From areas to connections. Neuroimage 2020; 218:116966. [PMID: 32439534 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Reading is a complex task involving different brain areas. As a crystallized ability, reading is also known to have effects on brain structure and function development. However, there are still open questions about what are the elements of the reading networks and how structural and functional brain measures shape the reading ability. The present study used a data-driven approach to investigate whether reading-related brain structural measures of cortical thickness, myelination, sulcus depth and structural connectivity and functional connectivity from the whole brain can predict individual differences in reading skills. It used different brain measures and performance scores from the Oral Reading Recognition Test (ORRT) measuring reading ability from 998 participants. We revealed reading-related brain areas and connections, and evaluated how well area and connection measures predict reading performance. Interestingly, the combination of all brain measures obtained the best predictions. We further grouped reading-related areas into positive and negative networks, each with four different levels (Core Regions, Extended-Regions 1, 2, 3), representing different correlation levels with the reading scores, and the non-correlated Region irrelevant to reading ability. The Core Regions are composed of areas that are most strongly correlated with reading performance. Insular and frontal opercular cortex, lateral temporal cortex, and early auditory cortex occupy the positive Core Region, while inferior temporal and motor cortex occupy the negative Core Region. Aside from those areas, the present study also found more reading-related areas including visual and language-related areas. In addition, connections predicting reading scores are denser inside the reading-related networks than outside. Together, the present study reveals extended reading networks of the brain and provides an extended data-driven analytical framework to study interpretable brain-behavior relationships, which are transferable also to studying other abilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kristanto
- Department of Physics, Centre for Nonlinear Studies and Beijing-Hong Kong-Singapore Joint Centre for Nonlinear and Complex Systems (Hong Kong), Institute of Computational and Theoretical Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
| | - Mianxin Liu
- Department of Physics, Centre for Nonlinear Studies and Beijing-Hong Kong-Singapore Joint Centre for Nonlinear and Complex Systems (Hong Kong), Institute of Computational and Theoretical Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
| | - Xinyang Liu
- Department of Physics, Centre for Nonlinear Studies and Beijing-Hong Kong-Singapore Joint Centre for Nonlinear and Complex Systems (Hong Kong), Institute of Computational and Theoretical Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong; Department of Psychology, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Werner Sommer
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt University at Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Changsong Zhou
- Department of Physics, Centre for Nonlinear Studies and Beijing-Hong Kong-Singapore Joint Centre for Nonlinear and Complex Systems (Hong Kong), Institute of Computational and Theoretical Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Correlation between diffusion tensor imaging measures and the reading and cognitive performance of Arabic readers: dyslexic children perspective. Neuroradiology 2020; 62:525-531. [PMID: 31955236 DOI: 10.1007/s00234-020-02368-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate the correlation between the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures and the reading, spelling, writing, rapid naming, memory, and motor abilities in Arabic dyslexic children. This could verify the influence of possible white matter alterations on the abilities of those children. METHODS Twenty native Arabic-speaking children with dyslexia (15 males and 5 females; 8.2 years ± 1) underwent DTI of the brain on 1.5 T scanner. Diffusion-weighted images were acquired in 32 noncollinear direction. Tractography of the arcuate fasciculus (AF) was performed. Region of interest (ROI)-based approach was also used. Regions encompass superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), anterior and superior corona radiata (CR), and posterior limb of internal capsule (PLIC) were analyzed. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were measured. The aptitudes of those children were evaluated by the dyslexia assessment test. These abilities were statistically correlated with the FA and ADC of the AF and other ROIs. RESULTS The reduction of FA of right AF was related to worse overall reading and related abilities performance. The ADC of right SLF was negatively correlated with memory abilities. The ADC of right PLIC was positively correlated with writing performance. Other relations were also found. CONCLUSION White matter microstructural DTI measurements in the right AF, right PLIC, SLF, and left anterior and superior CR are correlated to reading, spelling, writing, memory, and rapid naming abilities of the participants. The DTI measures could be promising regarding their use as a biomarker for follow-up in developmental dyslexia.
