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Xu X, Song X, Lin L, Pan N, Jin Y, Tan S, Cao M, Chen Y, Zhao J, Su X, Yang K, Jing J, Li X. White matter substrates underlying morphological awareness deficit in Chinese children with developmental dyslexia. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2024; 134:111083. [PMID: 38992486 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2024.111083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Morphological awareness (MA) deficit is strongly associated with Chinese developmental dyslexia (DD). However, little is known about the white matter substrates underlying the MA deficit in Chinese children with DD. METHODS In the current study, 34 Chinese children with DD and 42 typical developmental (TD) children were recruited to complete a diffusion magnetic resonance imaging scan and cognitive tests for MA. We conducted linear regression to test the correlation between MA and DTI metrics, the structural abnormalities of the tracts related to MA, and the interaction effect of DTI metrics by group on MA. RESULTS First, MA was significant related to the right inferior occipito-frontal fascicle (IFO) and inferior longitudinal fsciculus (ILF), the bilateral thalamo-occipital (T_OCC) and the left arcuate fasciculus (AF); second, compared to TD children, Chinese children with DD had lower axial diffusivity (AD) in the right IFO and T_OCC; third, there were significant interactions between metrics (fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD)) of the right IFO and MA in groups. The FA and RD of the right IFO were significantly associated with MA in children with DD but not in TD children. CONCLUSION In conclusion, compared to TD children, Chinese children with DD had axonal degeneration not only in the ventral tract (the right IFO) but also the visuospatial tract (the right T_OCC) which were associated with their MA deficit. And Chinese MA involved not only the ventral tracts, but also the visuospatial pathway and dorsal tracts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Xu
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaojing Song
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Lizi Lin
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Ning Pan
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuying Jin
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Si Tan
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Muqing Cao
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yingqian Chen
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jingxian Zhao
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xintong Su
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Kaize Yang
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jin Jing
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiuhong Li
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
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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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Davison KE, Ronderos J, Gomez S, Boucher AR, Zuk J. Caregiver Self-Efficacy in Relation to Caregivers' History of Language and Reading Difficulties and Children's Shared Reading Experiences. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2024; 55:853-869. [PMID: 38820226 PMCID: PMC11253799 DOI: 10.1044/2024_lshss-23-00067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Emerging literature suggests caregiver self-efficacy is an important factor related to caregivers' shared reading practices with their children. Reduced shared reading has been documented among families of caregiver(s) with language-based learning disabilities (LBLD). Yet, it remains unclear whether caregivers' history of language and reading difficulties is associated with caregiver self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to examine whether self-efficacy in language- and reading-related caregiver activities related to caregiver history of language and reading difficulties and shared reading practices. METHOD One hundred seventy-six caregivers of children aged 18-60 months completed a custom self-efficacy in language- and reading-related caregiver activities questionnaire, as well as demographic, history of language and reading difficulties (used both as a continuous measure and to dichotomize caregivers with and without LBLD history), and shared reading measures in a one-time survey. RESULTS Caregivers with a history of LBLD reported an overall lower self-efficacy and a reduced amount of time reading with their children per week than caregivers without LBLD history. Examining caregiver history of language and reading difficulties continuously across the whole group, self-efficacy mediated the relationship between caregiver difficulties and shared reading practices, even when caregiver education was incorporated as an additional mediator in models. CONCLUSIONS Findings indicate that self-efficacy and caregiver education mediate the relationship between caregiver history of language and reading difficulties and shared reading practices. Consideration of self-efficacy by clinicians and educators is warranted when promoting shared reading practices to caregivers of young children. There is a need for future research to examine relationships between self-efficacy and shared reading among caregivers with LBLD of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25901590.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey E. Davison
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MA
| | - Juliana Ronderos
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MA
| | - Sophia Gomez
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MA
| | - Alyssa R. Boucher
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MA
| | - Jennifer Zuk
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MA
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Roy E, Van Rinsveld A, Nedelec P, Richie-Halford A, Rauschecker AM, Sugrue LP, Rokem A, McCandliss BD, Yeatman JD. Differences in educational opportunity predict white matter development. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 67:101386. [PMID: 38676989 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101386] [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: 10/22/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Coarse measures of socioeconomic status, such as parental income or parental education, have been linked to differences in white matter development. However, these measures do not provide insight into specific aspects of an individual's environment and how they relate to brain development. On the other hand, educational intervention studies have shown that changes in an individual's educational context can drive measurable changes in their white matter. These studies, however, rarely consider socioeconomic factors in their results. In the present study, we examined the unique relationship between educational opportunity and white matter development, when controlling other known socioeconomic factors. To explore this question, we leveraged the rich demographic and neuroimaging data available in the ABCD study, as well the unique data-crosswalk between ABCD and the Stanford Education Data Archive (SEDA). We find that educational opportunity is related to accelerated white matter development, even when accounting for other socioeconomic factors, and that this relationship is most pronounced in white matter tracts associated with academic skills. These results suggest that the school a child attends has a measurable relationship with brain development for years to come.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan Roy
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | | | - Pierre Nedelec
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Adam Richie-Halford
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Andreas M Rauschecker
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Leo P Sugrue
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ariel Rokem
- Department of Psychology and eScience Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Jason D Yeatman
