Neurobiological studies of reading and reading disability

Early and late talkers: school-age language, literacy and neurolinguistic differences

Early language development sets the stage for a lifetime of competence in language and literacy. However, the neural mechanisms associated with the relative advantages of early communication success, or the disadvantages of having delayed language development, are not well explored. In this study, 174 elementary school-age children whose parents reported that they started forming sentences 'early', 'on-time' or 'late' were evaluated with standardized measures of language, reading and spelling. All oral and written language measures revealed consistent patterns for 'early' talkers to have the highest level of performance and 'late' talkers to have the lowest level of performance. We report functional magnetic resonance imaging data from a subset of early, on-time and late talkers matched for age, gender and performance intelligence quotient that allows evaluation of neural activation patterns produced while listening to and reading real words and pronounceable non-words. Activation in bilateral thalamus and putamen, and left insula and superior temporal gyrus during these tasks was significantly lower in late talkers, demonstrating that residual effects of being a late talker are found not only in behavioural tests of oral and written language, but also in distributed cortical-subcortical neural circuits underlying speech and print processing. Moreover, these findings suggest that the age of functional language acquisition can have long-reaching effects on reading and language behaviour, and on the corresponding neurocircuitry that supports linguistic function into the school-age years.

Regional white matter anisotropy and reading ability in patients treated for pediatric embryonal tumors

Children treated with cranial irradiation for brain tumors have reduced white matter volume and deficits in reading ability. This study prospectively examined the relationship between reading and white matter integrity within this patient group. Patients (n = 54) were treated with post-surgical radiation followed by 4 cycles of high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell support. At 12 months post-diagnosis, all patients completed a neuropsychology evaluation and a diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) exam. White matter integrity was determined through measures of fractional anisotropy (FA). Significant group differences in FA were found between above average readers and below average readers within the left and right posterior limb of the internal capsule, and right knee of the internal capsule with a trend within the left temporaloccipital region. The integrity of the white matter in these regions may affect communication among visual, auditory, and language cortical areas that are engaged during reading.

A common left occipito-temporal dysfunction in developmental dyslexia and acquired letter-by-letter reading?

BACKGROUND

We used fMRI to examine functional brain abnormalities of German-speaking dyslexics who suffer from slow effortful reading but not from a reading accuracy problem. Similar to acquired cases of letter-by-letter reading, the developmental cases exhibited an abnormal strong effect of length (i.e., number of letters) on response time for words and pseudowords.

RESULTS

Corresponding to lesions of left occipito-temporal (OT) regions in acquired cases, we found a dysfunction of this region in our developmental cases who failed to exhibit responsiveness of left OT regions to the length of words and pseudowords. This abnormality in the left OT cortex was accompanied by absent responsiveness to increased sublexical reading demands in phonological inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) regions. Interestingly, there was no abnormality in the left superior temporal cortex which--corresponding to the onological deficit explanation--is considered to be the prime locus of the reading difficulties of developmental dyslexia cases.

CONCLUSIONS

The present functional imaging results suggest that developmental dyslexia similar to acquired letter-by-letter reading is due to a primary dysfunction of left OT regions.

Procedural learning and dyslexia

Three major 'neural systems', specialized for different types of information processing, are the sensory, declarative, and procedural systems. It has been proposed (Trends Neurosci., 30(4), 135-141) that dyslexia may be attributable to impaired function in the procedural system together with intact declarative function. We provide a brief overview of the increasing evidence relating to the hypothesis, noting that the framework involves two main claims: first that 'neural systems' provides a productive level of description avoiding the underspecificity of cognitive descriptions and the overspecificity of brain structural accounts; and second that a distinctive feature of procedural learning is its extended time course, covering from minutes to months. In this article, we focus on the second claim. Three studies-speeded single word reading, long-term response learning, and overnight skill consolidation-are reviewed which together provide clear evidence of difficulties in procedural learning for individuals with dyslexia, even when the tasks are outside the literacy domain. The educational implications of the results are then discussed, and in particular the potential difficulties that impaired overnight procedural consolidation would entail. It is proposed that response to intervention could be better predicted if diagnostic tests on the different forms of learning were first undertaken.

Interpreting developmental changes in neuroimaging signals

The imaging of developmental changes in brain function is challenging, but great strides have been made in addressing many of the conceptual issues that this work raises. I highlight a set of issues that remain to be addressed in this literature. First, I argue that the appeal to developmental neurobiology is often misplaced, as it focuses on neurodevelopmental processes that are mostly completed by the age at which neuroimaging studies can be performed. Second, I argue that the concept of "normative" development needs to be reexamined, as it reflects fundamental value judgments about brain development that seem inappropriate for scientific investigation. Third, I examine the ways in which developmental changes are often interpreted, arguing that common interpretations, including the concepts of "efficiency" and "focalization" may be less useful than commonly supposed. To put developmental neuroimaging on stronger footing, we need to develop stronger connections between computational and neurobiological accounts of developmental changes.

