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Vandecruys F, Vandermosten M, De Smedt B. The role of formal schooling in the development of children's reading and arithmetic white matter networks. Dev Sci 2024:e13557. [PMID: 39129483 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Children's white matter development is driven by experience, yet it remains poorly understood how it is shaped by attending formal education. A small number of studies compared children before and after the start of formal schooling to understand this, yet they do not allow to separate maturational effects from schooling-related effects. A clever way to (quasi-)experimentally address this issue is the longitudinal school cut-off design, which compares children who are similar in age but differ in schooling (because they are born right before or after the cut-off date for school entry). We used for the first time such a longitudinal school cut-off design to experimentally investigate the effect of schooling on children's white matter networks. We compared "young" first graders (schooling group, n = 34; Mage = 68 months; 20 girls) and "old" preschoolers (non-schooling group, n = 33; Mage = 66 months; 18 girls) that were similar in age but differed in the amount of formal instruction they received. Our study revealed that changes in fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity in five a priori selected white matter tracts during the transition from preschool to primary school were predominantly driven by age-related maturation. We did not find specific schooling effects on white matter, despite their strong presence for early reading and early arithmetic skills. The present study is the first to disentangle the effects of age-related maturation and schooling on white matter within a longitudinal cohort of 5-year-old preschoolers. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: White matter tracts that have been associated with reading and arithmetic may be susceptible to experience-dependent neuroplasticity when children learn to read and calculate. This longitudinal study used the school cut-off design to isolate schooling-induced from coinciding maturational influences on children's white matter development. White matter changes during the transition from preschool to primary school are predominantly driven by age-related maturation and not by schooling effects. Strong effects of schooling on behavior were shown for early reading and early arithmetic, but not for verbal ability and spatial ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floor Vandecruys
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Experimental ORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert De Smedt
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium
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Horowitz-Kraus T, Dudley J, Rosch K, Fotang J, Farah R. Localized alterations in cortical thickness and sulcal depth of the cingulo-opercular network in relation to lower reading fluency skills in children with dyslexia. Brain Res 2024; 1834:148891. [PMID: 38554796 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148891] [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: 09/09/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
The traditional models of reading development describe how language processing and word decoding contribute to reading comprehension and how impairments in word decoding, a defining feature of dyslexia, affect reading comprehension outcomes. However, these models do not include word and sentence reading (contextual reading) fluency, both of which engage executive functions, with notably decreased performance in children with dyslexia. In the current study, we compared cortical thickness and sulcal depth (CT/SD) in the cingulo-opercular (CO) executive functions brain network in children with dyslexia and typical readers and examined associations with word vs. contextual reading fluency. Overall, CT was lower in insular regions and higher in parietal and caudal anterior cingulate cortex regions in children with dyslexia. Children with dyslexia showed positive correlations between word reading fluency and CT/SD in insular regions, whereas no significant correlations were observed in typical readers. For sentence reading fluency, negative correlations with CT/SD were found in insular regions in children with dyslexia, while positive correlations with SD were found in insular regions in typical readers. These results demonstrate the differential relations between word and sentence reading fluency and anatomical circuitry supporting executive functions in children with dyslexia vs. typical readers. It also suggests that word and sentence reading fluency, relate to morphology of executive function-related regions in children with dyslexia, whereas in typical readers, only sentence reading fluency relates to morphology of executive function regions. The results also highlight the role of the insula within the CO network in reading fluency. Here we suggest that word and sentence reading fluency are distinct components of reading that should each be included in the Simple View of Reading traditional model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion; Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion; Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Jonathan Dudley