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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Ambrosio MDG, Lachman JM, Zinzer P, Gwebu H, Vyas S, Vallance I, Calderon F, Gardner F, Markle L, Stern D, Facciola C, Schley A, Danisa N, Brukwe K, Melendez-Torres GJ. A Factorial Randomized Controlled Trial to Optimize User Engagement With a Chatbot-Led Parenting Intervention: Protocol for the ParentText Optimisation Trial. JMIR Res Protoc 2024; 13:e52145. [PMID: 38700935 PMCID: PMC11102037 DOI: 10.2196/52145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Violence against children (VAC) is a serious public health concern with long-lasting adverse effects. Evidence-based parenting programs are one effective means to prevent VAC; however, these interventions are not scalable in their typical in-person group format, especially in low- and middle-income countries where the need is greatest. While digital delivery, including via chatbots, offers a scalable and cost-effective means to scale up parenting programs within these settings, it is crucial to understand the key pillars of user engagement to ensure their effective implementation. OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate the most effective and cost-effective combination of external components to optimize user engagement with ParentText, an open-source chatbot-led parenting intervention to prevent VAC in Mpumalanga, South Africa. METHODS This study will use a mixed methods design incorporating a 2 × 2 factorial cluster-randomized controlled trial and qualitative interviews. Parents of adolescent girls (32 clusters, 120 participants [60 parents and 60 girls aged 10 to 17 years] per cluster; N=3840 total participants) will be recruited from the Ehlanzeni and Nkangala districts of Mpumalanga. Clusters will be randomly assigned to receive 1 of the 4 engagement packages that include ParentText alone or combined with in-person sessions and a facilitated WhatsApp support group. Quantitative data collected will include pretest-posttest parent- and adolescent-reported surveys, facilitator-reported implementation data, and digitally tracked engagement data. Qualitative data will be collected from parents and facilitators through in-person or over-the-phone individual semistructured interviews and used to expand the interpretation and understanding of the quantitative findings. RESULTS Recruitment and data collection started in August 2023 and were finalized in November 2023. The total number of participants enrolled in the study is 1009, with 744 caregivers having completed onboarding to the chatbot-led intervention. Female participants represent 92.96% (938/1009) of the sample population, whereas male participants represent 7.03% (71/1009). The average participant age is 43 (SD 9) years. CONCLUSIONS The ParentText Optimisation Trial is the first study to rigorously test engagement with a chatbot-led parenting intervention in a low- or middle-income country. The results of this study will inform the final selection of external delivery components to support engagement with ParentText in preparation for further evaluation in a randomized controlled trial in 2024. TRIAL REGISTRATION Open Science Framework (OSF); https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/WFXNE. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/52145.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jamie M Lachman
- University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Parenting for Lifelong Health, Oxford, United Kingdom
- University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | | | - Seema Vyas
- University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Laurie Markle
- Parenting for Lifelong Health, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - David Stern
- Innovations in Development, Education and the Mathematical Sciences International, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Chiara Facciola
- Innovations in Development, Education and the Mathematical Sciences International, Reading, United Kingdom
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Cristi-Montero C, Johansen-Berg H, Salvan P. Multimodal neuroimaging correlates of physical-cognitive covariation in Chilean adolescents. The Cogni-Action Project. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 66:101345. [PMID: 38277711 PMCID: PMC10832367 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Health-related behaviours have been related to brain structural features. In developing settings, such as Latin America, high social inequality has been inversely associated with several health-related behaviours affecting brain development. Understanding the relationship between health behaviours and brain structure in such settings is particularly important during adolescence when critical habits are acquired and ingrained. In this cross-sectional study, we carry out a multimodal analysis identifying a brain region associated with health-related behaviours (i.e., adiposity, fitness, sleep problems and others) and cognitive/academic performance, independent of socioeconomic status in a large sample of Chilean adolescents. Our findings suggest that the relationship between health behaviours and cognitive/academic performance involves a particular brain phenotype that could play a mediator role. These findings fill a significant gap in the literature, which has largely focused on developed countries and raise the possibility of promoting healthy behaviours in adolescence as a means to influence brain structure and thereby cognitive/academic achievement, independently of socioeconomic factors. By highlighting the potential impact on brain structure and cognitive/academic achievement, policymakers could design interventions that are more effective in reducing health disparities in developing countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Cristi-Montero
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom; IRyS Group, Physical Education School, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2340025, Chile.
| | - Heidi Johansen-Berg
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
| | - Piergiorgio Salvan
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
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Gaab N, Duggan N. Leveraging brain science for impactful advocacy and policymaking: The synergistic partnership between developmental cognitive neuroscientists and a parent-led grassroots movement to drive dyslexia prevention policy and legislation. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 66:101376. [PMID: 38608358 PMCID: PMC11019101 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Reading proficiency is crucial for academic, vocational, and economic success and has been closely linked to health outcomes. Unfortunately, in the United States, a concerning 63% of fourth-grade children are reading below grade level, with approximately 7%-10% exhibiting a disability in word reading, developmental dyslexia. Research in developmental cognitive neuroscience indicates that individuals with dyslexia show functional and structural brain alterations in regions processing reading and reading-related information, with some of these differences emerging as early as preschool and even infancy. This suggests that some children start schooling with less optimal brain architecture for learning to read, emphasizing the need for preventative education practices. This article reviews educational policies impacting children with dyslexia and highlights a decentralized parent-led grassroots movement, Decoding Dyslexia, which centers the voices of those directly impacted by dyslexia. It utilizes civic engagement practices, advocacy and lobbying on local, federal, and social media platforms, and strong partnerships with scientists to drive systems-level change in educational practices, leading to dyslexia prevention legislation across the U.S. The ongoing partnership continues to address the profound gaps between scientific findings and policymaking to drive systems-level change for contemporary challenges in educational practices within a learning disabilities framework.