White matter microstructural differences linked to left perisylvian language network in children with dyslexia

Studies of dyslexia using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have reported fractional anisotropy (FA) differences in left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and left temporo-parietal white matter, suggesting that impaired reading is associated with atypical white matter microstructure in these regions. These anomalies might reflect abnormalities in the left perisylvian language network, long implicated in dyslexia. While DTI investigations frequently report analyses on multiple tensor-derived measures (e.g., FA, orientation, tractography), it is uncommon to integrate analyses to examine the relationships between atypical findings. For the present study, semi-automated techniques were applied to DTI data in an integrated fashion to examine white matter microstructure in 14 children with dyslexia and 17 typically developing readers (ages 7-16 years). Correlations of DTI metrics (FA and fiber orientation) to reading skill (accuracy and speed) and to probabilistic tractography maps of the left perisylvian language tracts were examined. Consistent with previous reports, our findings suggest FA decreases in dyslexia in LIFG and left temporo-parietal white matter. The LIFG FA finding overlaps an area showing differences in fiber orientation in an anterior left perisylvian language pathway. Additionally, a positive correlation of FA to reading speed was found in a posterior circuit previously associated with activation on functional imaging during reading tasks. Overall, integrating results from several complementary semi-automated analyses reveals evidence linking atypical white matter microstructure in dyslexia to atypical fiber orientation in circuits implicated in reading including the left perisylvian language network.

The orthography-specific functions of the left fusiform gyrus: evidence of modality and category specificity

We report on an investigation of the cognitive functions of an individual with a resection of the left fusiform gyrus. This individual and a group of control participants underwent testing to examine the question of whether or not there are neural substrates within the left fusiform gyrus that are dedicated to orthographic processing. We evaluated the modality specificity (written vs spoken language) and the category specificity (written language vs other visual categories) of this individual's impairments. The results clearly reveal deficits affecting lexical processes in both reading and spelling. Specifically, we find disruption of normal, rapid access to meaning from print in reading and of accurate retrieval of the spellings of words from their meaning in writing. These deficits stand in striking contrast with intact processing of spoken language and categories of visual stimuli such as line drawings of objects and faces. The modality and category specificity of the deficits provide clear evidence of neural substrates within the left-mid-fusiform gyrus that are specialized and necessary for normal orthographic processing.

Attentional focus during learning impacts N170 ERP responses to an artificial script

Reading instruction can direct attention to different unit sizes in print-to-speech mapping, ranging from grapheme-phoneme to whole-word relationships. Thus, attentional focus during learning might influence brain mechanisms recruited during reading, as indexed by the N170 response to visual words. To test this, two groups of adults were trained to read an artificial script under instructions directing attention to grapheme-phoneme versus whole-word associations. N170 responses were subsequently contrasted within an active reading task. Grapheme-phoneme focus drove a left-lateralized N170 response relative to the right-lateralized N170 under whole-word focus. These findings suggest a key role for attentional focus in early reading acquisition.

Cerebral reorganization as a function of linguistic recovery in children: An fMRI study

Characterizing and mapping the relationship between neuronal reorganization and functional recovery are essential to the understanding of cerebral plasticity and the dynamic processes which occur following brain damage. The neuronal mechanisms underlying linguistic recovery following left hemisphere (LH) lesions are still unknown. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated whether the extent of brain lateralization of linguistic functioning in specific regions of interest (ROIs) is correlated with the level of linguistic performance following recovery from acquired childhood aphasia. The study focused on a rare group of children in whom lesions occurred after normal language acquisition, but prior to complete maturation of the brain. During fMRI scanning, rhyming, comprehension and verb generation activation tasks were monitored. The imaging data were evaluated with reference to linguistic performance measured behaviorally during imaging, as well as outside the scanner. Compared with normal controls, we found greater right hemisphere (RH) lateralization in patients. However, correlations with linguistic performance showed that increased proficiency in linguistic tasks was associated with greater lateralization to the LH. These results were replicated in a longitudinal case study of a patient scanned twice, 3 years apart. Additional improvement in linguistic performance of the patient was accompanied by increasing lateralization to the LH in the anterior language region. This, however, was the result of a decreased involvement of the RH. These findings suggest that recovery is a dynamic, ongoing process, which may last for years after onset. The role of each hemisphere in the recovery process may continuously change within the chronic stage.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of bilingual word processing

Studies with monolingual adults have identified successive stages occurring in different brain regions for processing single written words. We combined magnetoencephalography and magnetic resonance imaging to compare these stages between the first (L1) and second (L2) languages in bilingual adults. L1 words in a size judgment task evoked a typical left-lateralized sequence of activity first in ventral occipitotemporal cortex (VOT: previously associated with visual word-form encoding) and then ventral frontotemporal regions (associated with lexico-semantic processing). Compared to L1, words in L2 activated right VOT more strongly from approximately 135 ms; this activation was attenuated when words became highly familiar with repetition. At approximately 400 ms, L2 responses were generally later than L1, more bilateral, and included the same lateral occipitotemporal areas as were activated by pictures. We propose that acquiring a language involves the recruitment of right hemisphere and posterior visual areas that are not necessary once fluency is achieved.