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, OH, USA
| | - Keri Rosch
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion; Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion
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Economou M, Vanden Bempt F, Van Herck S, Glatz T, Wouters J, Ghesquière P, Vanderauwera J, Vandermosten M. Cortical Structure in Pre-Readers at Cognitive Risk for Dyslexia: Baseline Differences and Response to Intervention. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2024; 5:264-287. [PMID: 38832361 PMCID: PMC11093402 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00122] [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: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Early childhood is a critical period for structural brain development as well as an important window for the identification and remediation of reading difficulties. Recent research supports the implementation of interventions in at-risk populations as early as kindergarten or first grade, yet the neurocognitive mechanisms following such interventions remain understudied. To address this, we investigated cortical structure by means of anatomical MRI before and after a 12-week tablet-based intervention in: (1) at-risk children receiving phonics-based training (n = 29; n = 16 complete pre-post datasets), (2) at-risk children engaging with AC training (n = 24; n = 15 complete pre-post datasets) and (3) typically developing children (n = 25; n = 14 complete pre-post datasets) receiving no intervention. At baseline, we found higher surface area of the right supramarginal gyrus in at-risk children compared to typically developing peers, extending previous evidence that early anatomical differences exist in children who may later develop dyslexia. Our longitudinal analysis revealed significant post-intervention thickening of the left supramarginal gyrus, present exclusively in the intervention group but not the active control or typical control groups. Altogether, this study contributes new knowledge to our understanding of the brain morphology associated with cognitive risk for dyslexia and response to early intervention, which in turn raises new questions on how early anatomy and plasticity may shape the trajectories of long-term literacy development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Toivo Glatz
- Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Martins B, Baba MY, Dimateo EM, Costa LF, Camara AS, Lukasova K, Nucci MP. Investigating Dyslexia through Diffusion Tensor Imaging across Ages: A Systematic Review. Brain Sci 2024; 14:349. [PMID: 38672001 PMCID: PMC11047980 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14040349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that presents a deficit in accuracy and/or fluency while reading or spelling that is not expected given the level of cognitive functioning. Research indicates brain structural changes mainly in the left hemisphere, comprising arcuate fasciculus (AF) and corona radiata (CR). The purpose of this systematic review is to better understand the possible methods for analyzing Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) data while accounting for the characteristics of dyslexia in the last decade of the literature. Among 124 articles screened from PubMed and Scopus, 49 met inclusion criteria, focusing on dyslexia without neurological or psychiatric comorbidities. Article selection involved paired evaluation, with a third reviewer resolving discrepancies. The selected articles were analyzed using two topics: (1) a demographic and cognitive assessment of the sample and (2) DTI acquisition and analysis. Predominantly, studies centered on English-speaking children with reading difficulties, with preserved non-verbal intelligence, attention, and memory, and deficits in reading tests, rapid automatic naming, and phonological awareness. Structural differences were found mainly in the left AF in all ages and in the bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus for readers-children and adults. A better understanding of structural brain changes of dyslexia and neuroadaptations can be a guide for future interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce Martins
- Laboratório de Investigação Médica em Neurorradiologia—LIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (M.Y.B.); (E.M.D.)
| | - Mariana Yumi Baba
- Laboratório de Investigação Médica em Neurorradiologia—LIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (M.Y.B.); (E.M.D.)
| | - Elisa Monteiro Dimateo
- Laboratório de Investigação Médica em Neurorradiologia—LIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (M.Y.B.); (E.M.D.)
| | - Leticia Fruchi Costa
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André 09210-580, Brazil; (L.F.C.); (A.S.C.); (K.L.)
| | - Aila Silveira Camara
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André 09210-580, Brazil; (L.F.C.); (A.S.C.); (K.L.)
| | - Katerina Lukasova
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André 09210-580, Brazil; (L.F.C.); (A.S.C.); (K.L.)
| | - Mariana Penteado Nucci
- Laboratório de Investigação Médica em Neurorradiologia—LIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (M.Y.B.); (E.M.D.)