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Hendrikse C, Lückhoff HK, Fouché JP, van den Heuvel LL, Emsley R, Seedat S, du Plessis S. Fronto-limbic white matter microstructural changes in psychiatrically healthy adults with childhood trauma. J Neurosci Res 2024; 102:e25308. [PMID: 38361421 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25308] [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: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Childhood trauma (CT) may influence brain white matter microstructure; however, few studies have examined the differential impact of distinct CT types on white matter microstructure in psychiatrically healthy adults living in a developing country. In adults without significant medical or psychiatric disorders, we investigated the association(s) between CT, including abuse and neglect, and fractional anisotropy (FA) of limbic tracts previously shown to be associated with CT. Participants underwent diffusion tensor imaging and completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of variance models were used to test the effects of total overall CT, as well as CT subtypes, on FA in six fronto-limbic tracts, adjusting for age, sex, and educational level. The final sample included 69 adults (age 47 ± 17 years; 70% female). Overall, CT had a significant main effect on FA for tracts of interest (p < .001). Greater CT severity was associated with lower FA for the bilateral and left stria terminalis (uncorrected) as well as the bilateral, left, and right anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC; corrected). Exposure to total non-violent/deprivational trauma specifically was associated with lower FA of the bilateral, left, and right ALIC, suggesting that distinct types of CT are associated with differential white matter changes in apparently healthy adults. The ALIC predominantly carries fibers connecting the thalamus with prefrontal cortical regions. Microstructural alterations in the ALIC may be associated with functional brain changes, which may be adaptive or increase the risk of accelerated age-related cognitive decline, maladaptive behaviors, and subsyndromal psychiatric symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanellé Hendrikse
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Jean-Paul Fouché
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Leigh L van den Heuvel
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Robin Emsley
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Soraya Seedat
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Stefan du Plessis
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
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Roy E, Richie-Halford A, Kruper J, Narayan M, Bloom D, Nedelec P, Rauschecker AM, Sugrue LP, Brown TT, Jernigan TL, McCandliss BD, Rokem A, Yeatman JD. White matter and literacy: A dynamic system in flux. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 65:101341. [PMID: 38219709 PMCID: PMC10825614 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101341] [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: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Cross-sectional studies have linked differences in white matter tissue properties to reading skills. However, past studies have reported a range of, sometimes conflicting, results. Some studies suggest that white matter properties act as individual-level traits predictive of reading skill, whereas others suggest that reading skill and white matter develop as a function of an individual's educational experience. In the present study, we tested two hypotheses: a) that diffusion properties of the white matter reflect stable brain characteristics that relate to stable individual differences in reading ability or b) that white matter is a dynamic system, linked with learning over time. To answer these questions, we examined the relationship between white matter and reading in a five-year longitudinal dataset and a series of large-scale, single-observation, cross-sectional datasets (N = 14,249 total participants). We find that gains in reading skill correspond to longitudinal changes in the white matter. However, in the cross-sectional datasets, we find no evidence for the hypothesis that individual differences in white matter predict reading skill. These findings highlight the link between dynamic processes in the white matter and learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan Roy
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Adam Richie-Halford
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Psychology and eScience Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - John Kruper
- Department of Psychology and eScience Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Manjari Narayan
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - David Bloom
- Department of Psychology and eScience Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Pierre Nedelec
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Andreas M Rauschecker
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Leo P Sugrue
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Timothy T Brown
- School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Terry L Jernigan
- Center for Human Development, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | - Ariel Rokem
- Department of Psychology and eScience Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jason D Yeatman
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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Merz EC, Myers B, Hansen M, Simon KR, Strack J, Noble KG. Socioeconomic Disparities in Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Regulation and Prefrontal Cortical Structure. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 4:83-96. [PMID: 38090738 PMCID: PMC10714216 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Socioeconomic disadvantage during childhood predicts an increased risk for mental health problems across the life span. Socioeconomic disadvantage shapes multiple aspects of children's proximal environments and increases exposure to chronic stressors. Drawing from multiple literatures, we propose that childhood socioeconomic disadvantage may lead to adaptive changes in the regulation of stress response systems including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. These changes, in turn, affect the development of prefrontal cortical (PFC) circuitry responsible for top-down control over cognitive and emotional processes. Translational findings indicate that chronic stress reduces dendritic complexity and spine density in the medial PFC and anterior cingulate cortex, in part through altered HPA axis regulation. Socioeconomic disadvantage has frequently been associated with reduced gray matter in the dorsolateral and ventrolateral PFC and anterior cingulate cortex and lower fractional anisotropy in the superior longitudinal fasciculus, cingulum bundle, and uncinate fasciculus during middle childhood and adolescence. Evidence of socioeconomic disparities in hair cortisol concentrations in children has accumulated, although null findings have been reported. Coupled with links between cortisol levels and reduced gray matter in the PFC and anterior cingulate cortex, these results support mechanistic roles for the HPA axis and these PFC circuits. Future longitudinal studies should simultaneously consider multiple dimensions of proximal factors, including cognitive stimulation, while focusing on epigenetic processes and genetic moderators to elucidate how socioeconomic context may influence the HPA axis and PFC circuitry involved in cognitive and emotional control. These findings, which point to modifiable factors, can be harnessed to inform policy and more effective prevention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C. Merz
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Brent Myers
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Melissa Hansen
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Katrina R. Simon
- Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Jordan Strack
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Kimberly G. Noble
- Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York
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Taylor EK, Abdurokhmonova G, Romeo RR. Socioeconomic Status and Reading Development: Moving from "Deficit" to "Adaptation" in Neurobiological Models of Experience-Dependent Learning. MIND, BRAIN AND EDUCATION : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL MIND, BRAIN, AND EDUCATION SOCIETY 2023; 17:324-333. [PMID: 38148924 PMCID: PMC10750966 DOI: 10.1111/mbe.12351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) is one of the strongest predictors of student reading outcomes, and these disparities have persisted for decades. Relatedly, two underlying skills that are required for successful reading-oral language and executive function (EF)-are also the two neurocognitive domains most affected by SES. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on how SES influences the neurobiology of language, EF, and their intersection, including the proximal factors that drive these relationships. We then consider the burgeoning evidence that SES systematically moderates certain brain-behavior relationships for language and EF, underscoring the importance of considering context in investigations of the neurobiological underpinnings of reading development. Finally, we discuss how disparities in reading may be conceptualized as neurobiological adaptations to adversity rather than deficit models. We conclude by suggesting that by harnessing children's stress-adapted relative strengths to support reading development, we may address opportunity gaps both ethically and efficaciously.