An anatomical signature for literacy

Language is a uniquely human ability that evolved at some point in the roughly 6,000,000 years since human and chimpanzee lines diverged. Even in the most linguistically impoverished environments, children naturally develop sophisticated language systems. In contrast, reading is a learnt skill that does not develop without intensive tuition and practice. Learning to read is likely to involve ontogenic structural brain changes, but these are nearly impossible to isolate in children owing to concurrent biological, environmental and social maturational changes. In Colombia, guerrillas are re-integrating into mainstream society and learning to read for the first time as adults. This presents a unique opportunity to investigate how literacy changes the brain, without the maturational complications present in children. Here we compare structural brain scans from those who learnt to read as adults (late-literates) with those from a carefully matched set of illiterates. Late-literates had more white matter in the splenium of the corpus callosum and more grey matter in bilateral angular, dorsal occipital, middle temporal, left supramarginal and superior temporal gyri. The importance of these brain regions for skilled reading was investigated in early literates, who learnt to read as children. We found anatomical connections linking the left and right angular and dorsal occipital gyri through the area of the corpus callosum where white matter was higher in late-literates than in illiterates; that reading, relative to object naming, increased the interhemispheric functional connectivity between the left and right angular gyri; and that activation in the left angular gyrus exerts top-down modulation on information flow from the left dorsal occipital gyrus to the left supramarginal gyrus. These findings demonstrate how the regions identified in late-literates interact during reading, relative to object naming, in early literates.

Early perception of written syllables in French: An event-related potential study

The present study examined whether written syllable units are perceived in first steps of letter string processing. An illusory conjunction experiment was conducted while event-related potentials were recorded. Colored pseudowords were presented such that there was a match or mismatch between the syllable boundaries and the color boundaries. The results showed that congruent stimuli for which the syllable and color boundaries coincided produced a greater positive-going waveform than incongruent stimuli for which the syllable and color boundaries did not coincide. This syllable-color congruency effect was observed to occur both prior to 100 ms, and in a time window commencing at 150 ms. This finding suggests that syllable units are perceived in the initial steps of French visual word processing. Moreover, this study underlines the specificity of the illusory conjunction paradigm as a relevant and powerful tool of investigation of sublexical units that are automatically evoked from word perception.

Supramarginal gyrus involvement in visual word recognition

INTRODUCTION

In the classic neurological model of language, the human inferior parietal lobule (IPL) plays an important role in visual word recognition. The region is both functionally and structurally heterogeneous, however, suggesting that subregions of IPL may differentially contribute to reading. The two main sub-divisions are the supramarginal (SMG) and angular gyri, which have been hypothesized to contribute preferentially to phonological and semantic aspects of word processing, respectively.

METHODS

Here we used single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate the functional specificity and timing of SMG involvement in reading. Participants performed two reading tasks that focused attention on either the phonological or semantic relation between two simultaneously presented words. A third task focused attention on the visual relation between pairs of consonant letter strings to control for basic input and output characteristics of the paradigm using non-linguistic stimuli. TMS to SMG was delivered on every trial at 120, 180, 240 or 300 msec post-stimulus onset.

RESULTS

Stimulation at 180 msec produced a reliable facilitation of reaction times for both the phonological and semantic tasks, but not for the control visual task.

CONCLUSION

These findings demonstrate that SMG contributes to reading regardless of the specific task demands, and suggests this may be due to automatically computing the sound of a word even when the task does not explicitly require it.

Common and segregated neural pathways for the processing of symbolic and nonsymbolic numerical magnitude: an fMRI study

Numbers are everywhere in modern life. Looking out a window, one might see both symbolic numbers, like the numerals on a thermometer, and nonsymbolic quantities, such as the number of chickadees at a bird feeder. Although differences between symbolic and nonsymbolic numbers appear very salient, most research on numerical cognition has focused on similarities rather than differences between numerical stimulus formats. Thus, little is known about differences in the processing of symbolic and nonsymbolic numerical magnitudes. A recent computational model proposed that symbolic and nonsymbolic quantities undergo distinct encoding processes which then converge on a common neural representation of numerical magnitude (Verguts, T., Fias, W., 2004. Representation of number in animals and humans: a neural model. J. Cogn. Neurosci. 16 (9), 1493-1504.). Moreover, this model predicted that discrete brain regions underlie these encoding processes. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the present study tested the predictions of this model by examining the functional neuroanatomy of symbolic and nonsymbolic number processing. Nineteen adults compared the relative numerical magnitude of symbolic and nonsymbolic stimuli. An initial conjunction analysis revealed the right inferior parietal lobule to be significantly active in both symbolic and nonsymbolic numerical comparison. A contrast of the activation associated with symbolic and nonsymbolic stimuli revealed that both the left angular and superior temporal gyri were more activated for symbolic compared to nonsymbolic numerical magnitude judgments. The reverse comparison (nonsymbolic>symbolic) revealed several regions including the right posterior superior parietal lobe. These results reveal both format-general and format-specific processing of numerical stimuli in the brain. The potential roles of these regions in symbolic and nonsymbolic numerical processing are discussed.

A dual DTI approach to analyzing white matter in children with dyslexia

Using voxel-based (VBA) and region-of-interest (ROI) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analyses, we examined white matter (WM) organization in seven children with dyslexia and six age-matched controls. Both methods demonstrated reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) and abnormal orientation in the right SLF in dyslexics. Application of this complementary dual DTI approach to dyslexia, which included novel analyses of fiber orientation, demonstrates its usefulness for analyzing mild and complex WM abnormalities.