Collapse
|
24
|
Coran M, Rodriguez-Fornells A, Ramos-Escobar N, Laine M, Martin N. WORD LEARNING IN APHASIA: TREATMENT IMPLICATIONS AND STRUCTURAL CONNECTIVITY ANALYSES. TOPICS IN LANGUAGE DISORDERS 2020; 40:81-109. [PMID: 33442075 PMCID: PMC7802821 DOI: 10.1097/tld.0000000000000204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Of current interest in aphasia research is the relevance of what we can learn from studying word learning ability in aphasia. In a preliminary study, we addressed two issues related to the novel word learning ability of individuals with aphasia. First, as word learning engages large-scale cognitive-linguistic systems (language skills, verbal short-term memory (STM), other memory and executive functions), we probed whether novel word learning practice in three people with aphasia could stimulate these language-related systems. Second, as lesion correlates affecting word learning in aphasia remain unclear, we examined whether the structural integrity of the left arcuate fasciculus (AF) in the same three individuals is related to outcomes of novel word learning practice. METHOD To stimulate word learning systems, our three participants practiced for 4 weeks with an explicit novel word - novel referent word learning task, adopted from the Ancient Farming Equipment learning paradigm (Laine & Salmelin, 2010). The participants' progress on receptive and expressive novel word learning was followed up, and their language and verbal STM abilities as well as single-session novel word learning (Learning to Name Aliens by Gupta, Martin, Abbs, Schwartz & Lipinski, 2006) were tested before and after the practice period. To address the second question, we analyzed the participants' structural MRI scans with respect to the integrity of the left AF and its overlap with the lesion areas. RESULTS All participants showed some receptive word learning in the trained task, as well as improvements in verbal STM span at posttest. Two of the three participants also showed improved performance on some of the language outcome measures. One participant with partially spared left AF, especially temporo-parietal connections, exhibited better word learning performance than the other two who had larger damage and disconnection of the AF. CONCLUSIONS While the present results are preliminary, they open the possibility that novel word learning practice in aphasia may stimulate remaining word learning mechanisms in aphasia, and thereby influence language and verbal STM abilities. These results also suggest that preservation of novel word learning ability in aphasia in part depends on the integrity of the left arcuate track.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
- Institució catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Neus Ramos-Escobar
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Matti Laine
- Institució catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Liu W, Wu X, Zhou D, Gong Q. Reading deficits correlate with cortical and subcortical volume changes in a genetic migration disorder. Medicine (Baltimore) 2019; 98:e17070. [PMID: 31490406 PMCID: PMC6739000 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000017070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Periventricular nodular heterotopia (PNH) is the most common type of epileptogenic neuronal migration disorder, and often presents with epilepsy and reading disability. The functional role of ectopic nodules has been widely studied. However, the associated structural cortical and subcortical volumetric alterations have not been well characterized. Moreover, it is unknown whether a correlation between volumetric changes and behavioral problems exists.40 subjects with bilateral PNH and 40 matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The total cerebral, gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volumes were compared between the two groups. Furthermore, structural and functional correlations were evaluated between volumetric changes and reading disability.There were no significant differences detected in total cerebral, gray matter or CSF volumes between the two groups, but there was a significant trend of larger gray-matter volume in PNH. Specifically, smaller white matter volumes were found in the PNH patients. Moreover, the volume of white matter was negatively related to time in the digit rapid naming task and a similar but insignificant trend was seen between the volume of gray matter and backward digit span.These findings suggest that reading disability exists in our sample of bilateral PNH. Periventricular nodules would have normally migrated to the overlying cortex. However, the total cerebral, gray matter, and CSF volumes were unaffected. Alterations in neuronal migration may have an impact in the white matter associated reading dysfluency, that is, visually normal.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenyu Liu
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital
| | - Xintong Wu
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital
| | - Dong Zhou
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Bruckert L, Borchers LR, Dodson CK, Marchman VA, Travis KE, Ben-Shachar M, Feldman HM. White Matter Plasticity in Reading-Related Pathways Differs in Children Born Preterm and at Term: A Longitudinal Analysis. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:139. [PMID: 31139064 PMCID: PMC6519445 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Children born preterm (PT) are at risk for white matter injuries based on complications of prematurity. They learn to read but on average perform below peers born full term (FT). Studies have yet to establish whether properties of white matter pathways at the onset of learning to read are associated with individual variation later in reading development in PT children. Here, we asked whether fractional anisotropy (FA) at age 6 years is associated with reading outcome at age 8 years in PT children in the same pathways as previously demonstrated in a sample of FT children. PT (n = 34, mean gestational age = 29.5 weeks) and FT children (n = 37) completed diffusion MRI and standardized measures of non-verbal IQ, language, and phonological awareness at age 6 years. Reading skills were assessed at age 8 years. Mean tract-FA was extracted from pathways that predicted reading outcome in children born FT: left arcuate fasciculus (Arc), bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), and left inferior cerebellar peduncle (ICP). We explored associations in additional pathways in the PT children: bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and uncinate fasciculus. Linear regression models examined whether the prediction of reading outcome at age 8 years based on mean tract-FA at age 6 years was moderated by birth group. Children born PT and FT did not differ significantly in tract-FA at age 6 years or in reading at age 8 years. Sex, socioeconomic status, and non-verbal IQ at age 6 years were associated with reading outcome and were included as covariates in all models. Birth group status significantly moderated associations between reading outcome and mean tract-FA only in the left Arc, right SLF, and left ICP, before and after consideration of pre-literacy skills. Microstructural properties of these cerebral and cerebellar pathways predicted later reading outcome in FT but not in PT children. Children born PT may rely on alternative pathways to achieve fluent reading. These findings have implications for plasticity of neural organization after early white matter injury.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Bruckert
