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Tang X, Turesky TK, Escalante ES, Loh MY, Xia M, Yu X, Gaab N. Longitudinal associations between language network characteristics in the infant brain and school-age reading abilities are mediated by early-developing phonological skills. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 68:101405. [PMID: 38875769 PMCID: PMC11225703 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101405] [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: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Reading acquisition is a prolonged learning process relying on language development starting in utero. Behavioral longitudinal studies reveal prospective associations between infant language abilities and preschool/kindergarten phonological development that relates to subsequent reading performance. While recent pediatric neuroimaging work has begun to characterize the neural network underlying language development in infants, how this neural network scaffolds long-term language and reading acquisition remains unknown. We addressed this question in a 7-year longitudinal study from infancy to school-age. Seventy-six infants completed resting-state fMRI scanning, and underwent standardized language assessments in kindergarten. Of this larger cohort, forty-one were further assessed on their emergent word reading abilities after receiving formal reading instructions. Hierarchical clustering analyses identified a modular infant language network in which functional connectivity (FC) of the inferior frontal module prospectively correlated with kindergarten-age phonological skills and emergent word reading abilities. These correlations were obtained when controlling for infant age at scan, nonverbal IQ and parental education. Furthermore, kindergarten-age phonological skills mediated the relationship between infant FC and school-age reading abilities, implying a critical mid-way milestone for long-term reading development from infancy. Overall, our findings illuminate the neurobiological mechanisms by which infant language capacities could scaffold long-term reading acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ted K Turesky
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Elizabeth S Escalante
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
| | - Megan Yf Loh
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Mingrui Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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2
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Beck J, Chyl K, Dębska A, Łuniewska M, van Atteveldt N, Jednoróg K. Letter-speech sound integration in typical reading development during the first years of formal education. Child Dev 2024; 95:e236-e252. [PMID: 38396333 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.14080] [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: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
This study investigated the neural basis of letter and speech sound (LS) integration in 53 typical readers (35 girls, all White) during the first 2 years of reading education (ages 7-9). Changes in both sensory (multisensory vs unisensory) and linguistic (congruent vs incongruent) aspects of LS integration were examined. The left superior temporal cortex and bilateral inferior frontal cortex showed increasing activation for multisensory over unisensory LS over time, driven by reduced activation to speech sounds. No changes were noted in the congruency effect. However, at age nine, heightened activation to incongruent over congruent LS pairs were observed, correlating with individual differences in reading development. This suggests that the incongruency effect evolves at varying rates depending on reading skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Beck
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
- Bioimaging Research Center, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Warsaw, Poland, Kajetany, Mazovia, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Chyl
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
- Educational Research Institute, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Dębska
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
| | - Magdalena Łuniewska
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Nienke van Atteveldt
- Department of Clinical Developmental Psychology & Institute LEARN!, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Katarzyna Jednoróg
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
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3
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Turesky TK, Escalante E, Loh M, Gaab N. Longitudinal trajectories of brain development from infancy to school age and their relationship to literacy development. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.29.601366. [PMID: 39005343 PMCID: PMC11244924 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.29.601366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Reading is one of the most complex skills that we utilize daily, and it involves the early development and interaction of various lower-level subskills, including phonological processing and oral language. These subskills recruit brain structures, which begin to develop long before the skill manifests and exhibit rapid development during infancy. However, how longitudinal trajectories of early brain development in these structures supports long-term acquisition of literacy subskills and subsequent reading is unclear. Children underwent structural and diffusion MRI scanning at multiple timepoints between infancy and second grade and were tested for literacy subskills in preschool and decoding and word reading in early elementary school. We developed and implemented a reproducible pipeline to generate longitudinal trajectories of early brain development to examine associations between these trajectories and literacy (sub)skills. Furthermore, we examined whether familial risk of reading difficulty and a child's home literacy environment, two common literacy-related covariates, influenced those trajectories. Results showed that individual differences in curve features (e.g., intercepts and slopes) for longitudinal trajectories of volumetric, surface-based, and white matter organization measures in left-hemispheric reading-related regions and tracts were linked directly to phonological processing and indirectly to second-grade decoding and word reading skills via phonological processing. Altogether, these findings suggest that the brain bases of phonological processing, previously identified as the strongest behavioral predictor of reading and decoding skills, may already begin to develop early in infancy but undergo further refinement between birth and preschool. The present study underscores the importance of considering academic skill acquisition from the very beginning of life.
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4
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Gupta G, Arrington CN, Morris R. Sex Differences in White Matter Diffusivity in Children with Developmental Dyslexia. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 11:721. [PMID: 38929300 PMCID: PMC11201584 DOI: 10.3390/children11060721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Despite the high prevalence of developmental dyslexia in the U.S. population, research remains limited and possibly biased due to the overrepresentation of males in most dyslexic samples. Studying biological sex differences in the context of developmental dyslexia can help provide a more complete understanding of the neurological markers that underly this disorder. The current study aimed to explore sex differences in white matter diffusivity in typical and dyslexic samples in third and fourth graders. Participants were asked to complete behavioral/cognitive assessments at baseline followed by MRI scanning and diffusion-weighted imaging sequences. A series of ANOVAs were conducted for comparing group membership (developmental dyslexia or typically developing), gender status (F/M), and white matter diffusivity in the tracts of interest. The Results indicated significant differences in fractional anisotropy in the left hemisphere components of the inferior and superior (parietal and temporal) longitudinal fasciculi. While males with dyslexia had lower fractional anisotropy in these tracts compared to control males, no such differences were found in females. The results of the current study may suggest that females may use a more bilateral/alternative reading network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gehna Gupta
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA;
- Georgia State/Georgia Tech Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, Atlanta, GA 30318, USA;
| | - C. Nikki Arrington
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA;
- Georgia State/Georgia Tech Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, Atlanta, GA 30318, USA;
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
- Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Robin Morris
- Georgia State/Georgia Tech Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, Atlanta, GA 30318, USA;
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
- Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
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5
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Tang X, Turesky TK, Escalante ES, Loh MY, Xia M, Yu X, Gaab N. Longitudinal associations between language network characteristics in the infant brain and school-age reading abilities are mediated by early-developing phonological skills. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.06.22.546194. [PMID: 38895379 PMCID: PMC11185523 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.22.546194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Reading acquisition is a prolonged learning process relying on language development starting in utero. Behavioral longitudinal studies reveal prospective associations between infant language abilities and preschool/kindergarten phonological development that relates to subsequent reading performance. While recent pediatric neuroimaging work has begun to characterize the neural network underlying language development in infants, how this neural network scaffolds long-term language and reading acquisition remains unknown. We addressed this question in a 7-year longitudinal study from infancy to school-age. Seventy-six infants completed resting-state fMRI scanning, and underwent standardized language assessments in kindergarten. Of this larger cohort, forty-one were further assessed on their emergent word reading abilities after receiving formal reading instructions. Hierarchical clustering analyses identified a modular infant language network in which functional connectivity (FC) of the inferior frontal module prospectively correlated with kindergarten-age phonological skills and emergent word reading abilities. These correlations were obtained when controlling for infant age at scan, nonverbal IQ and parental education. Furthermore, kindergarten-age phonological skills mediated the relationship between infant FC and school-age reading abilities, implying a critical mid-way milestone for long-term reading development from infancy. Overall, our findings illuminate the neurobiological mechanisms by which infant language capacities could scaffold long-term reading acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China, 100875
| | - Ted K. Turesky
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, 02138
| | - Elizabeth S. Escalante
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, 02138
| | - Megan Yf Loh
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, 02138
| | - Mingrui Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China, 100875
| | - Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China, 100875
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, 02138
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6