Topographical functional connectivity pattern in the perisylvian language networks

We performed a resting-state functional connectivity study to investigate directly the functional correlations within the perisylvian language networks by seeding from 3 subregions of Broca's complex (pars opercularis, pars triangularis, and pars orbitalis) and their right hemisphere homologues. A clear topographical functional connectivity pattern in the left middle frontal, parietal, and temporal areas was revealed for the 3 left seeds. This is the first demonstration that a functional connectivity topology can be observed in the perisylvian language networks. The results support the assumption of the functional division for phonology, syntax, and semantics of Broca's complex as proposed by the memory, unification, and control (MUC) model and indicated a topographical functional organization in the perisylvian language networks, which suggests a possible division of labor for phonological, syntactic, and semantic function in the left frontal, parietal, and temporal areas.

Early involvement of dorsal and ventral pathways in visual word recognition: an ERP study

Visual expertise underlying reading is attributed to processes involving the left ventral visual pathway. However, converging evidence suggests that the dorsal visual pathway is also involved in early levels of visual word processing, especially when words are presented in unfamiliar visual formats. In the present study, event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to investigate the time course of the early engagement of the ventral and dorsal pathways during processing of orthographic stimuli (high and low frequency words, pseudowords and consonant strings) by manipulating visual format (familiar horizontal vs. unfamiliar vertical format). While early ERP components (P1 and N1) already distinguished between formats, the effect of stimulus type emerged at the latency of the N2 component (225-275 ms). The N2 scalp topography and sLORETA source localisation for this differentiation showed an occipito-temporal negativity for the horizontal format and a negativity that extended towards the dorsal regions for the vertical format. In a later time window (350-425 ms) ERPs elicited by vertically displayed stimuli distinguished words from pseudowords in the ventral area, as confirmed by source localisation. The sustained contribution of occipito-temporal processes for vertical stimuli suggests that the ventral pathway is essential for lexical access. Parietal regions appear to be involved when a serial mechanism of visual attention is required to shift attention from one letter to another. The two pathways cooperate during visual word recognition and processing in these pathways should not be considered as alternative but as complementary elements of reading.

Functional Neuroimaging Insights Into the Development of Skilled Reading

Typically developing children require years of overt training and practice to learn to read with skill. The relatively recent advent of functional neuroimaging methods amenable to the study of children has provided insight into the neurobiological underpinnings of skilled reading development. In this brief review, we discuss how neuroimaging during reading-related tasks has revealed that, when adult and child skilled readers perform identical reading-related tasks with comparable levels of performance, these groups show similar, but nonidentical patterns of regional brain activity. Children activate some neural regions that adults do not activate (or activate less), and vice versa. The activity patterns in these regions transition to mature levels with increased proficiency and maturity. The dynamic nature of the reading brain as the child matures is thought to be a demonstration of both the inherent flexibility and the increasing efficiency of brain processing over development.

A Tc-99m SPECT study of regional cerebral blood flow in patients with transient global amnesia

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine whether regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) is abnormal in patients who have Transient Global Amnesia (TGA).

METHODS

We obtained noninvasive rCBF measurements using Tc-99m-ethyl cysteinate diamer Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) in 7 patients diagnosed with TGA within 4 days of onset of the amnestic episode while the patients were still symptomatic and in 17 age-matched healthy control subjects. We assessed memory functioning using the Hopkins's Verbal Learning Test (HVLT) and Statistical Parametric Mapping to compare rCBF across diagnostic groups.

RESULTS

The patients with TGA were significantly impaired in their performance on the 20-minute delayed recall of the HVLT. They also exhibited significantly decreased rCBF on their SPECT scans in the inferior and middle frontal gyrus bilaterally, with more prominent left-sided reductions in the superior temporal, precentral, and postcentral gyri, as well as increased rCBF primarily in the right hemisphere within the middle temporal, superior temporal, and inferior frontal gyri, cerebellum, and thalamus, compared with the normal control group.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that lateralized abnormalities in brain functioning are an important component of the pathophysiology of TGA. Lateralized abnormalities may disrupt functions that are relatively specific to the left hemisphere, including receptive language, symbolic representation, and the processing of local features in the environment, while preserving anterograde memory processes. Increased flow to the right hemisphere centered on regions that subserve the functions of expressive language and visuospatial processing, and may represent processes that compensate for flow reductions to the left hemisphere.

The neural basis of surface dyslexia in semantic dementia

Semantic dementia (SD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by atrophy of anterior temporal regions and progressive loss of semantic memory. SD patients often present with surface dyslexia, a relatively selective impairment in reading low-frequency words with exceptional or atypical spelling-to-sound correspondences. Exception words are typically 'over-regularized' in SD and pronounced as they are spelled (e.g. 'sew' is pronounced as 'sue'). This suggests that in the absence of sufficient item-specific knowledge, exception words are read by relying mainly on subword processes for regular mapping of orthography to phonology. In this study, we investigated the functional anatomy of surface dyslexia in SD using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and studied its relationship to structural damage with voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Five SD patients and nine healthy age-matched controls were scanned while they read regular words, exception words and pseudowords in an event-related design. Vocal responses were recorded and revealed that all patients were impaired in reading low-frequency exception words, and made frequent over-regularization errors. Consistent with prior studies, fMRI data revealed that both groups activated a similar basic network of bilateral occipital, motor and premotor regions for reading single words. VBM showed that these regions were not significantly atrophied in SD. In control subjects, a region in the left intraparietal sulcus was activated for reading pseudowords and low-frequency regular words but not exception words, suggesting a role for this area in subword mapping from orthographic to phonological representations. In SD patients only, this inferior parietal region, which was not atrophied, was also activated by reading low-frequency exception words, especially on trials where over-regularization errors occurred. These results suggest that the left intraparietal sulcus is involved in subword reading processes that are differentially recruited in SD when word-specific information is lost. This loss is likely related to degeneration of the anterior temporal lobe, which was severely atrophied in SD. Consistent with this, left mid-fusiform and superior temporal regions that showed reading-related activations in controls were not activated in SD. Taken together, these results suggest that the left inferior parietal region subserves subword orthographic-to-phonological processes that are recruited for exception word reading when retrieval of exceptional, item-specific word forms is impaired by degeneration of the anterior temporal lobe.