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Meisler SL, Gabrieli JDE, Christodoulou JA. White matter microstructural plasticity associated with educational intervention in reading disability. IMAGING NEUROSCIENCE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2024; 2:10.1162/imag_a_00108. [PMID: 38974814 PMCID: PMC11225775 DOI: 10.1162/imag_a_00108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
Children's reading progress typically slows during extended breaks in formal education, such as summer vacations. This stagnation can be especially concerning for children with reading difficulties or disabilities, such as dyslexia, because of the potential to exacerbate the skills gap between them and their peers. Reading interventions can prevent skill loss and even lead to appreciable gains in reading ability during the summer. Longitudinal studies relating intervention response to brain changes can reveal educationally relevant insights into rapid learning-driven brain plasticity. The current work focused on reading outcomes and white matter connections, which enable communication among the brain regions required for proficient reading. We collected reading scores and diffusion-weighted images at the beginning and end of summer for 41 children with reading difficulties who had completed either 1st or 2nd grade. Children were randomly assigned to either receive an intensive reading intervention (n = 26; Seeing Stars from Lindamood-Bell which emphasizes orthographic fluency) or be deferred to a wait-list group (n = 15), enabling us to analyze how white matter properties varied across a wide spectrum of skill development and regression trajectories. On average, the intervention group had larger gains in reading compared to the non-intervention group, who declined in reading scores. Improvements on a proximal measure of orthographic processing (but not other more distal reading measures) were associated with decreases in mean diffusivity within core reading brain circuitry (left arcuate fasciculus and left inferior longitudinal fasciculus) and increases in fractional anisotropy in the left corticospinal tract. Our findings suggest that responses to intensive reading instruction are related predominantly to white matter plasticity in tracts most associated with reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven L. Meisler
- Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - John D. E. Gabrieli
- Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Joanna A. Christodoulou
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Charlestown, MA, United States
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Langensee L, Spotorno N, Mårtensson J. Beyond the language network: Associations between reading, receptive vocabulary, and grey matter volume in 10-year-olds. Neuropsychologia 2023; 191:108719. [PMID: 37939873 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Most research on the neurostructural basis of language abilities in children stems from small samples and surface-based measures. To complement and expand the existent knowledge, we investigated associations between grey matter volume and language performance in a large sample of 9-to-11-year-old children, using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (N = 1865) and an alternative measure of grey matter morphology. We estimated whole-brain grey matter volume for one half of the sample (N = 939) and tested for correlations with scores on a picture vocabulary and a letter and word reading test, with and without factoring in general intelligence and total grey matter volume as additional covariates. The initial analyses yielded correlations between grey matter in the right occipital fusiform gyrus, the right lingual gyrus, and the cerebellum for both vocabulary and reading. Employing the significant clusters from the first analyses as regions of interest in the second half of the cohort (N = 926) in correlational and multiple regression analyses suggests the cluster in the right occipital fusiform and lingual gyri to be most robust. Overall, the amount of variance explained by grey matter volume is limited and factoring in additional covariates paints an inconsistent picture. The present findings reinforce existent doubt with respect to explaining individual differences in reading and vocabulary performance based on unique contributions of macrostructural brain features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Langensee
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Nicola Spotorno
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Meisler SL, Gabrieli JDE. Fiber-specific structural properties relate to reading skills in children and adolescents. eLife 2022; 11:e82088. [PMID: 36576253 PMCID: PMC9815823 DOI: 10.7554/elife.82088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that the cross-sectional relationship between reading skills and white matter microstructure, as indexed by fractional anisotropy, is not as robust as previously thought. Fixel-based analyses yield fiber-specific micro- and macrostructural measures, overcoming several shortcomings of the traditional diffusion tensor model. We ran a whole-brain analysis investigating whether the product of fiber density and cross-section (FDC) related to single-word reading skills in a large, open, quality-controlled dataset of 983 children and adolescents ages 6-18. We also compared FDC between participants with (n = 102) and without (n = 570) reading disabilities. We found that FDC positively related to reading skills throughout the brain, especially in left temporoparietal and cerebellar white matter, but did not differ between reading proficiency groups. Exploratory analyses revealed that among metrics from other diffusion models - diffusion tensor imaging, diffusion kurtosis imaging, and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging - only the orientation dispersion and neurite density indexes from NODDI were associated (inversely) with reading skills. The present findings further support the importance of left-hemisphere dorsal temporoparietal white matter tracts in reading. Additionally, these results suggest that future DWI studies of reading and dyslexia should be designed to benefit from advanced diffusion models, include cerebellar coverage, and consider continuous analyses that account for individual differences in reading skill.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Lee Meisler
- Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
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OUP accepted manuscript. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:4684-4697. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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