- The Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Research Group, Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Lauren R Borchers
- The Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Research Group, Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Cory K Dodson
- The Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Research Group, Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Virginia A Marchman
- Language Learning Lab, Center for Infant Studies, Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Katherine E Travis
- The Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Research Group, Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Michal Ben-Shachar
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.,Department of English Literature and Linguistics, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Heidi M Feldman
- The Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Research Group, Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
D'Mello AM, Gabrieli JDE. Cognitive Neuroscience of Dyslexia. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2019; 49:798-809. [PMID: 30458541 DOI: 10.1044/2018_lshss-dyslc-18-0020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose This review summarizes what is known about the structural and functional brain bases of dyslexia. Method We review the current literature on structural and functional brain differences in dyslexia. This includes evidence about differences in gray matter anatomy, white matter connectivity, and functional activations in response to print and language. We also summarize findings concerning brain plasticity in response to interventions. Results We highlight evidence relating brain function and structure to instructional issues such as diagnosis and prognosis. We also highlight evidence about brain differences in early childhood, before formal reading instruction in school, which supports the importance of early identification and intervention. Conclusion Neuroimaging studies of dyslexia reveal how the disorder is related to differences in structure and function in multiple neural circuits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anila M D'Mello
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.,McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
| | - John D E Gabrieli
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.,McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Moulton E, Bouhali F, Monzalvo K, Poupon C, Zhang H, Dehaene S, Dehaene-Lambertz G, Dubois J. Connectivity between the visual word form area and the parietal lobe improves after the first year of reading instruction: a longitudinal MRI study in children. Brain Struct Funct 2019; 224:1519-1536. [PMID: 30840149 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-019-01855-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Shortly after reading instruction, a region in the ventral occipital temporal cortex (vOTC) of the left hemisphere, the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA), becomes specialized for written words. Its reproducible location across scripts suggests important anatomical constraints, such as specific patterns of connectivity, notably to spoken language areas. Here, we explored the structural connectivity of the emerging VWFA in terms of its specificity relative to other ventral visual regions and its stability throughout the process of reading instruction in ten children studied longitudinally over 2 years. Category-specific regions for words, houses, faces, and tools were identified in the left vOTC of each subject with functional MRI. With diffusion MRI and tractography, we reconstructed the connections of these regions at two time points (mean age ± standard deviation: 6.2 ± 0.3, 7.2 ± 0.4 years). We first showed that the regions for each visual category harbor their own specific connectivity, all of which precede reading instruction and remain stable throughout development. The most specific connections of the VWFA were to the dorsal posterior parietal cortex. We then showed that microstructural changes in these connections correlated with improvements in reading scores over the first year of instruction but not 1 year later in a subsample of eight children (age: 8.4 ± 0.3 years). These results suggest that the VWFA location depends on its connectivity to distant regions, in particular, the left inferior parietal region which may play a crucial role in visual field maps and eye movement dynamics in addition to attentional control in letter-by-letter reading and disambiguation of mirror-letters during the first stages of learning to read.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric Moulton
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit U992, INSERM, CEA DRF/Institut-Joliot/NeuroSpin, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France. .,Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Université, 75013, Paris, France.
| | - Florence Bouhali
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Université, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Karla Monzalvo
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit U992, INSERM, CEA DRF/Institut-Joliot/NeuroSpin, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Cyril Poupon
- CEA DRF/Institut-Joliot/NeuroSpin, UNIRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Hui Zhang
- Department of Computer Science and Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Stanislas Dehaene
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit U992, INSERM, CEA DRF/Institut-Joliot/NeuroSpin, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France.,Collège de France, Paris, France
| | - Ghislaine Dehaene-Lambertz
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit U992, INSERM, CEA DRF/Institut-Joliot/NeuroSpin, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Jessica Dubois
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit U992, INSERM, CEA DRF/Institut-Joliot/NeuroSpin, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Borchers LR, Bruckert L, Dodson CK, Travis KE, Marchman VA, Ben-Shachar M, Feldman HM. Microstructural properties of white matter pathways in relation to subsequent reading abilities in children: a longitudinal analysis. Brain Struct Funct 2019; 224:891-905. [PMID: 30539288 PMCID: PMC6420849 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1813-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Microstructural properties of white matter pathways are associated with concurrent reading abilities in children. In this longitudinal study, we asked whether properties of white matter pathways at the onset of learning to read would be associated with reading abilities at older ages. Children (N = 37) with a wide range of reading abilities completed standardized measures of language and phonological awareness and diffusion MRI at age 6 years. Mean tract-fractional anisotropy (FA) was extracted from reading-related pathways. At age 8, the same children were re-assessed using a standardized reading measure. Using linear regressions, we examined the contribution of tract-FA at age 6 to reading outcome at age 8, beyond known demographic and pre-literacy predictors of reading. Tract-FA of the left arcuate, left and right superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), and left inferior cerebellar peduncle (ICP) made unique contributions to reading outcome after consideration of sex and family history of reading delays. Tract-FA of the left and right SLF and left ICP made unique contributions to reading outcome after the addition of pre-literacy skills. Thus, cerebellar and bilateral cortical pathways represented a network associated with subsequent reading abilities. Early white matter properties may be associated with other neuropsychological functions that predict reading or may influence reading development, independent of reading-related abilities. Tract FA at early stages of learning to read may serve as a biomarker of later reading abilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren R Borchers