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Weissman DG, Baum GL, Sanders A, Rosen ML, Barch DM, McLaughlin KA, Somerville LH. Family income is not significantly associated with T1w/T2w ratio in the Human Connectome Project in Development. IMAGING NEUROSCIENCE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2023; 1:10.1162/imag_a_00021. [PMID: 39006919 PMCID: PMC11242614 DOI: 10.1162/imag_a_00021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Growing evidence indicates that brain development varies as a function of family socioeconomic status (SES). Numerous studies have demonstrated that children from low-SES backgrounds have thinner cortex than children from higher-SES backgrounds. A recent study in a large developmental sample found widespread associations between lower SES and greater cortical T1w/T2w ratio-thought to be an indirect proxy for cortical myelin. We evaluated the association of family income with cortical T1w/T2w ratio as a function of age in the Human Connectome Project in Development sample of 989 youth aged 8-21 years. We observed no associations between family income and T1w/T2w ratio that were significant after corrections for multiple comparisons at the region, network, or whole-brain level. Region of practical equivalence (ROPE) analyses were also consistent with the absence of an association between family income and T1w/T2w ratio. We discuss potential methodological sources of inconsistency between this and the previous study examining the same question. While the question of whether family income may influence cortical myelin development remains, these null results may indicate that the association between SES and cortical myelin development may not be as strong as with other aspects of brain structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G. Weissman
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Graham L. Baum
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Ashley Sanders
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Maya L. Rosen
- Program in Neuroscience, Smith College, Northampton, MA, United States
| | - Deanna M. Barch
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | | | - Leah H. Somerville
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
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Schott N, Mündörfer A, Holfelder B. Neighborhood Socio-Economic Status Influences Motor Performance and Inhibitory Control in Kindergarten Children-Findings from the Cross-Sectional Kitafit Study. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 10:1332. [PMID: 37628331 PMCID: PMC10453836 DOI: 10.3390/children10081332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Numerous studies have examined the role of socio-economic status on physical activity, obesity, and cognitive performance in youth or older adults, but few studies have examined the role of neighborhood socio-economic status (NSES) on motor or cognitive performance in kindergarten children. This study aimed to examine whether lower NSES (measured by the social data atlas) was associated with lower motor and inhibitory control performance in kindergarten children. One hundred twenty-nine preschoolers were recruited from eight kindergartens in low and high NSES areas in Stuttgart, one of Germany's largest metropolitan areas. Motor functioning (Movement Assessment Battery for Children, MABC-2; Manual Dexterity, Aiming and Catching, and Balance) and inhibitory control (Flanker Task, Go/NoGo Task) were assessed in a sample of 3- to 6-year-old children within a cross-sectional study. Children from a low NSES background showed the expected difficulties in inhibitory control and motor performance, as indicated by poorer performance than children from a high NSES background. Sex-specific analysis revealed girls from low NSES areas to have the lowest fine motor control; children with low NSES reach a Developmental Coordination Disorder at-risk status of 13% (boys and girls), in contrast to children with high SES (boys 9.1%, girls 0.0%). Motor performance and inhibitory control correlated positively with regard to the group from a low NSES background. Researchers and practitioners are advised to develop a more nuanced picture of motor and academic achievement in heterogeneous neighborhoods when designing early intervention programs, particularly with regard to sex differences, with the most significant disadvantage to girls with lower NSES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadja Schott
- Department of Psychology and Human Movement Sciences, Institute for Sport and Movement Science, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany;
| | - Andi Mündörfer
- Amt für Sport und Bewegung, Bewegungsförderung und Sportentwicklung, 70161 Stuttgart, Germany;
| | - Benjamin Holfelder
- Department of Psychology and Human Movement Sciences, Institute for Sport and Movement Science, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany;
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Sudre G, Norman L, Bouyssi-Kobar M, Price J, Shastri GG, Shaw P. A Mega-analytic Study of White Matter Microstructural Differences Across 5 Cohorts of Youths With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 94:18-28. [PMID: 36609028 PMCID: PMC10039962 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been associated with differences in the structural connections formed by the brain's white matter tracts, studies of such differences have yielded inconsistent findings, likely reflecting small sample sizes. Thus, we conducted a mega-analysis on in vivo measures of white matter microstructure obtained through diffusion tensor imaging of more than 6000 participants from 5 cohorts. METHODS In a mega-analysis, linear mixed models were used to test for associations between the fractional anisotropy of 42 white matter tracts and ADHD traits and diagnosis. Contrasts were made against measures of mood, anxiety, and other externalizing problems. RESULTS Overall, 6993 participants (ages 6-18 years, mean age 10.62 years [SD 1.99]; 3368 girls, 3625 boys; 764 African American, 4146 non-Hispanic White, and 2083 other race/ethnicities) had measures of ADHD and other emotional/behavioral symptoms (N = 6933) and/or enough clinical data to allow a diagnosis of ADHD (n = 951) or its absence (n = 4884). Both the diagnosis and symptoms of ADHD were associated with lower fractional anisotropy of the inferior longitudinal and left uncinate fasciculi (at a false discovery rate-adjusted p < .05). Associated effect sizes were small (the strongest association with ADHD traits had an effect size of partial r = -0.14, while the largest case-control difference was associated with an effect size of d = -0.3). Similar microstructural anomalies were not present for anxiety, mood, or externalizing problems. Findings held when ADHD cases and control subjects were matched on in-scanner motion. CONCLUSIONS While present across cohorts, ADHD-associated microstructural differences had small effects, underscoring the limited clinical utility of this imaging modality used in isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Sudre
- Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Luke Norman
- National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Marine Bouyssi-Kobar
- Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Jolie Price
- Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - Philip Shaw
- Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland; National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland.
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15
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Asadi IA, Kasperski R, Sarid M. The cumulative effect of socioeconomic status and dyslexia on linguistic, cognitive and reading skills among Arabic-speaking children. DYSLEXIA (CHICHESTER, ENGLAND) 2023; 29:78-96. [PMID: 36883317 DOI: 10.1002/dys.1735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Research has shown that children with dyslexia and children with a low socioeconomic status (SES) fall behind in terms of literacy acquisition, but a question remains regarding the cumulative effect of dyslexia and SES on linguistic, cognitive and reading skills. To examine the impact of cognition and environment on literacy development, we returned to the data set of 1,441 elementary school children (223 dyslexic readers and 1,241 typical readers) from low and medium-high SES backgrounds within Palestinian society in Israel who had participated in the development study of a comprehensive battery of tests in oral and written Arabic. The findings of this retrospective study reveal that, across grade levels, dyslexic readers from a low SES background showed similar performance to those from a medium-high SES background on most linguistic, cognitive and reading measures. As for typical readers, SES contributed to individual differences in all linguistic, cognitive and reading indices, with the exception of RAN. Finally, a cumulative effect of dyslexia and SES was found in relation to morphology, vocabulary, listening comprehension and text-reading accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim A Asadi
- The Arab Academic College for Education, Department of special education and Learning Disabilities, Haifa, Israel
- The Unit for the Study of Arabic Language, Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ronen Kasperski
- Department of Special Education, Shaanan Academic Religious Teachers' College, Haifa, Israel
- Department of Special Education, Gordon College of Education, Haifa, Israel
| | - Miri Sarid
- Department of Learning Disabilities, Western Galilee College, Acco, Israel
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16
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Church JA, Grigorenko EL, Fletcher JM. The Role of Neural and Genetic Processes in Learning to Read and Specific Reading Disabilities: Implications for Instruction. READING RESEARCH QUARTERLY 2023; 58:203-219. [PMID: 37456924 PMCID: PMC10348696 DOI: 10.1002/rrq.439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
To learn to read, the brain must repurpose neural systems for oral language and visual processing to mediate written language. We begin with a description of computational models for how alphabetic written language is processed. Next, we explain the roles of a dorsal sublexical system in the brain that relates print and speech, a ventral lexical system that develops the visual expertise for rapid orthographic processing at the word level, and the role of cognitive control networks that regulate attentional processes as children read. We then use studies of children, adult illiterates learning to read, and studies of poor readers involved in intervention, to demonstrate the plasticity of these neural networks in development and in relation to instruction. We provide a brief overview of the rapid increase in the field's understanding and technology for assessing genetic influence on reading. Family studies of twins have shown that reading skills are heritable, and molecular genetic studies have identified numerous regions of the genome that may harbor candidate genes for the heritability of reading. In selected families, reading impairment has been associated with major genetic effects, despite individual gene contributions across the broader population that appear to be small. Neural and genetic studies do not prescribe how children should be taught to read, but these studies have underscored the critical role of early intervention and ongoing support. These studies also have highlighted how structured instruction that facilitates access to the sublexical components of words is a critical part of training the brain to read.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elena L Grigorenko
- University of Houston, Texas, USA; Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA; and St. Petersburg State University, Russia
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17
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The effect of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation on memory recall in reading: A pilot study. Behav Brain Res 2023; 438:114164. [PMID: 36265760 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Expert reading acquisition is marked by fluent, effortless decoding, and adequate comprehension skills and is required for modern daily life. In spite of its importance, many individuals struggle with reading comprehension even when decoding skills are adequate. Unfortunately, effective reading comprehension interventions are limited, especially for adults. A growing body of research suggests that non-invasive transcutaneous stimulation of the auricular vagus nerve (taVNS) may drive neural plasticity for low-level reading skills such as speech sound perception and letter-sound learning, but it is unknown whether taVNS can improve higher level skills as well. Thus, the current pilot study was designed to evaluate the effect of taVNS paired with passage reading on reading comprehension performance. Twenty-four typically developing young adults were recruited and screened for baseline reading and working memory skills. Participants received either sham or active taVNS while reading short passages out loud. Immediately following each passage, participants answered a series of test questions that required either direct recall of passage details or more complete comprehension of the passage content. While taVNS did not improve the mechanics of reading (e.g., reading rate or accuracy), there was a significant effect of active taVNS on test performance. This effect was driven by significant improvement on accuracy for memory questions while there was no effect of taVNS on comprehension question accuracy. These findings suggest that taVNS may be beneficial for enhancing memory, but its efficacy may be limited in higher cognitive domains.