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Kou JW, Fan LY, Chen HC, Chen SY, Hu X, Zhang K, Kovelman I, Chou TL. Neural substrates of L2-L1 transfer effects on phonological awareness in young Chinese-English bilingual children. Neuroimage 2024; 291:120592. [PMID: 38548037 PMCID: PMC11032115 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The growing trend of bilingual education between Chinese and English has contributed to a rise in the number of early bilingual children, who were exposed to L2 prior to formal language instruction of L1. The L2-L1 transfer effect in an L1-dominant environment has been well established. However, the threshold of L2 proficiency at which such transfer manifests remains unclear. This study investigated the behavioral and neural processes involved when manipulating phonemes in an auditory phonological task to uncover the transfer effect in young bilingual children. Sixty-two first graders from elementary schools in Taiwan were recruited in this study (29 Chinese monolinguals, 33 Chinese-English bilinguals). The brain activity was measured using fNIRS (functional near-infrared spectroscopy). Bilingual children showed right lateralization to process Chinese and left lateralization to process English, which supports more on the accommodation effect within the framework of the assimilation-accommodation hypothesis. Also, compared to monolinguals, bilingual children showed more bilateral frontal activation in Chinese, potentially reflecting a mixed influence from L2-L1 transfer effects and increased cognitive load of bilingual exposure. These results elucidate the developmental adjustments in the neural substrates associated with early bilingual exposure in phonological processing, offering valuable insights into the bilingual learning process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Wei Kou
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Li-Ying Fan
- Department of Education, National Taipei University of Education, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Chin Chen
- Department of Psychology, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Shiou-Yuan Chen
- Department of Early Childhood Education, University of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Xiaosu Hu
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Kehui Zhang
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ioulia Kovelman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Tai-Li Chou
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Perkins SC, Shaun Ho S, Evans GW, Liberzon I, Gopang M, Swain JE. Language processing following childhood poverty: Evidence for disrupted neural networks. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2024; 252:105414. [PMID: 38640643 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Childhood poverty is related to deficits in multiple cognitive domains including adult language function. It is unknown if the brain basis of language is disrupted in adults with childhood poverty backgrounds, controlling for current functioning. Fifty-one adults (age 24) from an existing longitudinal study of childhood poverty, beginning at age 9, were examined on behavioral phonological awareness (LP) and completed an event-related fMRI speech/print processing LP task. Adults from childhood poverty backgrounds exhibited lower LP in adulthood. The middle-income group exhibited greater activation of the bilateral IFG and hippocampus during language processing. In psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses, the childhood poverty group exhibited greater coupling between ventral Broca's and the middle temporal gyrus (MTG) as well as coupling between Wernicke's region and bilateralization. Childhood poverty disrupts language processing neural networks in adulthood, after controlling for LP, suggesting that poverty in childhood influences the neurophysiological basis for language processing into adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne C Perkins
- Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, United States.
| | - S Shaun Ho
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8434, United States
| | - Gary W Evans
- Departments of Human Centered Design and Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-4401, United States
| | - Israel Liberzon
- Department of Psychiatry, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX 77802, United States
| | - Meroona Gopang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8434, United States; Program in Public Health, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8434, United States
| | - James E Swain
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8434, United States; Psychology, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Medicine, Program in Public Health, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8434, United States
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8
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Ghasoub M, Perdue M, Long X, Donnici C, Dewey D, Lebel C. Structural neural connectivity correlates with pre-reading abilities in preschool children. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 65:101332. [PMID: 38171053 PMCID: PMC10793080 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101332] [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: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Pre-reading abilities are predictive of later reading ability and can be assessed before reading begins. However, the neural correlates of pre-reading abilities in young children are not fully understood. To address this, we examined 246 datasets collected in an accelerated longitudinal design from 81 children aged 2-6 years (age = 4.6 ± 0.98 years, 47 males). Children completed pre-reading assessments (NEPSY-II Phonological Processing and Speeded Naming) and underwent a diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to assess white matter connectivity. We defined a core neural network of reading and language regions based on prior literature, and structural connections within this network were assessed using graph theory analysis. Linear mixed models accounting for repeated measures were used to test associations between children's pre-reading performance and graph theory measures for the whole bilateral reading network and each hemisphere separately. Phonological Processing scores were positively associated with global efficiency, local efficiency, and clustering coefficient in the bilateral and right hemisphere networks, as well as local efficiency and clustering coefficient in the left hemisphere network. Our findings provide further evidence that structural neural correlates of Phonological Processing emerge in early childhood, before and during early reading instruction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Ghasoub
- Cumming School of Medicine, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Canada
| | - Meaghan Perdue
- Cumming School of Medicine, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Canada; Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Canada
| | - Xiangyu Long
- Cumming School of Medicine, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Canada; Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Canada
| | | | - Deborah Dewey
- Cumming School of Medicine, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Canada; Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Canada
| | - Catherine Lebel
- Cumming School of Medicine, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Canada; Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Canada.
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9
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Marks RA, Eggleston R, Kovelman I. Brain bases of morphological awareness and longitudinal word reading outcomes. J Exp Child Psychol 2024; 238:105802. [PMID: 37924662 PMCID: PMC10918614 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
Children's spoken language skills are essential to the development of the "reading brain," or the neurocognitive systems that underlie successful literacy. Morphological awareness, or sensitivity to the smallest units of meaning, is a language skill that facilitates fluent recognition of meaning in print. Yet despite the growing evidence that morphology is integral to literacy success, associations among morphological awareness, literacy acquisition, and brain development remain largely unexplored. To address this gap, we conducted a longitudinal investigation with 75 elementary school children (5-11 years of age) who completed an auditory morphological awareness neuroimaging task at Time 1 as well as literacy assessments at both Time 1 and Time 2 (1.5 years later). Findings reveal longitudinal brain-behavior associations between morphological processing at Time 1 and reading outcomes at Time 2. First, activation in superior temporal brain regions involved in word segmentation was associated with both future reading skill and steeper reading gains over time. Second, a wider array of brain regions across the language network were associated with polymorphemic word reading as compared with broader word reading skill (reading both simple and complex words). Together, these findings reinforce the importance of word segmentation skills in learning to read and highlight the importance of considering complex word reading skills in building comprehensive neurocognitive models of literacy. This study fills a gap in our knowledge of how processing meaningful units in speech may help to explain differences in children's reading development over time and informs ongoing theoretical questions about the role of morphology in learning to read.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A Marks
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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10
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Dziȩgiel-Fivet G, Beck J, Jednoróg K. The role of the left ventral occipitotemporal cortex in speech processing-The influence of visual deprivation. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1228808. [PMID: 38125712 PMCID: PMC10730934 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1228808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of the left ventral occipitotemporal cortex (vOT) in reading is well-established in both sighted and blind readers. Its role in speech processing remains only partially understood. Here, we test the involvement of the left vOT in phonological processing of spoken language in the blind (N = 50, age: 6.76-60.32) and in the sighted (N = 54, age: 6.79-59.83) by means of whole-brain and region-of-interest (including individually identified) fMRI analyses. We confirm that the left vOT is sensitive to phonological processing (shows greater involvement in rhyming compared to control spoken language task) in both blind and sighted participants. However, in the sighted, the activation was observed only during the rhyming task and in the speech-specific region of the left vOT, pointing to task and modality specificity. In contrast, in the blind group, the left vOT was active during speech processing irrespective of task and in both speech and reading-specific vOT regions. Only in the blind, the left vOT presented a higher degree of sensitivity to phonological processing than other language nodes in the left inferior frontal and superior temporal cortex. Our results suggest a changed development of the left vOT sensitivity to spoken language, resulting from visual deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Dziȩgiel-Fivet
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Katarzyna Jednoróg
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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11
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Di Pietro SV, Karipidis II, Pleisch G, Brem S. Neurodevelopmental trajectories of letter and speech sound processing from preschool to the end of elementary school. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 61:101255. [PMID: 37196374 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Learning to read alphabetic languages starts with learning letter-speech-sound associations. How this process changes brain function during development is still largely unknown. We followed 102 children with varying reading skills in a mixed-longitudinal/cross-sectional design from the prereading stage to the end of elementary school over five time points (n = 46 with two and more time points, of which n = 16 fully-longitudinal) to investigate the neural trajectories of letter and speech sound processing using fMRI. Children were presented with letters and speech sounds visually, auditorily, and audiovisually in kindergarten (6.7yo), at the middle (7.3yo) and end of first grade (7.6yo), and in second (8.4yo) and fifth grades (11.5yo). Activation of the ventral occipitotemporal cortex for visual and audiovisual processing followed a complex trajectory, with two peaks in first and fifth grades. The superior temporal gyrus (STG) showed an inverted U-shaped trajectory for audiovisual letter processing, a development that in poor readers was attenuated in middle STG and absent in posterior STG. Finally, the trajectories for letter-speech-sound integration were modulated by reading skills and showed differing directionality in the congruency effect depending on the time point. This unprecedented study captures the development of letter processing across elementary school and its neural trajectories in children with varying reading skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- S V Di Pietro