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Medical School Office Building, 1265 Welch Rd, Mail Code 5415, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA
| | - Lisa Bruckert
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Medical School Office Building, 1265 Welch Rd, Mail Code 5415, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA
| | - Cory K Dodson
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Medical School Office Building, 1265 Welch Rd, Mail Code 5415, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA
| | - Katherine E Travis
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Medical School Office Building, 1265 Welch Rd, Mail Code 5415, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA
| | | | - Michal Ben-Shachar
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, 5290002, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Department of English Literature and Linguistics, Bar Ilan University, 5290002, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Heidi M Feldman
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Medical School Office Building, 1265 Welch Rd, Mail Code 5415, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Diminished brain responses to second-language words are linked with native-language literacy skills in dyslexia. Neuropsychologia 2019; 122:105-115. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Revised: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
|
31
|
Fiber pathways supporting early literacy development in 5-8-year-old children. Brain Cogn 2018; 134:80-89. [PMID: 30580899 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The development of fluent reading is an extended process that requires the recruitment of a comprehensive system of perisylvian brain regions connected by an extensive network of fiber pathways. In the present cross-sectional study, we focused on fiber pathways-the arcuate fasciculus (AF), inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), and vertical occipital fasciculus (VOF)-proposed to support early literacy in typical 5-8-year-old children. We related quantitative metrics of fiber pathway microstructure in these pathways to early literacy measures of phonological awareness and decoding. We found that diffusion properties of the AF, ILF, and VOF not only show age-related differences, but also are predictive of early literacy skills after controlling for the effects of age, general white matter development, sex, IQ, and phonological skill. Perhaps most novel, we provide evidence supporting the involvement of the recently re-identified VOF in early literacy, and further, we provide evidence that a bilateral network of fiber pathways supports early literacy development.
Collapse
|
32
|
Ozernov-Palchik O, Norton ES, Wang Y, Beach SD, Zuk J, Wolf M, Gabrieli JDE, Gaab N. The relationship between socioeconomic status and white matter microstructure in pre-reading children: A longitudinal investigation. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 40:741-754. [PMID: 30276914 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Reading is a learned skill crucial for educational attainment. Children from families of lower socioeconomic status (SES) tend to have poorer reading performance and this gap widens across years of schooling. Reading relies on the orchestration of multiple neural systems integrated via specific white-matter pathways, but there is limited understanding about whether these pathways relate differentially to reading performance depending on SES background. Kindergarten white-matter FA and second-grade reading outcomes were investigated in an SES-diverse sample of 125 children. The three left-hemisphere white-matter tracts most associated with reading, and their right-hemisphere homologs, were examined: arcuate fasciculus (AF), superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), and inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF). There was a significant and positive association between SES and fractional anisotropy (FA) in the bilateral ILF in kindergarten. SES moderated the association between kindergarten ILF and second grade reading performance, such that it was positive in lower-SES children, but not significant in higher-SES children. These results have implications for understanding the role of the environment in the development of the neural pathways that support reading.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ola Ozernov-Palchik
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.,Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Elizabeth S Norton
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Department of Medical Social Sciences, and Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Yingying Wang
- College of Education and Human Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
| | - Sara D Beach
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Jennifer Zuk
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Maryanne Wolf
- Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice, Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, UCLA
| | - John D E Gabrieli
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Patael SZ, Farris EA, Black JM, Hancock R, Gabrieli JDE, Cutting LE, Hoeft F. Brain basis of cognitive resilience: Prefrontal cortex predicts better reading comprehension in relation to decoding. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0198791. [PMID: 29902208 PMCID: PMC6002103 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Accepted: 05/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The ultimate goal of reading is to understand written text. To accomplish this, children must first master decoding, the ability to translate printed words into sounds. Although decoding and reading comprehension are highly interdependent, some children struggle to decode but comprehend well, whereas others with good decoding skills fail to comprehend. The neural basis underlying individual differences in this discrepancy between decoding and comprehension abilities is virtually unknown. METHODS We investigated the neural basis underlying reading discrepancy, defined as the difference between reading comprehension and decoding skills, in a three-part study: 1) The neuroanatomical basis of reading discrepancy in a cross-sectional sample of school-age children with a wide range of reading abilities (Experiment-1; n = 55); 2) Whether a discrepancy-related neural signature is present in beginning readers and predictive of future discrepancy (Experiment-2; n = 43); and 3) Whether discrepancy-related regions are part of a domain-general or a language specialized network, utilizing the 1000 Functional Connectome data and large-scale reverse inference from Neurosynth.org (Experiment-3). RESULTS Results converged onto the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), as related to having discrepantly higher reading comprehension relative to decoding ability. Increased gray matter volume (GMV) was associated with greater discrepancy (Experiment-1). Region-of-interest (ROI) analyses based on the left DLPFC cluster identified in Experiment-1 revealed that regional GMV within this ROI in beginning readers predicted discrepancy three years later (Experiment-2). This region was associated with the fronto-parietal network that is considered fundamental for working memory and cognitive control (Experiment-3). INTERPRETATION Processes related to the prefrontal cortex might be linked to reading discrepancy. The findings may be important for understanding cognitive resilience, which we operationalize as those individuals with greater higher-order reading skills such as reading comprehension compared to lower-order reading skills such as decoding skills. Our study provides insights into reading development, existing theories of reading, and cognitive processes that are potentially significant to a wide range of reading disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Smadar Z. Patael