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Li ZA, Cai Y, Taylor RL, Eisenstein SA, Barch DM, Marek S, Hershey T. Associations between socioeconomic status and white matter microstructure in children: indirect effects via obesity and cognition. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.02.09.23285150. [PMID: 36798149 PMCID: PMC9934783 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.09.23285150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Importance Both neighborhood and household socioeconomic disadvantage relate to negative health outcomes and altered brain structure in children. It is unclear whether such findings extend to white matter development, and via what mechanisms socioeconomic status (SES) influences the brain. Objective To test independent associations between neighborhood and household SES indicators and white matter microstructure in children, and examine whether body mass index and cognitive function (a proxy of environmental cognitive/sensory stimulation) may plausibly mediate these associations. Design This cross-sectional study used baseline data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, an ongoing 10-year cohort study tracking child health. Setting School-based recruitment at 21 U.S. sites. Participants Children aged 9 to 11 years and their parents/caregivers completed baseline assessments between October 1 st , 2016 and October 31 st , 2018. Data analysis was conducted from July to December 2022. Exposures Neighborhood disadvantage was derived from area deprivation indices at primary residence. Household SES indicators were total income and the highest parental education attainment. Main Outcomes and Measures Thirty-one major white matter tracts were segmented from diffusion-weighted images. The Restriction Spectrum Imaging (RSI) model was implemented to measure restricted normalized directional (RND; reflecting oriented myelin organization) and isotropic (RNI; reflecting glial/neuronal cell bodies) diffusion in each tract. Obesity-related measures were body mass index (BMI), BMI z -scores, and waist circumference, and cognitive performance was assessed using the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery. Linear mixed-effects models tested the associations between SES indicators and scanner-harmonized RSI metrics. Structural equation models examined indirect effects of obesity and cognitive performance in the significant associations between SES and white mater microstructure summary principal components. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, pubertal development stage, intracranial volume, and head motion. Results The analytical sample included 8842 children (4299 [48.6%] girls; mean age [SD], 9.9 [0.7] years). Greater neighborhood disadvantage and lower parental education were independently associated with lower RSI-RND in forceps major and corticospinal/pyramidal tracts, and had overlapping associations in the superior longitudinal fasciculus. Lower cognition scores and greater obesity-related measures partially accounted for these SES associations with RSI-RND. Lower household income was related to higher RSI-RNI in almost every tract, and greater neighborhood disadvantage had similar effects in primarily frontolimbic tracts. Lower parental education was uniquely linked to higher RSI-RNI in forceps major. Greater obesity-related measures partially accounted for these SES associations with RSI-RNI. Findings were robust in sensitivity analyses and mostly corroborated using traditional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Conclusions and Relevance These cross-sectional results demonstrate that both neighborhood and household contexts are relevant to white matter development in children, and suggest cognitive performance and obesity as possible pathways of influence. Interventions targeting obesity reduction and improving cognition from multiple socioeconomic angles may ameliorate brain health in low-SES children. Key Points Question: Are neighborhood and household socioeconomic levels associated with children’s brain white matter microstructure, and if so, do obesity and cognitive performance (reflecting environmental stimulation) mediate the associations?Findings: In a cohort of 8842 children, higher neighborhood disadvantage, lower household income, and lower parental education had independent and overlapping associations with lower restricted directional diffusion and greater restricted isotropic diffusion in white matter. Greater body mass index and poorer cognitive performance partially mediated these associations.Meaning: Both neighborhood and household poverty may contribute to altered white matter development in children. These effects may be partially explained by obesity incidence and poorer cognitive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaolong Adrian Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA,Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Yuqi Cai
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Rita L. Taylor
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Sarah A. Eisenstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA,Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Deanna M. Barch
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA,Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA,Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Scott Marek
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,Co-corresponding authors: Scott Marek, PhD, Assistant Professor, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, MSC 8134-0070-02, Phone: (314)-454-6120, ; Tamara Hershey, PhD, James S. McDonnell Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, MSC 8134-0070-02, Phone: (314)-362-5593,
| | - Tamara Hershey
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA,Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA,Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,Co-corresponding authors: Scott Marek, PhD, Assistant Professor, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, MSC 8134-0070-02, Phone: (314)-454-6120, ; Tamara Hershey, PhD, James S. McDonnell Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, MSC 8134-0070-02, Phone: (314)-362-5593,
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19