Depth potential function for folding pattern representation, registration and analysis

Some surfaces present folding patterns formed by juxtapositions of ridges and valleys as, for example, the cortical surface of the human brain. The fundamental problem with ridges is to find a correspondence among and analyze the variability among them. Many techniques to achieve these goals exist but use scalar functions. Depth maps are used to efficiently project the geometry of folds into a scalar function in the case where a natural projection plane exists. However, in most cases of curved surfaces, there is no natural projection plane to represent folding patterns. This paper studies the problem of shape matching and analysis of folding patterns by extending the notion of depth maps when no natural projection plane exists. The novel depth measure is called a depth potential function. The depth potential function integrates the information known from the curvature of the surface into a point-of-view invariant representation. The main advantage of the depth potential function is that it is computed by solving a time independent Poisson equation. The Poisson equation endows our surface representation with a significant computational advantage that makes it orders of magnitude faster to compute compared with other available surface representations. The method described in this paper was validated using both synthetic surfaces and cortical surfaces of human brain acquired by magnetic resonance imaging. On average, the improvement in shape matching when using the depth potential was of 11%, which is considerable.

Fragile X syndrome: Neural network models of sequencing and memory

A comparative framework of memory processes in males with fragile X syndrome (FXS) and Typically Developing (TYP) mental age-match children is presented. Results indicate a divergence in sequencing skills, such that males with FXS recall sequences similarly to TYP children around five and a half years of age, but eth males with FXS recall significantly worse when compared to TYP children around seven and a half years of age. Performance on one working memory measure, an n-back card task, is modeled with a neural network. To date, no network models explicate the sequencing and memory processes in those with FXS. Noise was added to various levels (weight matrices) in the FXS model and outputs approximated human FXS performance. Three models were compared: 1) FXS; 2) younger mental age-TYP matches; and 3) older reading level-TYP matches. Modeling can help to reify conceptualizations of deficits and to guide in the creation of more valid, science-based remediations. The FXS model suggests that the levels of phonological representation and sequencing in memory are candidates for targeted therapies in males with FXS.

Inter-subject variability in the use of two different neuronal networks for reading aloud familiar words

Cognitive models of reading predict that high frequency regular words can be read in more than one way. We investigated this hypothesis using functional MRI and covariance analysis in 43 healthy skilled readers. Our results dissociated two sets of regions that were differentially engaged across subjects who were reading the same familiar words. Some subjects showed more activation in left inferior frontal and anterior occipito-temporal regions while other subjects showed more activation in right inferior parietal and left posterior occipito-temporal regions. To explore the behavioural correlates of these systems, we measured the difference between reading speed for irregularly spelled words relative to pseudowords outside the scanner in fifteen of our subjects and correlated this measure with fMRI activation for reading familiar words. The faster the lexical reading the greater the activation in left posterior occipito-temporal and right inferior parietal regions. Conversely, the slower the lexical reading the greater the activation in left anterior occipito-temporal and left ventral inferior frontal regions. Thus, the double dissociation in irregular and pseudoword reading behaviour predicted the double dissociation in neuronal activation for reading familiar words. We discuss the implications of these results which may be important for understanding how reading is learnt in childhood or re-learnt following brain damage in adulthood.

Orthographic familiarity, phonological legality and number of orthographic neighbours affect the onset of ERP lexical effects

Background

It has been suggested that the variability among studies in the onset of lexical effects may be due to a series of methodological differences. In this study we investigated the role of orthographic familiarity, phonological legality and number of orthographic neighbours of words in determining the onset of word/non-word discriminative responses.

Methods

ERPs were recorded from 128 sites in 16 Italian University students engaged in a lexical decision task. Stimuli were 100 words, 100 quasi-words (obtained by the replacement of a single letter), 100 pseudo-words (non-derived) and 100 illegal letter strings. All stimuli were balanced for length; words and quasi-words were also balanced for frequency of use, domain of semantic category and imageability. SwLORETA source reconstruction was performed on ERP difference waves of interest.

Results

Overall, the data provided evidence that the latency of lexical effects (word/non-word discrimination) varied as a function of the number of a word's orthographic neighbours, being shorter to non-derived than to derived pseudo-words. This suggests some caveats about the use in lexical decision paradigms of quasi-words obtained by transposing or replacing only 1 or 2 letters. Our findings also showed that the left-occipito/temporal area, reflecting the activity of the left fusiform gyrus (BA37) of the temporal lobe, was affected by the visual familiarity of words, thus explaining its lexical sensitivity (word vs. non-word discrimination). The temporo-parietal area was markedly sensitive to phonological legality exhibiting a clear-cut discriminative response between illegal and legal strings as early as 250 ms of latency.