- Department of Psychiatry and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Communication Disorders, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Emily A. Farris
- Department of Psychiatry and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Jessica M. Black
- School of Social Work, McGuinn Hall, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Roeland Hancock
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States of America
- Brain Imaging Research Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - John D. E. Gabrieli
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Institute for Medical Engineering & Science, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Laurie E. Cutting
- Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Fumiko Hoeft
- Department of Psychiatry and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- UC-Stanford Multi-University Precision Learning Center, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Langer N, Peysakhovich B, Zuk J, Drottar M, Sliva DD, Smith S, Becker BLC, Grant PE, Gaab N. White Matter Alterations in Infants at Risk for Developmental Dyslexia. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:1027-1036. [PMID: 26643353 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhv281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia (DD) is a heritable condition characterized by persistent difficulties in learning to read. White matter alterations in left-lateralized language areas, particularly in the arcuate fasciculus (AF), have been observed in DD, and diffusion properties within the AF correlate with (pre-)reading skills as early as kindergarten. However, it is unclear how early these alterations can be observed. We investigated white matter structure in 14 infants with (FHD+; ages 6.6-17.6 months) and 18 without (FHD-; ages 5.1-17.6 months) familial risk for DD. Diffusion scans were acquired during natural sleep, and early language skills were assessed. Tractography for bilateral AF was reconstructed using manual and automated methods, allowing for independent validation of results. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was calculated at multiple nodes along the tracts for more precise localization of group differences. The analyses revealed significantly lower FA in the left AF for FHD+ compared with FHD- infants, particularly in the central portion of the tract. Moreover, expressive language positively correlated with FA across groups. Our results demonstrate that atypical brain development associated with DD is already present within the first 18 months of life, suggesting that the deficits associated with DD may result from altered structural connectivity in left-hemispheric regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Langer
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Barbara Peysakhovich
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jennifer Zuk
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Marie Drottar
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Danielle D Sliva
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA.,Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Sara Smith
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bryce L C Becker
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - P Ellen Grant
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Nikki Arrington C, Kulesz PA, Juranek J, Cirino PT, Fletcher JM. White matter microstructure integrity in relation to reading proficiency☆. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2017; 174:103-111. [PMID: 28818624 PMCID: PMC5617339 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2017.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Revised: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Components of reading proficiency such asaccuracy, fluency, and comprehension require the successful coordination of numerous, yet distinct, cortical regions. Underlying white matter tracts allow for communication among these regions. This study utilized unique residualized tract - based spatial statistics methodology to identify the relations of white matter microstructure integrity to three components of reading proficiency in 49 school - aged children with typically developing phonological decoding skills and 27 readers with poor decoders. Results indicated that measures of white matter integrity were differentially associated with components of reading proficiency. In both typical and poor decoders, reading comprehension correlated with measures of integrity of the right uncinate fasciculus; reading comprehension was also related to the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus in poor decoders. Also in poor decoders, word reading fluency was related to the right uncinate and left inferior fronto - occipital fasciculi. Word reading was unrelated to white matter integrity in either group. These findings expand our knowledge of the association between white matter integrity and different elements of reading proficiency.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Nikki Arrington
- Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics (TIMES), and Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 4849 Calhoun Rd., Houston, TX 77204, USA.
| | - Paulina A Kulesz
- Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics (TIMES), and Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 4849 Calhoun Rd., Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Jenifer Juranek
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Pediatrics, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, 6655 Travis St. Suite 1000, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Paul T Cirino
- Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics (TIMES), and Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 4849 Calhoun Rd., Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Jack M Fletcher
- Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics (TIMES), and Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 4849 Calhoun Rd., Houston, TX 77204, USA
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Wandell BA, Le RK. Diagnosing the Neural Circuitry of Reading. Neuron 2017; 96:298-311. [PMID: 29024656 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Revised: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 08/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