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland; URPP Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - I I Karipidis
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - G Pleisch
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - S Brem
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland; URPP Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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12
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Sun X, Marks RA, Eggleston RL, Zhang K, Yu CL, Nickerson N, Caruso V, Chou TL, Hu XS, Tardif T, Booth JR, Beltz AM, Kovelman I. Sources of Heterogeneity in Functional Connectivity During English Word Processing in Bilingual and Monolingual Children. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2023; 4:198-220. [PMID: 37229508 PMCID: PMC10205148 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00092] [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: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Diversity and variation in language experiences, such as bilingualism, contribute to heterogeneity in children's neural organization for language and brain development. To uncover sources of such heterogeneity in children's neural language networks, the present study examined the effects of bilingual proficiency on children's neural organization for language function. To do so, we took an innovative person-specific analytical approach to investigate young Chinese-English and Spanish-English bilingual learners of structurally distinct languages. Bilingual and English monolingual children (N = 152, M(SD)age = 7.71(1.32)) completed an English word recognition task during functional near-infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging, along with language and literacy tasks in each of their languages. Two key findings emerged. First, bilinguals' heritage language proficiency (Chinese or Spanish) made a unique contribution to children's language network density. Second, the findings reveal common and unique patterns in children's patterns of task-related functional connectivity. Common across all participants were short-distance neural connections within left hemisphere regions associated with semantic processes (within middle temporal and frontal regions). Unique to more proficient language users were additional long-distance connections between frontal, temporal, and bilateral regions within the broader language network. The study informs neurodevelopmental theories of language by revealing the effects of heterogeneity in language proficiency and experiences on the structure and quality of emerging language neural networks in linguistically diverse learners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Sun
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Rebecca A. Marks
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Kehui Zhang
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Chi-Lin Yu
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Nia Nickerson
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Valeria Caruso
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Tai-Li Chou
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Xiao-Su Hu
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Twila Tardif
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - James R. Booth
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Adriene M. Beltz
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ioulia Kovelman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Di Pietro SV, Willinger D, Frei N, Lutz C, Coraj S, Schneider C, Stämpfli P, Brem S. Disentangling influences of dyslexia, development, and reading experience on effective brain connectivity in children. Neuroimage 2023; 268:119869. [PMID: 36639004 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.119869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Altered brain connectivity between regions of the reading network has been associated with reading difficulties. However, it remains unclear whether connectivity differences between children with dyslexia (DYS) and those with typical reading skills (TR) are specific to reading impairments or to reading experience. In this functional MRI study, 132 children (M = 10.06 y, SD = 1.46) performed a phonological lexical decision task. We aimed to disentangle (1) disorder-specific from (2) experience-related differences in effective connectivity and to (3) characterize the development of DYS and TR. We applied dynamic causal modeling to age-matched (ndys = 25, nTR = 35) and reading-level-matched (ndys = 25, nTR = 22) groups. Developmental effects were assessed in beginning and advanced readers (TR: nbeg = 48, nadv = 35, DYS: nbeg = 24, nadv = 25). We show that altered feedback connectivity between the inferior parietal lobule and the visual word form area (VWFA) during print processing can be specifically attributed to reading impairments, because these alterations were found in DYS compared to both the age-matched and reading-level-matched TR. In contrast, feedforward connectivity from the VWFA to parietal and frontal regions characterized experience in TR and increased with age and reading skill. These directed connectivity findings pinpoint disorder-specific and experience-dependent alterations in the brain's reading network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah V Di Pietro
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland; URPP Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - David Willinger
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Psychology and Psychodynamics, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Nada Frei
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christina Lutz
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Seline Coraj
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Chiara Schneider
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Stämpfli
- 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
| | - Silvia Brem
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland; URPP Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University of 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.
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14
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Mrakotsky C, Williams TS, Shapiro KA, Westmacott R. Rehabilitation in Pediatric Stroke: Cognition and Behavior. Semin Pediatr Neurol 2022; 44:100998. [PMID: 36456041 DOI: 10.1016/j.spen.2022.100998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Pediatric stroke is associated with a range of maladaptive cognitive and behavioral outcomes that often require targeted intervention. Despite increasing research on neuropsychological outcomes over the past decade, evidence for effective therapies and interventions for the most commonly reported cognitive and behavioral challenges is still limited. The most widely prescribed interventions address more overt deficits in sensorimotor and speech/language functions, yet interventions for higher-order cognitive, linguistic and behavioral deficits are notably less defined. Moreover, concepts of rehabilitation in adult stroke cannot be easily translated directly to pediatric populations because the effect of stroke and recovery in the developing brain takes a very different course than in the mature brain. In pediatric stroke, neuropsychological deficits often emerge gradually over time necessitating a long-term approach to intervention. Furthermore, family and school context often play a much larger role. The goal of this review is to describe cognitive and behavioral interventions for perinatal and childhood stroke, as motor rehabilitation is covered elsewhere in this issue. We also discuss cognitive aspects of current rehabilitative therapies and technology. Acknowledging the current limited state of stroke-specific rehabilitation research in children, findings from pediatric acquired brain injury intervention and use of transdiagnostic approaches lend important insights. Because there is limited support for single domain (cognitive) trainings and translation of research rehabilitation programs to clinical practice can be challenging, the value of holistic multidisciplinary approaches to improve everyday function in children and adolescents following stroke is emphasized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Mrakotsky
- Departments of Neurology & Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
| | - Tricia S Williams
- Department of Psychology, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kevin A Shapiro
- Cortica Healthcare, Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Robyn Westmacott
- Department of Psychology, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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15
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Weiss Y, Huber E, Ferjan Ramírez N, Corrigan NM, Yarnykh VL, Kuhl PK. Language input in late infancy scaffolds emergent literacy skills and predicts reading related white matter development. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:922552. [PMID: 36457757 PMCID: PMC9705348 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.922552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Longitudinal studies provide the unique opportunity to test whether early language provides a scaffolding for the acquisition of the ability to read. This study tests the hypothesis that parental language input during the first 2 years of life predicts emergent literacy skills at 5 years of age, and that white matter development observed early in the 3rd year (at 26 months) may help to account for these effects. We collected naturalistic recordings of parent and child language at 6, 10, 14, 18, and 24 months using the Language ENvironment Analysis system (LENA) in a group of typically developing infants. We then examined the relationship between language measures during infancy and follow-up measures of reading related skills at age 5 years, in the same group of participants (N = 53). A subset of these children also completed diffusion and quantitative MRI scans at age 2 years (N = 20). Within this subgroup, diffusion tractography was used to identify white matter pathways that are considered critical to language and reading development, namely, the arcuate fasciculus (AF), superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculi, and inferior occipital-frontal fasciculus. Quantitative macromolecular proton fraction (MPF) mapping was used to characterize myelin density within these separately defined regions of interest. The longitudinal data were then used to test correlations between early language input and output, white matter measures at age 2 years, and pre-literacy skills at age 5 years. Parental language input, child speech output, and parent-child conversational turns correlated with pre-literacy skills, as well as myelin density estimates within the left arcuate and superior longitudinal fasciculus. Mediation analyses indicated that the left AF accounted for longitudinal relationships between infant home language measures and 5-year letter identification and letter-sound knowledge, suggesting that the left AF myelination at 2 years may serve as a mechanism by which early language experience supports emergent literacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yael Weiss
- Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Elizabeth Huber
- Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Naja Ferjan Ramírez
- Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Linguistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Neva M. Corrigan
- Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Vasily L. Yarnykh
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Patricia K. Kuhl
- Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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16
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Wagley N, Booth JR. Neural pathways of phonological and semantic processing and its relations to children's reading skills. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:984328. [PMID: 36312011 PMCID: PMC9597189 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.984328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral research shows that children's phonological ability is strongly associated with better word reading skills, whereas semantic knowledge is strongly related to better reading comprehension. However, most neuroscience research has investigated how brain activation during phonological and semantic processing is related to word reading skill. This study examines if connectivity during phonological processing in the dorsal inferior frontal gyrus (dIFG) to posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) pathway is related to word reading skill, whereas connectivity during semantic processing in the ventral inferior frontal gyrus (vIFG) to posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG) pathway is related to reading comprehension skill. We used behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from a publicly accessible dataset on OpenNeuro.org. The research hypotheses and analytical plan were pre-registered on the Open Science Framework. Forty-six children ages 8-15 years old were included in the final analyses. Participants completed an in-scanner reading task tapping into phonology (i.e., word rhyming) and semantics (i.e., word meaning) as well as standardized measures of word reading and reading comprehension skill. In a series of registered and exploratory analyses, we correlated connectivity coefficients from generalized psychophysiological interactions (gPPI) with behavioral measures and used z-scores to test the equality of two correlation coefficients. Results from the preregistered and exploratory analyses indicated weak evidence that functional connectivity of dIFG to pSTG during phonological processing is positively correlated with better word reading skill, but no evidence that connectivity in the vIFG-pMTG pathway during semantic processing is related to better reading comprehension skill. Moreover, there was no evidence to support the differentiation between the dorsal pathway's relation to word reading and the ventral pathway's relation to reading comprehension skills. Our finding suggesting the importance of phonological processing to word reading is in line with prior behavioral and neurodevelopmental models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neelima Wagley
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
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17
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Yu X, Ferradal S, Dunstan J, Carruthers C, Sanfilippo J, Zuk J, Zöllei L, Gagoski B, Ou Y, Grant PE, Gaab N. Patterns of Neural Functional Connectivity in Infants at Familial Risk of Developmental Dyslexia. JAMA Netw Open 2022; 5:e2236102. [PMID: 36301547 PMCID: PMC9614583 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.36102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Importance Developmental dyslexia is a heritable learning disability affecting 7% to 10% of the general population and can have detrimental impacts on mental health and vocational potential. Individuals with dyslexia show altered functional organization of the language and reading neural networks; however, it remains unknown how early in life these neural network alterations might emerge. Objective To determine whether the early emergence of large-scale neural functional connectivity (FC) underlying long-term language and reading development is altered in infants with a familial history of dyslexia (FHD). Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study included infants recruited at Boston Children's Hospital between May 2011 and February 2019. Participants underwent structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in the Department of Radiology at Boston Children's Hospital. Infants with FHD were matched with infants without FHD based on age and sex. Data were analyzed from April 2019 to June 2021. Exposures FHD was defined as having at least 1 first-degree relative with a dyslexia diagnosis or documented reading difficulties. Main Outcomes and Measures Whole-brain FC patterns associated with 20 predefined cerebral regions important for long-term language and reading development were computed for each infant. Multivariate pattern analyses were applied to identify specific FC patterns that differentiated between infants with vs without FHD. For classification performance estimates, 99% CIs were calculated as the classification accuracy minus chance level. Results A total of 98 infants (mean [SD] age, 8.5 [2.3] months; 51 [52.0%] girls) were analyzed, including 35 infants with FHD and 63 infants without FHD. Multivariate pattern analyses identified distinct FC patterns between infants with vs without FHD in the left fusiform gyrus (classification accuracy, 0.55 [99% CI, 0.046-0.062]; corrected P < .001; Cohen d = 0.76). Connections linking left fusiform gyrus to regions in the frontal and parietal language and attention networks were among the paths with the highest contributions to the classification performance. Conclusions and Relevance These findings suggest that on the group level, FHD was associated with an early onset of atypical FC of regions important for subsequent word form recognition during reading acquisition. Longitudinal studies linking the atypical functional network and school-age reading abilities will be essential to further elucidate the ontogenetic mechanisms underlying the development of dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Silvina Ferradal
- Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington
| | - Jade Dunstan
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Clarisa Carruthers
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Joseph Sanfilippo
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jennifer Zuk
- Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lilla Zöllei
- A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Borjan Gagoski
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yangming Ou
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - P. Ellen Grant
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts
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18
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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.
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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
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19
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Feng X, Monzalvo K, Dehaene S, Dehaene-Lambertz G. Evolution of reading and face circuits during the first three years of reading acquisition. Neuroimage 2022; 259:119394. [PMID: 35718022 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Although words and faces activate neighboring regions in the fusiform gyrus, we lack an understanding of how such category selectivity emerges during development. To investigate the organization of reading and face circuits at the earliest stage of reading acquisition, we measured the fMRI responses to words, faces, houses, and checkerboards in three groups of 60 French children: 6-year-old pre-readers, 6-year-old beginning readers and 9-year-old advanced readers. The results showed that specific responses to written words were absent prior to reading, but emerged in beginning readers, irrespective of age. Likewise, specific responses to faces were barely visible in pre-readers and continued to evolve in the 9-year-olds, yet primarily driven by age rather than by schooling. Crucially, the sectors of ventral visual cortex that become specialized for words and faces harbored their own functional connectivity prior to reading acquisition: the VWFA with left-hemispheric spoken language areas, and the FFA with the contralateral region and the amygdalae. The results support the view that reading acquisition occurs through the recycling of a pre-existing but plastic circuit which, in pre-readers, already connects the VWFA site to other distant language areas. We argue that reading acquisition does not compete with the face system directly, through a pruning of preexisting face responses, but indirectly, by hindering the slow growth of face responses in the left hemisphere, thus increasing a pre-existing right hemispheric bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxia Feng
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CNRS ERL 9003, INSERM U992, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Karla Monzalvo
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CNRS ERL 9003, INSERM U992, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Stanislas Dehaene
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CNRS ERL 9003, INSERM U992, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France; Collège de France, Université PSL Paris Sciences Lettres, Paris, France
| | - Ghislaine Dehaene-Lambertz
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CNRS ERL 9003, INSERM U992, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France.
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20
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Yu X, Dunstan J, Jacobson SW, Molteno CD, Lindinger NM, Turesky TK, Meintjes EM, Jacobson JL, Gaab N. Distinctive neural correlates of phonological and reading impairment in fetal alcohol-exposed adolescents with and without facial dysmorphology. Neuropsychologia 2022; 169:108188. [PMID: 35218791 PMCID: PMC9922095 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been linked to atypical brain and cognitive development, including poor academic performance in reading. This study utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging to characterize functional and structural mechanisms mediating reading deficits in 26 adolescents with PAE-related facial dysmorphology (fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)/partial FAS (PFAS)), 29 heavily-exposed (HE) non-syndromal adolescents, in comparison with 19 typically developing controls. The FAS/PFAS and HE groups were balanced in terms of levels of PAE and reading (dis)ability. While neural alterations in the posterior association cortices were evident in both PAE groups, distinctive neural correlates of reading (dis)abilities were observed between adolescents with and without facial dysmorphology. Specifically, compared to the HE and control groups, the syndromal adolescents showed greater activation in the right precentral gyrus during phonological processing and rightward lateralization in an important reading-related tract (inferior longitudinal fasciculus, ILF), suggesting an atypical reliance on the right hemisphere. By contrast, in the HE, better reading skills were positively correlated with neural activation in the left angular gyrus and white matter organization of the left ILF, although the brain function-behavior relation was weaker than among the controls, suggesting less efficient function of the typical reading network. Our findings provide converging evidence at both the neural functional and structural levels for distinctive brain mechanisms underlying atypical reading and phonological processing in PAE adolescents with and without facial dysmorphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Jade Dunstan
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Sandra W Jacobson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa; Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Christopher D Molteno
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Nadine M Lindinger
- Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Ted K Turesky
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Ernesta M Meintjes
- Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Joseph L Jacobson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA; Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa.