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Davison KE, Zuk J, Mullin LJ, Ozernov-Palchik O, Norton E, Gabrieli JDE, Yu X, Gaab N. Examining Shared Reading and White Matter Organization in Kindergarten in Relation to Subsequent Language and Reading Abilities: A Longitudinal Investigation. J Cogn Neurosci 2023; 35:259-275. [PMID: 36378907 PMCID: PMC9884137 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Parent-child language interaction in early childhood carries long-term implications for children's language and reading development. Conversational interaction, in particular, has been linked to white matter organization of neural pathways critical for language and reading. However, shared book reading serves an important role for language interaction as it exposes children to sophisticated vocabulary and syntax. Despite this, it remains unclear whether shared reading also relates to white matter characteristics subserving language and reading development. If so, to what extent do these environmentally associated changes in white matter organization relate to subsequent reading outcomes? This longitudinal study examined shared reading and white matter organization in kindergarten in relation to subsequent language and reading outcomes among 77 typically developing children. Findings reveal positive associations between the number of hours children are read to weekly (shared reading time) and the fractional anisotropy of the left arcuate fasciculus, as well as left lateralization of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). Furthermore, left lateralization of the SLF in these kindergarteners is associated with subsequent reading abilities in second grade. Mediation analyses reveal that left lateralization of the SLF fully mediates the relationship between shared reading time and second-grade reading abilities. Results are significant when controlling for age and socioeconomic status. This is the first evidence demonstrating how white matter structure, in relation to shared reading in kindergarten, is associated with school-age reading outcomes. Results illuminate shared reading as a key proxy for the home language and literacy environment and further our understanding of how language interaction may support neurocognitive development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University
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20
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Erbeli F, He K, Cheek C, Rice M, Qian X. Exploring the Machine Learning Paradigm in Determining Risk for Reading Disability. SCIENTIFIC STUDIES OF READING : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF READING 2022; 27:5-20. [PMID: 36843656 PMCID: PMC9957563 DOI: 10.1080/10888438.2022.2115914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Researchers have developed a constellation model of decoding-related reading disabilities (RD) to improve the RD risk determination. The model's hallmark is its inclusion of various RD indicators to determine RD risk. Classification methods such as logistic regression (LR) might be one way to determine RD risk within the constellation model framework. However, some issues may arise with applying the logistic regression method (e.g., multicollinearity). Machine learning techniques, such as random forest (RF), might assist in overcoming these limitations. They can better deal with complex data relations than traditional approaches. We examined the prediction performance of RF and compared it against LR to determine RD risk. Method The sample comprised 12,171 students from Florida whose third-grade RD risk was operationalized using the constellation model with one, two, three, or four RD indicators in first and second grade. Results Results revealed that LR and RF performed on par in accurately predicting RD risk. Regarding predictor importance, reading fluency was consistently the most critical predictor for RD risk. Conclusion Findings suggest that RF does not outperform LR in RD prediction accuracy in models with multiple linearly related predictors. Findings also highlight including reading fluency in early identification batteries for later RD determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florina Erbeli
- Department of Educational Psychology, Texas A&M University
| | - Kai He
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University
| | | | - Marianne Rice
- Department of Educational Psychology, Texas A&M University
| | - Xiaoning Qian
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University
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21
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Socioeconomic dissociations in the neural and cognitive bases of reading disorders. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 58:101175. [PMID: 36401889 PMCID: PMC9674867 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) strongly predicts disparities in reading development, yet it is unknown whether early environments also moderate the cognitive and neurobiological bases of reading disorders (RD) such as dyslexia, the most prevalent learning disability. SES-diverse 6-9-year-old children (n = 155, half with RD) completed behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) tasks engaging phonological and orthographic processing, which revealed corresponding double-dissociations in neurocognitive deficits. At the higher end of the SES spectrum, RD was most strongly explained by differences in phonological skill and corresponding activation in left inferior frontal and temporoparietal regions during phonological processing-widely considered the "core deficit" of RD. However, at the lower end of the SES spectrum, RD was most strongly explained by differences in rapid naming skills and corresponding activation in left temporoparietal and fusiform regions during orthographic processing. Findings indicate that children's early environments systematically moderate the neurocognitive systems underlying RD, which has implications for assessment and treatment approaches to reduce SES disparities in RD outcomes. Further, results suggest that reliance on high-SES convenience samples may mask critical heterogeneity in the foundations of both typical and disordered reading development.