We summarize the current state of knowledge of the brain's reading circuits, and then we describe opportunities to use quantitative and reproducible methods for diagnosing these circuits. Neural circuit diagnostics-by which we mean identifying the locations and responses in an individual that differ significantly from measurements in good readers-can help parents and educators select the best remediation strategy. A sustained effort to develop and share diagnostic methods can support the societal goal of improving literacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian A Wandell
- Psychology Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Rosemary K Le
- Psychology Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Black JM, Xia Z, Hoeft F. Neurobiological Bases of Reading Disorder Part II: The Importance of Developmental Considerations in Typical and Atypical Reading. LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS COMPASS 2017; 11:e12252. [PMID: 29276529 PMCID: PMC5736136 DOI: 10.1111/lnc3.12252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Decoding-based reading disorder (RD; aka developmental dyslexia) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders, affecting approximately 5-10% of school-aged children across languages. Even though neuroimaging studies suggest an impairment of the left reading network in RD, the onset of this deficit and its developmental course, which may include constancy and change, is largely unknown. There is now growing evidence that the recruitment of brain networks underlying perceptual, cognitive and linguistic processes relevant to reading acquisition varies with age. These age-dependent changes may in turn impact the neurocognitive characteristics of RD observed at specific developmental stages. Here we synthesize findings from functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies to increase our understanding of the developmental time course of the neural bases underlying (a)typical reading. We first provide an overview of the brain bases of typical and atypical (impaired) reading. Next we describe how the understanding of RD can be deepened through scientific attention to age effects, for example, by integrating findings from cross-sectional studies of RD at various ages. Finally, we accent findings from extant longitudinal studies that directly examine developmental reading trajectories beginning in the preliterate stage at both group and individual levels. Although science is at the very early stage of understanding developmental aspects of neural deficits in RD, evidence to date characterizes RD by atypical brain maturation. We know that reading impairment may adversely impact multiple life domains such as academic achievement and social relationships, and unfortunately, that these negative outcomes can persist and compound into adulthood. We contend that exploring the developmental trajectories of RD will contribute to a greater understanding of how neural systems support reading acquisition. Further, we propose and cite evidence that the etiology of RD can be better investigated by distinguishing primary deficits from secondary impairments unfolding along development. These exciting and modern investigatory efforts can also indirectly contribute to a centered practice of early and accurate identification and optimal intervention to support the development of foundational pre-literacy skills and fluent reading. In sum, integrating a developmental understanding into the science and practice of reading acquisition and intervention is both possible and necessary.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Zhichao Xia
- Department of Psychiatry and Weill Institute for Neurosciences,
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), USA
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning
& IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University,
China
- Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning
Sciences, Beijing Normal University, China
| | - Fumiko Hoeft
- Department of Psychiatry and Weill Institute for Neurosciences,
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), USA
- Precision Learning Center (PrecL), UC, USA
- Dyslexia Center, UCSF, USA
- Haskins Laboratories, USA
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine,
Japan
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Vandermosten M, Cuynen L, Vanderauwera J, Wouters J, Ghesquière P. White matter pathways mediate parental effects on children's reading precursors. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2017; 173:10-19. [PMID: 28558269 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2015] [Revised: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/06/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that the link between parental and offspring's reading is mediated by the cognitive system of the offspring, yet information about the mediating role of the neurobiological system is missing. This family study includes cognitive and diffusion MRI (dMRI) data collected in 71 pre-readers as well as parental reading and environmental data. Using sequential path analyses, which take into account the interrelationships between the different components, we observed mediating effects of the neurobiological system. More specifically, fathers' reading skills predicted reading of the child by operating through a child's left ventral white matter pathway. For mothers no clear mediating role of the neural system was observed. Given that our study involves children who have not yet learned to read and that environmental measures were taken into account, the paternal effect on a child's white matter pathway is unlikely to be only driven by environmental factors. Future intergenerational studies focusing on the genetic, neurobiological and cognitive level of parents and offspring will provide more insight in the relative contribution of parental environment and genes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maaike Vandermosten
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Lieselore Cuynen
- 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
| | - 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
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
How interindividual differences in brain anatomy shape reading accuracy. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 223:701-712. [PMID: 28916842 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-017-1516-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The capacity to read develops throughout intensive academic learning and training. Several studies have investigated the impact of reading on the brain, and particularly how the anatomy of the brain changes with reading acquisition. In the present study, we investigated the converse issue, namely whether and how reading acquisition is constrained by the anatomy of the brain. Using multimodal MRI, we found that (a) the pattern (continuous or interrupted sulcus) of the posterior part of the left lateral occipito-temporal sulcus (OTS) hosting the visual word form area (VWFA) predicts reading skills in adults; that (b) this effect is modulated by the age of reading acquisition; and that (c) the length of the OTS sulcal interruption is associated with reading skills. Because the sulcal pattern is determined in utero, our findings suggest that individual difference in reading skills can be traced back to early stages of brain development in addition to the well-established socioeconomic and educational factors.