Conclusion

The onset of lexical effects in a lexical decision paradigm depends on a series of factors, including orthographic familiarity, degree of global lexical activity, and phonologic legality of non-words.

A developmental fMRI study of reading and repetition reveals changes in phonological and visual mechanisms over age

In this study of reading development, children (ages 7-10) and adults (ages 18-32) performed overt single-word reading and aural repetition tasks on high-frequency word stimuli during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Most regions showed similar activity across age groups. These widespread regions of similarity indicate that children and adults use largely overlapping mechanisms when processing high-frequency words. Significant task-related differences included greater activity in occipital cortex for the read task, and greater activity in temporal cortex for the repeat task; activity levels in these regions were similar for adults and children. However, age group differences were found in several posterior regions, including a set of regions implicated in adult reading: the left supramarginal gyrus, the left angular gyrus, and bilateral anterior extrastriate cortex. The angular and supramarginal gyrus regions, hypothesized to play a role in phonology, showed decreased activity in adults relative to children for high-frequency words. The extrastriate regions had significant activity for both the visual read task and auditory repeat task in children, but just for the read task in adults, showing significant task and age interactions. These results are consistent with decreasing reliance on phonological processing, and increasing tuning of visual mechanisms, with age.

A comparison of letter and digit processing in letter-by-letter reading

The extent to which letter-by-letter reading results from a specific orthographic deficit, as compared with a nonspecific disturbance in basic visuoperceptual mechanisms, is unclear. The current study directly compared processing of letters and digits in a letter-by-letter reader, G.M., using a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task and a speeded matching task. Comparisons were made to a group of six brain-damaged individuals without reading deficits. In the RSVP task, G.M. had increased difficulty reporting the target identities when they were letters, as compared with digits. Although this general pattern was also evident in the control group, the magnitude of the letter-digit accuracy difference was greater in G.M. Similarly, in the matching task, G.M. was slower to match letters than digits, relative to the control group, although his response times to both item types were increased. These data suggest that letter-by-letter reading, at least in this case, results from a visuoperceptual encoding deficit that particularly affects letters, but also extends to processing of digits to a lesser extent. Results are consistent with the notion that a left occipitotemporal area is specialized for letter processing with greater bilaterality in the visual processing of digits.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation in child neurology: current and future directions

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a method for focal brain stimulation based on the principle of electromagnetic induction, where small intracranial electric currents are generated by a powerful, rapidly changing extracranial magnetic field. Over the past 2 decades TMS has shown promise in the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disease in adults, but has been used on a more limited basis in children. We reviewed the literature to identify potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications of TMS in child neurology and also its safety in pediatrics. Although TMS has not been associated with any serious side effects in children and appears to be well tolerated, general safety guidelines should be established. The potential for applications of TMS in child neurology and psychiatry is significant. Given its excellent safety profile and possible therapeutic effect, this technique should develop as an important tool in pediatric neurology over the next decade.

Effects of phonological contrast on auditory word discrimination in children with and without reading disability: a magnetoencephalography (MEG) study

Poor readers perform worse than their normal reading peers on a variety of speech perception tasks, which may be linked to their phonological processing abilities. The purpose of the study was to compare the brain activation patterns of normal and impaired readers on speech perception to better understand the phonological basis in reading disability. Whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) was recorded as good and poor readers, 7-13 years of age, performed an auditory word discrimination task. We used an auditory oddball paradigm in which the 'deviant' stimuli (/bat/, /kat/, /rat/) differed in the degree of phonological contrast (one versus three features) from a repeated standard word (/pat/). Both good and poor readers responded more slowly to deviants that were phonologically similar compared to deviants that were phonologically dissimilar to the standard word. Source analysis of the MEG data using minimum norm estimation (MNE) showed that compared to good readers, poor readers had reduced left-hemisphere activation to the most demanding phonological condition reflecting their difficulties with phonological processing. Furthermore, unlike good readers, poor readers did not show differences in activation as a function of the degree of phonological contrast. These results are consistent with a phonological account of reading disability.

Neural regions essential for reading and spelling of words and pseudowords

OBJECTIVE

To identify dysfunctional brain regions critical for impaired reading/spelling of words/pseudowords by evaluating acute stroke patients on lexical tests and magnetic resonance imaging, before recovery or reorganization of structure-function relationships.

METHODS

A series of 106 consenting patients were administered oral reading and spelling tests within 24 hours of left supratentorial stroke onset. Patients underwent diffusion- and perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance examination the same day to identify regions of hypoperfusion/infarct of 16 Brodmann areas.

RESULTS

Simultaneous logistic regression analysis demonstrated that dysfunction of left Brodmann areas 40 (supramarginal gyrus) and 37 (posterior-inferior temporal/fusiform gyrus) best predicted impairment in reading words (odds ratio [OR], 6.20 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.54-24.96] and 2.71 [95% CI, 0.87-8.45], respectively), reading pseudowords (OR, 39.65 [95% CI 3.9-400.78] and 4.41 [95% CI, 1.1-17.51], respectively), spelling words (OR, 14.11 [95% CI 1.37-144.93] and 7.41 [95% CI, 1.48-37.24], respectively), and spelling pseudowords (OR, 4.84 [95% CI, 0.73-32.13] and 7.74 [95% CI, 1.56-38.51], respectively). Whole-brain voxel-wise analyses demonstrated voxel clusters within these regions that were most strongly associated with task deficits.