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
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21
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Weiss Y, Yeatman JD, Ender S, Gijbels L, Loop H, Mizrahi JC, Woo BY, Kuhl PK. Can an Online Reading Camp Teach 5-Year-Old Children to Read? Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:793213. [PMID: 35431836 PMCID: PMC9009259 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.793213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Literacy is an essential skill. Learning to read is a requirement for becoming a self-providing human being. However, while spoken language is acquired naturally with exposure to language without explicit instruction, reading and writing need to be taught explicitly. Decades of research have shown that well-structured teaching of phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and letter-to-sound mapping is crucial in building solid foundations for the acquisition of reading. During the COVID-19 pandemic, children worldwide did not have access to consistent and structured teaching and are, as a consequence, predicted to be behind in the development of their reading skills. Subsequent evidence confirms this prediction. With the best evidence-based practice in mind, we developed an online version of a well-structured early literacy training program (Reading Camp) for 5-year-old children. This 2-week online Reading Camp program is designed for pre-K children. It incorporates critical components of the fundamental skills essential to learning to read and is taught online in an interactive, multi-sensory, and peer-learning environment. We measure the participants' literacy skills and other related skills before and after participating in the online Reading Camp and compare the results to no-treatment controls. Results show that children who participated in the online Reading Camp improved significantly on all parameters in relation to controls. Our results demonstrate that a well-structured evidence-based reading instruction program, even if online and short-term, benefits 5-year-old children in learning to read. With the potential to scale up this online program, the evidence presented here, alongside previous evidence for the efficacy of the in-person program, indicates that the online Reading Camp program is effective and can be used to tackle a variety of questions regarding structural and functional plasticity in the early stages of reading acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yael Weiss
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States,Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States,*Correspondence: Yael Weiss,
| | - Jason D. Yeatman
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States,Division of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States,Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Suzanne Ender
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Liesbeth Gijbels
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States,Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Hailley Loop
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Julia C. Mizrahi
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Bo Y. Woo
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Patricia K. Kuhl
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States,Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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22
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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.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Milene Bonte
- *Correspondence: Linda Romanovska, ; Milene Bonte,
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23
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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.
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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
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24
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Yu X, Ferradal SL, Sliva DD, Dunstan J, Carruthers C, Sanfilippo J, Zuk J, Zöllei L, Boyd E, Gagoski B, Ou Y, Grant PE, Gaab N. Functional Connectivity in Infancy and Toddlerhood Predicts Long-Term Language and Preliteracy Outcomes. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:bhab230. [PMID: 34347052 PMCID: PMC10847903 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional connectivity (FC) techniques can delineate brain organization as early as infancy, enabling the characterization of early brain characteristics associated with subsequent behavioral outcomes. Previous studies have identified specific functional networks in infant brains that underlie cognitive abilities and pathophysiology subsequently observed in toddlers and preschoolers. However, it is unknown whether and how functional networks emerging within the first 18 months of life contribute to the development of higher order, complex functions of language/literacy at school-age. This 5-year longitudinal imaging project starting in infancy, utilized resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and demonstrated prospective associations between FC in infants/toddlers and subsequent language and foundational literacy skills at 6.5 years old. These longitudinal associations were shown independently of key environmental influences and further present in a subsample of infant imaging data (≤12 months), suggesting early emerged functional networks specifically linked to high-order language and preliteracy skills. Moreover, emergent language skills in infancy and toddlerhood contributed to the prospective associations, implicating a role of early linguistic experiences in shaping the FC correlates of long-term oral language skills. The current results highlight the importance of functional organization established in infancy and toddlerhood as a neural scaffold underlying the learning process of complex cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Silvina L Ferradal
- Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47408, USA
| | - Danielle D Sliva
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Jade Dunstan
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Clarisa Carruthers
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Joseph Sanfilippo
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jennifer Zuk
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Lilla Zöllei
- A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Emma Boyd
- A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Borjan Gagoski
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Yangming Ou
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - P Ellen Grant
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Graduate School of Education Boston, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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25
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Phan TV, Sima D, Smeets D, Ghesquière P, Wouters J, Vandermosten M. Structural brain dynamics across reading development: A longitudinal MRI study from kindergarten to grade 5. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:4497-4509. [PMID: 34197028 PMCID: PMC8410537 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary education is the incubator for learning academic skills that help children to become a literate, communicative, and independent person. Over this learning period, nonlinear and regional changes in the brain occur, but how these changes relate to academic performance, such as reading ability, is still unclear. In the current study, we analyzed longitudinal T1 MRI data of 41 children in order to investigate typical cortical development during the early reading stage (end of kindergarten-end of grade 2) and advanced reading stage (end of grade 2-middle of grade 5), and to detect putative deviant trajectories in children with dyslexia. The structural brain change was quantified with a reliable measure that directly calculates the local morphological differences between brain images of two time points, while considering the global head growth. When applying this measure to investigate typical cortical development, we observed that left temporal and temporoparietal regions belonging to the reading network exhibited an increase during the early reading stage and stabilized during the advanced reading stage. This suggests that the natural plasticity window for reading is within the first years of primary school, hence earlier than the typical period for reading intervention. Concerning neurotrajectories in children with dyslexia compared to typical readers, we observed no differences in gray matter development of the left reading network, but we found different neurotrajectories in right IFG opercularis (during the early reading stage) and in right isthmus cingulate (during the advanced reading stage), which could reflect compensatory neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thanh Van Phan
- icometrix, Research and Development, Leuven, Belgium.,Experimental Oto-rhino-laryngology, Department Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Diana Sima
- icometrix, Research and Development, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dirk Smeets
- icometrix, Research and Development, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Experimental Oto-rhino-laryngology, Department Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Experimental Oto-rhino-laryngology, Department Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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26
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Yang X, Dulay KM, McBride C, Cheung SK. How do phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, and vocabulary contribute to early numeracy and print knowledge of Filipino children? J Exp Child Psychol 2021; 209:105179. [PMID: 34020135 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105179] [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: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The current study investigated the contributions of phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming (RAN), and vocabulary to early numeracy and print knowledge developmental trajectories. A total of 128 young Filipino children were tracked three times at mean ages of 4.5, 5.0, and 5.5 years. The initial level (the intercept) and the growth rate (the slope) of early numeracy and print knowledge were estimated. Results showed that phonological awareness, vocabulary, and age significantly predicted the initial level of early numeracy. RAN and vocabulary explained significant variance in the growth rate of early numeracy. Phonological awareness, RAN, and vocabulary accounted for unique variance in the initial level of print knowledge. Results highlight the differential roles of phonological awareness, RAN, and vocabulary knowledge in the development of early numeracy and print knowledge among Filipino children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiujie Yang
- Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Katrina May Dulay
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China
| | - Catherine McBride
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Sum Kwing Cheung
- Department of Early Childhood Education, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong, China
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27