Collapse
|
43
|
Ramus F, Altarelli I, Jednoróg K, Zhao J, Scotto di Covella L. Neuroanatomy of developmental dyslexia: Pitfalls and promise. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 84:434-452. [PMID: 28797557 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2016] [Revised: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Investigations into the neuroanatomical bases of developmental dyslexia have now spanned more than 40 years, starting with the post-mortem examination of a few individual brains in the 60s and 70s, and exploding in the 90s with the widespread use of MRI. The time is now ripe to reappraise the considerable amount of data gathered with MRI using different types of sequences (T1, diffusion, spectroscopy) and analysed using different methods (manual, voxel-based or surface-based morphometry, fractional anisotropy and tractography, multivariate analyses…). While selective reviews of mostly small-scale studies seem to provide a coherent view of the brain disruptions that are typical of dyslexia, involving left perisylvian and occipito-temporal regions, we argue that this view may be deceptive and that meta-analyses and large-scale studies rather highlight many inconsistencies and limitations. We discuss problems inherent to small sample size as well as methodological difficulties that still undermine the discovery of reliable neuroanatomical bases of dyslexia, and we outline some recommendations to further improve this research area.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Franck Ramus
- Laboratoire de sciences cognitives et psycholinguistique (CNRS, ENS, EHESS, PSL Research University), Ecole Normale Supérieure, 29 rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Irene Altarelli
- Brain and Learning Lab, Campus Biotech, University of Geneva, 9 Chemin des Mines, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Katarzyna Jednoróg
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology, Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur St, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jingjing Zhao
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University and Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710062, China
| | - Lou Scotto di Covella
- Laboratoire de sciences cognitives et psycholinguistique (CNRS, ENS, EHESS, PSL Research University), Ecole Normale Supérieure, 29 rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Braddick O, Atkinson J, Akshoomoff N, Newman E, Curley LB, Gonzalez MR, Brown T, Dale A, Jernigan T. Individual differences in children's global motion sensitivity correlate with TBSS-based measures of the superior longitudinal fasciculus. Vision Res 2016; 141:145-156. [PMID: 27793590 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2016.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2016] [Revised: 09/20/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Reduced global motion sensitivity, relative to global static form sensitivity, has been found in children with many neurodevelopmental disorders, leading to the "dorsal stream vulnerability" hypothesis (Braddick et al., 2003). Individual differences in typically developing children's global motion thresholds have been shown to be associated with variations in specific parietal cortical areas (Braddick et al., 2016). Here, in 125 children aged 5-12years, we relate individual differences in global motion and form coherence thresholds to fractional anisotropy (FA) in the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), a major fibre tract communicating between parietal lobe and anterior cortical areas. We find a positive correlation between FA of the right SLF and individual children's sensitivity to global motion coherence, while FA of the left SLF shows a negative correlation. Further analysis of parietal cortical area data shows that this is also asymmetrical, showing a stronger association with global motion sensitivity in the left hemisphere. None of these associations hold for an analogous measure of global form sensitivity. We conclude that a complex pattern of structural asymmetry, including the parietal lobe and the superior longitudinal fasciculus, is specifically linked to the development of sensitivity to global visual motion. This pattern suggests that individual differences in motion sensitivity are primarily linked to parietal brain areas interacting with frontal systems in making decisions on integrated motion signals, rather than in the extra-striate visual areas that perform the initial integration. The basis of motion processing deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders may depend on these same structures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Braddick
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK.
| | - Janette Atkinson
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK; Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, UK
| | - Natacha Akshoomoff
- Center for Human Development, University of California San Diego, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Erik Newman
- Center for Human Development, University of California San Diego, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Lauren B Curley
- Center for Human Development, University of California San Diego, CA, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Marybel Robledo Gonzalez
- Center for Human Development, University of California San Diego, CA, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Timothy Brown
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Multimodal Imaging Laboratory, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Anders Dale
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Multimodal Imaging Laboratory, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Terry Jernigan
- Center for Human Development, University of California San Diego, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Black JM, Myers CA, Hoeft F. The utility of neuroimaging studies for informing educational practice and policy in reading disorders. New Dir Child Adolesc Dev 2016; 2015:49-56. [PMID: 25732015 DOI: 10.1002/cad.20086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Educational neuroscience is an emerging scientific field that brings together researchers from neuroscience, psychology, and education to explore the neurocognitive processes underlying educational practice and theory. In this brief article, we take reading disorder (RD, also known as developmental dyslexia) as an example, and explore trends in neuroimaging research, which may have future implications for educational practice and policy. Specifically, we present two examples that have been central to research efforts in our laboratory: (a) utilizing multimodal neuroimaging to optimize criteria to diagnose RD, and (b) identifying neuroimaging markers that predict future academic outcomes. Such research is faced with important challenges, and rigorous validation is necessary before any claims of the widespread practical utility of neuroimaging can be made. Nevertheless, we contend that neuroimaging studies offer opportunities for providing critical information that could lead to advancing theory of reading and RD. This could in turn lead to better diagnostic criteria and more accurate and earlier identification of RD.
Collapse
|
47
|
Kershner JR. Network dynamics in dyslexia: Review and implications for remediation. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2016; 59:24-34. [PMID: 27497371 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2016.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2015] [Revised: 05/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/27/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Extant neurobiological theories of dyslexia appear fractional in focusing on isolated brain regions, mechanisms, and functional pathways. A synthesis of current research shows support for an Interactive Specialization (IS) model of dyslexia involving the dysfunctional orchestration of a widely-distributed, attentionally-controlled, hierarchical, and interhemispheric circuit of intercommunicating neuronal networks. This circuitry is comprised principally of the frontostriatal-parietal cognitive control system of networks, the posterior corpus callosum, and the left arcuate fasciculus. During development, the coalescence of these functionally specialized regions, acting together, may be essential to preventing the core phonemic and phonological processing deficits defining the dyslexic phenotype. Research demonstrating an association of each with processing phonology presents the foundational outline for a comprehensive, integrative theory of dyslexia and suggests the importance of inclusive remedial efforts aimed at promoting interactions among all three networking territories.