INTERPRETATION

Results indicate that a shared network of regions including parts of left Brodmann areas 37 and 40 is necessary for reading and spelling of words and pseudowords. Further studies may define the precise roles of these brain regions in language. Identification of any neural regions specific to one of these tasks or one type of stimuli will require study of more patients with selective deficits.

Development of neural systems for reading

Functional and structural neuroimaging studies of adult readers have provided a deeper understanding of the neural basis of reading, yet such findings also elicit new questions about how developing neural systems come to support this learned ability. A developmental cognitive neuroscience approach provides insights into how skilled reading emerges in the developing brain, yet also raises new methodological challenges. This review focuses on functional changes that occur during reading acquisition in cortical regions associated with both the perception of visual words and spoken language, and it examines how such functional changes differ within developmental reading disabilities. We integrate these findings within an interactive specialization framework of functional development and propose that such a framework may provide insights into how individual differences at several levels of observation (genetics, white matter tract structure, functional organization of language, cultural organization of writing systems) impact the emergence of neural systems involved in reading ability and disability.

Hyperlexia in children with autism spectrum disorders

We compared the reading-related skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders who have hyperlexia (ASD + HPL) with age-matched children with ASD without HPL (ASD - HPL) and with single-word reading-matched typically developing children (TYP). Children with ASD + HPL performed (1) better than did children with ASD - HPL on tasks of single-word reading and pseudoword decoding and (2) equivalently well compared to word-reading-matched TYP children on all reading-related tasks except reading comprehension. It appears that the general underlying model of single-word reading is the same in principle for "typical" and hyperlexic reading. Yet, the study revealed some dissimilarities between these two types of reading when more fine-grained cognitive and linguistic abilities were considered; these dissimilarities warrant further investigations.

Neural networks essential for naming and word comprehension

Lesion/deficit association studies of aphasia commonly focus on one brain region as primarily responsible for a particular language deficit. However, functional imaging and some lesion studies indicate that multiple brain regions are likely necessary for any language task. We tested 156 acute stroke patients on basic language tasks (naming and spoken and written word comprehension) and magnetic resonance diffusion and perfusion imaging to determine the relative contributions of various brain regions to each task. Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that the error rate on each task was best predicted by dysfunction in several perisylvian regions, with both common and distinct regions for the 3 tasks.

Phonological processing in relation to reading: An fMRI study in deaf readers

Without special education, early deprivation of auditory speech input, hinders the development of phonological representations and may alter the neural mechanisms of reading. By using fMRI during lexical and rhyming decision tasks, we compared in hearing and pre-lingually deaf subjects the neural activity in functional regions of interest (ROIs) engaged in reading. The results show in deaf readers significantly higher activation in the ROIs relevant to the grapho-phonological route, but also in the posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC) and the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). These adjustments may be interpreted within the dual route model of reading as an alternative strategy, which gives priority to rule-based letter-to-sound conversion. Activation in the right IFG would account for compensation mechanisms based on phonological recoding and inner speech while activation in the posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC) may relate to the cognitive effort called for by the alternative strategy. Our data suggest that the neural mechanisms of reading are shaped by the auditory experience of speech.

Processing Abilities Associated with Phonologic and Orthographic Skills in Adult Learning Disability

Measures of orthographic and phonologic skills were related to co-normed Woodcock Johnson-Revised (WJ-R) cognitive measures in 138 college age, learning problem adults. Only orthographic deficits were associated with a processing disorder (p<.001). Selective processing abilities were associated with phonologic (p<.001, Delta adj R(2)=.053) and orthographic (p<.001, Delta adj R(2)=.047) skills after removal of variance associated with general intelligence. Analyses found common processing abilities across both phonologic and orthographic skills for WJ-R visual processing (-Gv) and short-term memory processing factors (Gsm) (p<.001). Cluster analysis established a phonologic deficit and a double deficit (phonologic and orthographic) group. Discussion relates results to the differences between adult and child reading decoding deficits, the lack of a selective orthographically impaired subtype of dyslexia, and the evidence of visual processing compensation for reading problems.

Processing Abilities Associated with Math Skills in Adult Learning Disability

This study evaluated college adults (N = 138) referred for learning problems using a Cattell-Horn-Carroll based intelligence measure (Woodcock Johnson-Revised: WJ-R) and spatial and executive function neuropsychological measures to determine processing abilities underlying math skills. Auditory and visual perceptual (WJ-R Ga and Gv), long- and short-memory (WJ-R Glr and Gsm), crystallized and fluid intellectual (WJ-R Gc and Gf), and spatial and executive function (Judgment of Line Orientation [JLO] and Category Test) measures differentiated those with and without math deficits. Multiple regression revealed selective processing abilities (Gf, JLO, and Category) predicting about 16% of the variance in math skills after variance associated with general intelligence (also about 16%) was removed. Cluster analysis found evidence for a selective spatial deficit group, a selective executive function deficit group and a double deficit (spatial and executive function) group. Results were discussed in relation to a double deficit hypothesis associated with developmental dyscalculia.