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Liebig J, Froehlich E, Sylvester T, Braun M, Heekeren HR, Ziegler JC, Jacobs AM. Neural processing of vision and language in kindergarten is associated with prereading skills and predicts future literacy. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:3517-3533. [PMID: 33942958 PMCID: PMC8249894 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The main objective of this longitudinal study was to investigate the neural predictors of reading acquisition. For this purpose, we followed a sample of 54 children from the end of kindergarten to the end of second grade. Preliterate children were tested for visual symbol (checkerboards, houses, faces, written words) and auditory language processing (spoken words) using a passive functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm. To examine brain-behavior relationships, we also tested cognitive-linguistic prereading skills at kindergarten age and reading performance of 48 of the same children 2 years later. Face-selective response in the bilateral fusiform gyrus was positively associated with rapid automatized naming (RAN). Response to both spoken and written words at preliterate age was negatively associated with RAN in the dorsal temporo-parietal language system. Longitudinally, neural response to faces in the ventral stream predicted future reading fluency. Here, stronger neural activity in inferior and middle temporal gyri at kindergarten age was associated with higher reading performance. Our results suggest that interindividual differences in the neural system of language and reading affect literacy acquisition and thus might serve as a marker for successful reading acquisition in preliterate children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Liebig
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eva Froehlich
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Teresa Sylvester
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mario Braun
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Universität Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Deparment of Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes C Ziegler
- Aix-Marseille Université and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, Marseille, France
| | - Arthur M Jacobs
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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28
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Jasińska KK, Shuai L, Lau ANL, Frost S, Landi N, Pugh KR. Functional connectivity in the developing language network in 4-year-old children predicts future reading ability. Dev Sci 2021; 24:e13041. [PMID: 33032375 PMCID: PMC8186432 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how pre-literate children's language abilities and neural function relate to future reading ability is important for identifying children who may be at-risk for reading problems. Pre-literate children are already proficient users of spoken language and their developing brain networks for language become highly overlapping with brain networks that emerge during literacy acquisition. In the present longitudinal study, we examined language abilities, and neural activation and connectivity within the language network in pre-literate children (mean age = 4.2 years). We tested how language abilities, brain activation, and connectivity predict children's reading abilities 1 year later (mean age = 5.2 years). At Time 1, children (n = 37) participated in a functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) experiment of speech processing (listening to words and pseudowords) and completed a standardized battery of language and cognitive assessments. At Time 2, children (n = 28) completed standardized reading assessments. Using psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses, we observed significant connectivity between the left IFG and right STG in pre-literate children, which was modulated by task (i.e., listening to words). Neural activation in left IFG and STG and increased task-modulated connectivity between the left IFG and right STG was predictive of multiple reading outcomes. Increased connectivity was associated later with increased reading ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaja K. Jasińska
- Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Lan Shuai
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Airey N. L. Lau
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA
- University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | | | - Nicole Landi
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA
- University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Kenneth R. Pugh
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA
- University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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29
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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: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [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.
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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
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30
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Turesky TK, Vanderauwera J, Gaab N. Imaging the rapidly developing brain: Current challenges for MRI studies in the first five years of life. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 47:100893. [PMID: 33341534 PMCID: PMC7750693 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid and widespread changes in brain anatomy and physiology in the first five years of life present substantial challenges for developmental structural, functional, and diffusion MRI studies. One persistent challenge is that methods best suited to earlier developmental stages are suboptimal for later stages, which engenders a trade-off between using different, but age-appropriate, methods for different developmental stages or identical methods across stages. Both options have potential benefits, but also biases, as pipelines for each developmental stage can be matched on methods or the age-appropriateness of methods, but not both. This review describes the data acquisition, processing, and analysis challenges that introduce these potential biases and attempts to elucidate decisions and make recommendations that would optimize developmental comparisons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ted K Turesky
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Jolijn Vanderauwera
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université Catholique De Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique De Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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31
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Yu X, Zuk J, Perdue MV, Ozernov‐Palchik O, Raney T, Beach SD, Norton ES, Ou Y, Gabrieli JDE, Gaab N. Putative protective neural mechanisms in prereaders with a family history of dyslexia who subsequently develop typical reading skills. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:2827-2845. [PMID: 32166830 PMCID: PMC7294063 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 01/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia affects 40-60% of children with a familial risk (FHD+) compared to a general prevalence of 5-10%. Despite the increased risk, about half of FHD+ children develop typical reading abilities (FHD+Typical). Yet the underlying neural characteristics of favorable reading outcomes in at-risk children remain unknown. Utilizing a retrospective, longitudinal approach, this study examined whether putative protective neural mechanisms can be observed in FHD+Typical at the prereading stage. Functional and structural brain characteristics were examined in 47 FHD+ prereaders who subsequently developed typical (n = 35) or impaired (n = 12) reading abilities and 34 controls (FHD-Typical). Searchlight-based multivariate pattern analyses identified distinct activation patterns during phonological processing between FHD+Typical and FHD-Typical in right inferior frontal gyrus (RIFG) and left temporo-parietal cortex (LTPC) regions. Follow-up analyses on group-specific classification patterns demonstrated LTPC hypoactivation in FHD+Typical compared to FHD-Typical, suggesting this neural characteristic as an FHD+ phenotype. In contrast, RIFG showed hyperactivation in FHD+Typical than FHD-Typical, and its activation pattern was positively correlated with subsequent reading abilities in FHD+ but not controls (FHD-Typical). RIFG hyperactivation in FHD+Typical was further associated with increased interhemispheric functional and structural connectivity. These results suggest that some protective neural mechanisms are already established in FHD+Typical prereaders supporting their typical reading development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and LearningBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Jennifer Zuk
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Meaghan V. Perdue
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of Psychological SciencesUniversity of ConnecticutStorrsConnecticutUSA
- Haskins LaboratoriesNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Ola Ozernov‐Palchik
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Talia Raney
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Sara D. Beach
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
- Division of Medical SciencesHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Elizabeth S. Norton
- Department of Communication Sciences and DisordersNorthwestern UniversityEvanstonIllinoisUSA
| | - Yangming Ou
- Division of Newborn MedicineBoston Children’s HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Fetal‐Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science CenterBoston Children’s HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of RadiologyBoston Children’s HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - John D. E. Gabrieli
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of PediatricsHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Harvard Graduate School of EducationCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
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32
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Mathur A, Schultz D, Wang Y. Neural Bases of Phonological and Semantic Processing in Early Childhood. Brain Connect 2020; 10:212-223. [PMID: 32308014 PMCID: PMC7718846 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2019.0728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
During the early period of reading development, children gain phonological (letter-to-sound mapping) and semantic knowledge (storage and retrieval of word meaning). Their reading ability changes rapidly, accompanied by learning-induced brain plasticity as they learn to read. This study aims at identifying the neural bases of phonological and semantic processing in early childhood by using a combination of univariate and multivariate pattern analysis. Nineteen typically developing children between the age of five and seven performed visual word-level phonological (rhyming) and semantic (related meaning) judgment tasks during functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Our multivariate analysis showed that young children with good reading ability have already recruited the left hemispheric regions in the brain for phonological processing, including the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), superior and middle temporal gyrus, and fusiform gyrus. In addition, our multivariate results suggested that different sub-regions of the left IFG were recruited for the two tasks. Our results suggested the left lateralization of frontotemporal regions for phonological processing and semantic processing. In addition, we observed bilateral activations of parietal regions for semantic processing during early childhood. Our findings indicate that the neural bases of reading have already begun to be shaped in early childhood for typically developing children, which can be used as a control baseline for comparison of children at risk for reading difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avantika Mathur