Collapse
|
48
|
White matter properties differ in 6-year old Readers and Pre-readers. Brain Struct Funct 2016; 222:1685-1703. [PMID: 27631434 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-016-1302-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Reading, an essential life skill in modern society, is typically learned during childhood. Adults who can read show white matter differences compared to adults who never learned to read. Studies have not established whether children who can read show similar white matter differences compared to children who cannot read. We compared 6-year old children who could decode written English words and pseudowords (n = 31; Readers) and 6-year old children who could not decode pseudowords and had a standard score <100 on a task for reading single words (n = 11; Pre-readers). We employed diffusion MRI and tractography to extract fractional anisotropy (FA) along the trajectory of six bilateral intra-hemispheric tracts and two posterior subdivisions of the corpus callosum. Readers demonstrated significantly increased FA within the left anterior segment of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (aSLF-L) and the right uncinate fasciculus (UF-R) compared to Pre-readers. FA in the aSLF-L was significantly correlated with phonological awareness; FA in the UF-R was significantly correlated with language. Correlations in the UF-R but not the aSLF-L remained significant after controlling for reading ability, revealing that UF-R group differences were related to both children's language and reading abilities. Taken together, these findings demonstrate new evidence showing that individual differences in white matter structure relate to whether children have begun to read.
Collapse
|
49
|
Vandermosten M, Hoeft F, Norton ES. Integrating MRI brain imaging studies of pre-reading children with current theories of developmental dyslexia: A review and quantitative meta-analysis. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2016; 10:155-161. [PMID: 27458603 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2016.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The neurobiological substrates that cause people with dyslexia to experience difficulty in acquiring accurate and fluent reading skills are still largely unknown. Although structural and functional brain anomalies associated with dyslexia have been reported in adults and school-age children, these anomalies may represent differences in reading experience rather than the etiology of dyslexia. Conducting MRI studies of pre-readers at risk for dyslexia is one approach that enables us to identify brain alterations that exist before differences in reading experience emerge. The current review summarizes MRI studies that examine brain differences associated with risk for dyslexia in children before reading instruction and meta-analyzes these studies. In order to link these findings with current etiological theories of dyslexia, we focus on studies that take a modular perspective rather than a network approach. Although some of the observed differences in pre-readers at risk for dyslexia may still be shaped by language experiences during the first years of life, such studies underscore the existence of reading-related brain anomalies prior to reading onset and could eventually lead to earlier and more precise diagnosis and treatment of dyslexia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maaike Vandermosten
- University of California San Francisco, Department of Psychiatry and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, 401 Parnassus Ave., San Francisco CA 94143, USA; KU Leuven, Department of Psychology and Educational Science, L. Vanderkelenstraat 32, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Fumiko Hoeft
- University of California San Francisco, Department of Psychiatry and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, 401 Parnassus Ave., San Francisco CA 94143, USA; Haskins Laboratories, 300 George St. #900, New Haven CT 06511, USA; Keio University School of Medicine, Department of Neuropsychiatry, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Elizabeth S Norton
- Northwestern University, Roxelyn & Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, 2240 Campus Dr., Evanston IL 60208, USA
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Skeide MA, Kraft I, Müller B, Schaadt G, Neef NE, Brauer J, Wilcke A, Kirsten H, Boltze J, Friederici AD. NRSN1 associated grey matter volume of the visual word form area reveals dyslexia before school. Brain 2016; 139:2792-2803. [PMID: 27343255 DOI: 10.1093/brain/aww153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 05/08/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Literacy learning depends on the flexibility of the human brain to reconfigure itself in response to environmental influences. At the same time, literacy and disorders of literacy acquisition are heritable and thus to some degree genetically predetermined. Here we used a multivariate non-parametric genetic model to relate literacy-associated genetic variants to grey and white matter volumes derived by voxel-based morphometry in a cohort of 141 children. Subsequently, a sample of 34 children attending grades 4 to 8, and another sample of 20 children, longitudinally followed from kindergarten to first grade, were classified as dyslexics and controls using linear binary support vector machines. The NRSN1-associated grey matter volume of the 'visual word form area' achieved a classification accuracy of ~ 73% in literacy-experienced students and distinguished between later dyslexic individuals and controls with an accuracy of 75% at kindergarten age. These findings suggest that the cortical plasticity of a region vital for literacy might be genetically modulated, thereby potentially preconstraining literacy outcome. Accordingly, these results could pave the way for identifying and treating the most common learning disorder before it manifests itself in school.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Skeide
- 1 Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Indra Kraft
- 1 Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Bent Müller
- 2 Cognitive Genetics Unit, Department of Cell Therapy, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Perlickstraße 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gesa Schaadt
- 1 Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany 3 Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Nicole E Neef
- 1 Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jens Brauer
- 1 Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Arndt Wilcke
- 2 Cognitive Genetics Unit, Department of Cell Therapy, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Perlickstraße 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Holger Kirsten
- 2 Cognitive Genetics Unit, Department of Cell Therapy, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Perlickstraße 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany 4 Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstraße 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany 5 LIFE - Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstraße 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Johannes Boltze
- 2 Cognitive Genetics Unit, Department of Cell Therapy, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Perlickstraße 1, 04103 Leipzig, Germany 6 Fraunhofer Research Institution for Marine Biotechnology, Department of Medical Cell Technology, and Institute for Medical and Marine Biotechnology, University of Lübeck, Mönkhofer Weg 239a, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- 1 Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|