Attention Processes in Children with Movement Difficulties, Reading Difficulties or Both

Reading difficulties (RD) and movement difficulties (MD) co-occur more often in clinical populations than expected for independent disorders. In this study, we investigated the pattern of association between attentional processes, RD and MD in a population of 9 year old school children. Children were screened to identify index groups with RD, MD or both, plus a control group. These groups were then tested on a battery of cognitive attention assessments (TEA-Ch). Results confirmed that the occurrence of RD and MD was greater than would be predicted for independent disorders. Additionally, children with MD, whether or not combined with RD, had poor performance on all attention measures when compared with typically developing children. Children with RD only, were no poorer on measures of attention than typical children. The results are discussed with respect to approaches proposed to account for the co-occurrence of disorders.

Attentional shifting and the role of the dorsal pathway in visual word recognition

A substantial amount of evidence has been collected to propose an exclusive role for the dorsal visual pathway in the control of guided visual search mechanisms, specifically in the preattentive direction of spatial selection [Vidyasagar, T. R. (1999). A neuronal model of attentional spotlight: Parietal guiding the temporal. Brain Research and Reviews, 30, 66-76; Vidyasagar, T. R. (2001). From attentional gating in macaque primary visual cortex to dyslexia in humans. Progress in Brain Research, 134, 297-312]. Moreover, it has been suggested recently that the dorsal visual pathway is specifically involved in the spatial selection and sequencing required for orthographic processing in visual word recognition. In this experiment we manipulate the demands for spatial processing in a word recognition, lexical decision task by presenting target words in a normal spatial configuration, or where the constituent letters of each word are spatially shifted relative to each other. Accurate word recognition in the Shifted-words condition should demand higher spatial encoding requirements, thereby making greater demands on the dorsal visual stream. Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) neuroimaging revealed a high frequency (35-40Hz) right posterior parietal activation consistent with dorsal stream involvement occurring between 100 and 300ms post-stimulus onset, and then again at 200-400ms. Moreover, this signal was stronger in the shifted word condition, compared to the normal word condition. This result provides neurophysiological evidence that the dorsal visual stream may play an important role in visual word recognition and reading. These results further provide a plausible link between early stage theories of reading, and the magnocellular-deficit theory of dyslexia, which characterises many types of reading difficulty.

Connectivity–behavior analysis reveals that functional connectivity between left BA39 and Broca's area varies with reading ability

Correlations between temporal fluctuations in MRI signals may reveal functional connectivity between brain regions within individual subjects. Such correlations would be especially useful indices of functional connectivity if they covary with behavioral performance or other subject variables. This study investigated whether such a relationship could be demonstrated in the context of the reading circuit in the brain. The method proved sufficiently powerful to reveal significant correlations between the reading abilities of subjects and the strength of their functional connection between left Brodmann's area 39 and Broca's area during reading. This suggests that the disconnection of the angular gyrus previously reported for dyslexic readers is part of a larger continuum in which poor (but nonimpaired readers) also show reduced connectivity to the region. In addition, it illustrates the potential power of paradigms that examine correlations between behavior and functional brain connections.

Letter processing in the visual system: different activation patterns for single letters and strings

One would expect that a lifetime of experience recognizing letters would have an important influence on the visual system. Surprisingly, there is limited evidence of a specific neural response to letters over visual control stimuli. We measured brain activation during a sequential matching task using isolated characters (Roman letters, digits, and Chinese characters) and strings of characters. We localized the visual word form area (VWFA) by contrasting the response to pseudowords against that for letter strings, but this region did not show any other sign of visual specialization for letters. In addition, a left fusiform area posterior to the VWFA was selective for letter strings, whereas a more anterior left fusiform region showed selectivity for single letters. The results of different analyses using both large regions of interest and inspections of individual patterns of response reveal a dissociation between selectivity for letter strings and selectivity for single letters. The results suggest that reading experience fine-tunes visual representations at different levels of processing. An important conclusion is that the processing of nonpronounceable letter strings cannot be assumed to be equivalent to single-letter perception.

Neuroscience and education: from research to practice?

Cognitive neuroscience is making rapid strides in areas highly relevant to education. However, there is a gulf between current science and direct classroom applications. Most scientists would argue that filling the gulf is premature. Nevertheless, at present, teachers are at the receiving end of numerous 'brain-based learning' packages. Some of these contain alarming amounts of misinformation, yet such packages are being used in many schools. What, if anything, can neuroscientists do to help good neuroscience into education?

Auditory-visual speech integration by adults with and without language-learning disabilities

Auditory and auditory-visual (AV) speech perception skills were examined in adults with and without language-learning disabilities (LLD). The AV stimuli consisted of congruent consonant-vowel syllables (auditory and visual syllables matched in terms of syllable being produced) and incongruent McGurk syllables (auditory syllable differed from visual syllable). Although the identification of the auditory and congruent AV syllables was comparable for the two groups, the reaction times to identify all syllables were longer in the LLD compared to the control group. This finding is consistent with previous research demonstrating slower processing in learning disabled individuals. Adults with LLD also provided significantly fewer integration-type or McGurk responses compared with their normal peers when presented with speech tokens representing a mismatch between the auditory and visual signal. These results suggest the poor integration for auditory-visual speech previously documented in children with poor language skills also occurs in adults with LLD.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The reader will be able to (1) describe the McGurk effect; (2) describe group differences (language learning disabled and control adults) in auditory and auditory-visual speech perception of consonant-vowel syllables.