- Neuroimaging for Language, Literacy and Learning Lab, Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, Youth, Families and Schools, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, and Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Douglas Schultz
- Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, Youth, Families and Schools, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, and Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Yingying Wang
- Neuroimaging for Language, Literacy and Learning Lab, Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, Youth, Families and Schools, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, and Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
- Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, Youth, Families and Schools, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, and Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
- Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, and Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
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33
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Margolis AE, Banker S, Pagliaccio D, De Water E, Curtin P, Bonilla A, Herbstman JB, Whyatt R, Bansal R, Sjödin A, Milham MP, Peterson BS, Factor-Litvak P, Horton MK. Functional connectivity of the reading network is associated with prenatal polybrominated diphenyl ether concentrations in a community sample of 5 year-old children: A preliminary study. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 134:105212. [PMID: 31743804 PMCID: PMC7048018 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Genetic factors explain 60 percent of variance in reading disorder. Exposure to neurotoxicants, including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), may be overlooked risk factors for reading problems. We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to examine associations between prenatal PBDE concentrations and functional connectivity of a reading-related network (RN) in a community sample of 5-year-old children (N = 33). Maternal serum PBDE concentrations (∑PBDE) were measured at 12.2 ± 2.8 weeks gestation (mean ± SD). The RN was defined by 12 regions identified in prior task-based fMRI meta-analyses; global efficiency (GE) was used to measure network integration. Linear regression evaluated associations between ∑PBDE, word reading, and GE of the RN and the default mode network (DMN); the latter to establish specificity of findings. Weighted quantile sum regression analyses evaluated the contributions of specific PBDE congeners to observed associations. Greater RN efficiency was associated with better word reading in these novice readers. Children with higher ∑PBDE showed reduced GE of the RN; ∑PBDE was not associated with DMN efficiency, demonstrating specificity of our results. Consistent with prior findings, ∑PBDE was not associated word reading at 5-years-old. Altered efficiency and integration of the RN may underlie associations between ∑PBDE concentrations and reading problems observed previously in older children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy E Margolis
- The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry, The New York State Psychiatric Institute and the Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
| | - Sarah Banker
- The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry, The New York State Psychiatric Institute and the Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - David Pagliaccio
- The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry, The New York State Psychiatric Institute and the Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Erik De Water
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Paul Curtin
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Anny Bonilla
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Julie B Herbstman
- Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, and Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Robin Whyatt
- Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, and Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Ravi Bansal
- Institute for the Developing Mind, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Department of Psychiatry at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
| | - Andreas Sjödin
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
| | | | - Bradley S Peterson
- Institute for the Developing Mind, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Department of Psychiatry at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
| | - Pam Factor-Litvak
- Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, and Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Megan K Horton
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
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34
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Seghier ML, Fahim MA, Habak C. Educational fMRI: From the Lab to the Classroom. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2769. [PMID: 31866920 PMCID: PMC6909003 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional MRI (fMRI) findings hold many potential applications for education, and yet, the translation of fMRI findings to education has not flowed. Here, we address the types of fMRI that could better support applications of neuroscience to the classroom. This 'educational fMRI' comprises eight main challenges: (1) collecting artifact-free fMRI data in school-aged participants and in vulnerable young populations, (2) investigating heterogenous cohorts with wide variability in learning abilities and disabilities, (3) studying the brain under natural and ecological conditions, given that many practical topics of interest for education can be addressed only in ecological contexts, (4) depicting complex age-dependent associations of brain and behaviour with multi-modal imaging, (5) assessing changes in brain function related to developmental trajectories and instructional intervention with longitudinal designs, (6) providing system-level mechanistic explanations of brain function, so that useful individualized predictions about learning can be generated, (7) reporting negative findings, so that resources are not wasted on developing ineffective interventions, and (8) sharing data and creating large-scale longitudinal data repositories to ensure transparency and reproducibility of fMRI findings for education. These issues are of paramount importance to the development of optimal fMRI practices for educational applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed L Seghier
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Mohamed A Fahim
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Claudine Habak
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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35
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Łuniewska M, Chyl K, Dębska A, Banaszkiewicz A, Żelechowska A, Marchewka A, Grabowska A, Jednoróg K. Children With Dyslexia and Familial Risk for Dyslexia Present Atypical Development of the Neuronal Phonological Network. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:1287. [PMID: 31849595 PMCID: PMC6895138 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning to read changes the brain language system. Phonological processing is the language domain most crucial for reading, but it is still unknown how reading acquisition modifies the neural phonological network in children who either develop dyslexia or are at risk of dyslexia. For the two first years of formal education, we followed 90 beginning readers with (n = 55) and without (n = 35) familial risk of dyslexia who became typical readers (n = 70) or developed dyslexia (n = 20). We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to identify the neural correlates of phonological awareness using an auditory rhyme judgment task. This task was applied when participants were starting formal education, and repeated 2 years later. By applying two alternative group splits, we analyzed the effects of dyslexia and the effects of familial risk of dyslexia separately. We found that the phonological brain network undergoes reorganization during the first 2 years of formal education. This process proceeds differently depending on the presence of a familial history of dyslexia and reading impairment. Typical readers without risk for dyslexia activate structures responsible for phonological processing already at the beginning of literacy. This group shows reduced brain activation over time during phonological processing, perhaps due to automatization of phonological skills. Children who develop reading impairment present a delay in the development of phonological structures such as the bilateral superior temporal gyri, left middle temporal gyrus, right insula and right frontal cortex, where we observed time and group interaction. Finally, typical readers with familial risk of dyslexia also present an atypical development of the neural phonological structures, visible both at the beginning of reading instruction and 2 years later. These children used a presumably efficient neural mechanism of phonological processing, based on the activation of the precentral and postcentral gyri, and achieved a typical level of phonological awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Łuniewska
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Chyl
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Dębska
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Banaszkiewicz
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging, Neurobiology Center, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agata Żelechowska
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Artur Marchewka
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging, Neurobiology Center, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Grabowska
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- Faculty of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Jednoróg
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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36
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A mesial-to-lateral dissociation for orthographic processing in the visual cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:21936-21946. [PMID: 31591198 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1904184116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Efficient reading requires a fast conversion of the written word to both phonological and semantic codes. We tested the hypothesis that, within the left occipitotemporal cortical regions involved in visual word recognition, distinct subregions harbor slightly different orthographic codes adapted to those 2 functions. While the lexico-semantic pathway may operate on letter or open-bigram information, the phonological pathway requires the identification of multiletter graphemes such as "ch" or "ou" in order to map them onto phonemes. To evaluate the existence of a specific stage of graphemic encoding, 20 adults performed lexical decision and naming tasks on words and pseudowords during functional MRI. Graphemic encoding was facilitated or disrupted by coloring and spacing the letters either congruently with multiletter graphemes (ch-ai-r) or incongruently with them (c-ha-ir). This manipulation affected behavior, primarily during the naming of pseudowords, and modulated brain activity in the left midfusiform sulcus, at a site medial to the classical visual word form area (VWFA). This putative grapheme-related area (GRA) differed from the VWFA in being preferentially connected functionally to dorsal parietal areas involved in letter-by-letter reading, while the VWFA showed effects of lexicality and spelling-to-sound regularity. Our results suggest a partial dissociation within left occipitotemporal cortex: the midfusiform GRA would encode orthographic information at a sublexical graphemic level, while the lateral occipitotemporal VWFA would contribute primarily to direct lexico-semantic access.
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37
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Langer N, Benjamin C, Becker BLC, Gaab N. Comorbidity of reading disabilities and ADHD: Structural and functional brain characteristics. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:2677-2698. [PMID: 30784139 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Revised: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Reading disabilities (RD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two of the most common developmental disorders. RD and ADHD frequently co-occur, which raises questions about how the disorders interact and to what extent they can be differentiated. To date, the underlying neural mechanisms leading to RD-ADHD comorbidity (COM) are not understood. In this study, structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were combined with comprehensive behavioral testing in order to characterize the behavior, brain structure, and neural correlates of executive function, phonological processing and reading fluency in 60 children with clinical diagnoses of RD, ADHD, or COM, and controls. Whole-brain analyses of variance were performed on cortical thickness values and on the data of the three fMRI tasks to investigate overall group differences. To validate these findings, a region of interest analysis was performed in regions that have previously been shown to exhibit group differences in children with RD or ADHD using the same paradigms. The neuroimaging results demonstrated structural and functional atypicalities for COM in regions that are frequently associated with deficits in children with isolated ADHD or RD. A combination of shared and distinctive brain alterations between the clinical groups was identified, supporting the multiple deficit model for ADHD, RD, and its comorbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Langer
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Methods of Plasticity Research, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,University Research Priority Program (URPP) Dynamics of Healthy Aging, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christopher Benjamin
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Bryce L C Becker
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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38
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Weiss Y, Cweigenberg HG, Booth JR. Neural specialization of phonological and semantic processing in young children. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 39:4334-4348. [PMID: 29956400 PMCID: PMC6261343 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to examine early specialization of brain regions for phonological and semantic processing of spoken language in young children. Thirty-five typically developing children aged from 5 to 6 years performed auditory phonological (same sound judgment) and semantic (related meaning judgment) word-level tasks. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined specialization within the language network, by conducting three levels of analysis. First, we directly compared activation between tasks and found a greater sound judgment as compared to meaning judgment activation in left superior temporal gyrus (STG) and supramarginal gyrus. In contrast, greater meaning judgment as compared to sound judgment task activation was found in left middle temporal gyrus (MTG). Second, we examined the brain-behavior correlations and found that phonological skill was correlated with the task difference in activation in left superior temporal sulcus, whereas semantic skill was correlated with the task difference in activation in left MTG. Third, we compared between two experimental conditions within each task and found a parametric effect in left STG for the sound judgment task, and a parametric effect in left MTG for the meaning judgment task. The results of this study indicate that, by the age of 5-6 years, typically developing children already show some specialization of temporo-parietal brain regions for phonological and semantic processes. However, there were no task differences in the left inferior frontal gyrus suggesting that the frontal cortex may not yet be specialized in this age range, which is consistent with the delayed maturation of the frontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yael Weiss
- Department of Psychology, Children's Research CenterUniversity of Texas at AustinAustinTexas
| | - Hannah G. Cweigenberg
- Department of Psychology, Children's Research CenterUniversity of Texas at AustinAustinTexas
| | - James R. Booth
- Department of Psychology and Human DevelopmentVanderbilt UniversityNashvilleTennessee
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39
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Plewko J, Chyl K, Bola Ł, Łuniewska M, Dębska A, Banaszkiewicz A, Wypych M, Marchewka A, van Atteveldt N, Jednoróg K. Letter and Speech Sound Association in Emerging Readers With Familial Risk of Dyslexia. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:393. [PMID: 30333739 PMCID: PMC6176073 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In alphabetic scripts, learning letter-sound (LS) association (i.e., letter knowledge) is a strong predictor of later reading skills. LS integration is related to left superior temporal cortex (STC) activity and its disruption was previously observed in dyslexia (DYS). Whether disruption in LS association is a cause of reading impairment or a consequence of decreased exposure to print remains unclear. Using fMRI, we compared activation for letters, speech sounds and LS association in emerging readers with (FHD+, N = 50) and without (FHD-, N = 35) familial history of DYS, out of whom 17 developed DYS 2 years later. Despite having similar reading skills, FHD+ and FHD- groups showed opposite pattern of activation in left STC: In FHD- children activation was higher for incongruent compared to congruent, whereas in FHD+ it was higher for congruent LS pairs. Higher activation to congruent LS pairs was also characteristic of future DYS. The magnitude of incongruency effect in left STC was positively related to early reading skills, but only in FHD- children and (retrospectively) in typical readers. We show that alterations in brain activity during LS association can be detected at very early stages of reading acquisition, suggesting their causal involvement in later reading impairments. Increased response of left STC to incongruent LS pairs in FHD- group might reflect an early stage of automatizing LS associations, where the brain responds actively to conflicting pairs. The absence of such response in FHD+ children could lead to failures in suppressing incongruent information during reading acquisition, which could result in future reading problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Plewko
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Chyl
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
| | - Łukasz Bola
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.,Laboratory of Brain Imaging, Neurobiology Center, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
| | - Magdalena Łuniewska
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland.,Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Dębska
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Banaszkiewicz
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging, Neurobiology Center, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marek Wypych
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging, Neurobiology Center, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
| | - Artur Marchewka
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging, Neurobiology Center, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
| | - Nienke van Atteveldt
- Department of Clinical Developmental Psychology & Institute LEARN!, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Katarzyna Jednoróg
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
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40
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Zuk J, Perdue MV, Becker B, Yu X, Chang M, Raschle NM, Gaab N. Neural correlates of phonological processing: Disrupted in children with dyslexia and enhanced in musically trained children. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2018; 34:82-91. [PMID: 30103188 PMCID: PMC6481189 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2018.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
First fMRI investigation of phonological processing in musically trained children. Greater bilateral activation with music training in regions disrupted in dyslexia. Implications for music training to support compensatory neural network in dyslexia.
Phonological processing has been postulated as a core area of deficit among children with dyslexia. Reduced brain activation during phonological processing in children with dyslexia has been observed in left-hemispheric temporoparietal regions. Musical training has shown positive associations with phonological processing abilities, but the neural mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unspecified. The present research aims to distinguish neural correlates of phonological processing in school-age typically developing musically trained children, musically untrained children, and musically untrained children with dyslexia utilizing fMRI. A whole-brain ANCOVA, accounting for gender and nonverbal cognitive abilities, identified a main effect of group in bilateral temporoparietal regions. Subsequent region-of-interest analyses replicated temporoparietal hypoactivation in children with dyslexia relative to typically developing children. By contrast, musically trained children showed greater bilateral activation in temporoparietal regions when compared to each musically untrained group. Therefore, musical training shows associations with enhanced bilateral activation of left-hemispheric regions known to be important for reading. Findings suggest that engagement of these regions through musical training may underlie the putative positive effects of music on reading development. This supports the hypothesis that musical training may facilitate the development of a bilateral compensatory neural network, which aids children with atypical function in left-hemispheric temporoparietal regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Zuk
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Meaghan V Perdue
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06268, USA
| | - Bryce Becker
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Xi Yu
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Michelle Chang
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Nora Maria Raschle
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Basel, Psychiatric University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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41
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Yu X, Raney T, Perdue MV, Zuk J, Ozernov‐Palchik O, Becker BLC, Raschle NM, Gaab N. Emergence of the neural network underlying phonological processing from the prereading to the emergent reading stage: A longitudinal study. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 39:2047-2063. [PMID: 29380469 PMCID: PMC5895515 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous studies have shown that phonological skills are critical for successful reading acquisition. However, how the brain network supporting phonological processing evolves and how it supports the initial course of learning to read is largely unknown. Here, for the first time, we characterized the emergence of the phonological network in 28 children over three stages (prereading, beginning reading, and emergent reading) longitudinally. Across these three time points, decreases in neural activation in the left inferior parietal cortex (LIPC) were observed during an audiovisual phonological processing task, suggesting a specialization process in response to reading instruction/experience. Furthermore, using the LIPC as the seed, a functional network consisting of the left inferior frontal, left posterior occipitotemporal, and right angular gyri was identified. The connection strength in this network co-developed with the growth of phonological skills. Moreover, children with above-average gains in phonological processing showed a significant developmental increase in connection strength in this network longitudinally, while children with below-average gains in phonological processing exhibited the opposite trajectory. Finally, the connection strength between the LIPC and the left posterior occipitotemporal cortex at the prereading level significantly predicted reading performance at the emergent reading stage. Our findings highlight the importance of the early emerging phonological network for reading development, providing direct evidence for the Interactive Specialization Theory and neurodevelopmental models of reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yu
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusetts
- Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusetts
| | - Talia Raney
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusetts
| | - Meaghan V. Perdue
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusetts
| | - Jennifer Zuk
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusetts
- Harvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusetts
| | - Ola Ozernov‐Palchik
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusetts
- Eliot‐Pearson Department of Child Study and Human DevelopmentTufts UniversityMedfordMassachusetts
| | - Bryce L. C. Becker
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusetts
| | - Nora M. Raschle
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusetts
- Department of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryUniversity of Basel, Psychiatric University HospitalBaselSwitzerland
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusetts
- Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusetts
- Harvard Graduate School of EducationCambridgeMassachusetts
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