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22
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Asadi IA, Kasperski R, Bar-Kochva I. The relations of SES and literacy-related oral and written language skills after one year of reading instruction - evidence from novice readers of Arabic. JOURNAL OF CHILD LANGUAGE 2022:1-23. [PMID: 36330691 DOI: 10.1017/s0305000922000538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The relations between socioeconomic status (SES) and language skills at the onset of reading acquisition has not received much attention in research. In this study, a standardized battery of oral and written language tests was administered to 127 Arabic-speaking children at the end of first grade. SES-related differences were found in a line of oral language measures (vocabulary, syntax, morphology, and listening comprehension), but not in phonological awareness (PA) and rapid automatized naming (RAN), nor in any of the reading components (decoding, word reading, reading comprehension and orthographic knowledge). These findings point to a distinction between two groups of language skills with regard to their relations with SES in the first year of reading instruction. The results imply that SES should not be regarded as a mediating factor in the development of PA, RAN and reading in first grade among novice readers of Arabic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim A Asadi
- The Arab Academic College for Education, Department of special education and Learning Disabilities, Haifa, Israel
- The Unit for the Study of Arabic Language, Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities. University of Haifa, Israel
| | - Ronen Kasperski
- Shaanan Academic Religious Teachers' College, Haifa, Israel
- Gordon College of Education, Haifa, Israel
| | - Irit Bar-Kochva
- German Institute for Adult Education - Leibniz Centre for Lifelong Learning (DIE), Bonn, Germany
- Faculty of Human Sciences, Department of Educational and Social Science, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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23
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Turesky TK, Sanfilippo J, Zuk J, Ahtam B, Gagoski B, Lee A, Garrisi K, Dunstan J, Carruthers C, Vanderauwera J, Yu X, Gaab N. Home language and literacy environment and its relationship to socioeconomic status and white matter structure in infancy. Brain Struct Funct 2022; 227:2633-2645. [PMID: 36076111 PMCID: PMC9922094 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02560-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The home language and literacy environment (HLLE) in infancy has been associated with subsequent pre-literacy skill development and HLLE at preschool-age has been shown to correlate with white matter organization in tracts that subserve pre-reading and reading skills. Furthermore, childhood socioeconomic status (SES) has been linked with both HLLE and white matter organization. It is important to understand whether the relationships between environmental factors such as HLLE and SES and white matter organization can be detected as early as infancy, as this period is characterized by rapid brain development that may make white matter pathways particularly susceptible to these early experiences. Here, we hypothesized that HLLE (1) relates to white matter organization in pre-reading and reading-related tracts in infants, and (2) mediates a link between SES and white matter organization. To test these hypotheses, infants (mean age: 8.6 ± 2.3 months, N = 38) underwent diffusion-weighted imaging MRI during natural sleep. Image processing was performed with an infant-specific pipeline and fractional anisotropy (FA) was estimated from the arcuate fasciculus (AF) and superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) bilaterally using the baby automated fiber quantification method. HLLE was measured with the Reading subscale of the StimQ (StimQ-Reading) and SES was measured with years of maternal education. Self-reported maternal reading ability was also quantified and applied to our statistical models as a proxy for confounding genetic effects. StimQ-Reading positively correlated with FA in left AF and to maternal education, but did not mediate the relationship between them. Taken together, these findings underscore the importance of considering HLLE from the start of life and may inform novel prevention and intervention strategies to support developing infants during a period of heightened brain plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ted K Turesky
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Joseph Sanfilippo
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- School of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | | | - Banu Ahtam
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging & Developmental Science Center, Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Borjan Gagoski
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging & Developmental Science Center, Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ally Lee
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kathryn Garrisi
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jade Dunstan
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Clarisa Carruthers
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jolijn Vanderauwera
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Xi Yu
- Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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24
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Romeo RR, Uchida L, Christodoulou JA. Socioeconomic status and reading outcomes: Neurobiological and behavioral correlates. New Dir Child Adolesc Dev 2022; 2022:57-70. [PMID: 35868867 PMCID: PMC9588575 DOI: 10.1002/cad.20475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
In this chapter, we examine reading outcomes and socioeconomic status (SES) using a developmental cognitive and educational neuroscience perspective. Our focus is on reading achievement and intervention outcomes for students from lower SES backgrounds who struggle with reading. Socioeconomic disadvantage is a specific type of vulnerability students experience, which is often narrowly defined based on parental income, education level, and/or occupational prestige. However, implications of socioeconomic status extend broadly to a suite of areas relevant for reading outcomes including a student's access to resources, experiences, language exposure, academic outcomes, and psychological correlates. Underlying this constellation of factors are brain systems supporting the processing of oral and written language as well as stress-related factors. We review the implications of SES and reading achievement, and their intersectionality, for the science and practice of reading instruction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel R. Romeo
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Lili Uchida
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joanna A. Christodoulou
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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25
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Robust determinants of neurocognitive development in children: evidence from the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study. J Dev Orig Health Dis 2022; 14:110-121. [PMID: 35762407 PMCID: PMC7614085 DOI: 10.1017/s2040174422000356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Neurocognitive development is a dynamic process over the life course and is influenced by intrauterine factors as well as later life environment. Using data from the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study from 1994 to 2008, we investigate the association of in utero, birth, and childhood conditions with offspring neurocognitive development in 686 participants of the cohort, at age 12 years. The life course exposure variables in the analysis include maternal pre-pregnancy size and nutrition during pregnancy, offspring birth measurements, nutrition and physical growth at age 12 years along with parental education and socio-economic status. We used the novel Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) approach; which has been shown to have better predictive performance over traditional tests of associations. Our study employs eight standard neurocognitive tests that measure intelligence, working memory, visuo-conceptual and verbal learning, and decision-making/attention at 12 years of age. We control for nutritional-metabolic information based on blood measurements from the pregnant mothers and the children at 12 years of age. Our findings highlight the critical role of parental education and socio-economic background in determining child neurocognitive performance. Maternal characteristics (pre-pregnancy BMI, fasting insulin during pregnancy) and child height at 12 years were also robust predictors on the BMA. A range of early factors - such as maternal folate and ferritin concentrations during pregnancy, and child's head circumference at birth - remained important determinants of some dimensions of child's neurocognitive development, but their associations were not robust once we account for model uncertainty. Our results suggest that intrauterine influences on long- term neurocognitive outcomes may be potentially reversible by post-birth remediation. In addition to the current nutritional interventions, public health policy should also consider social interventions in children born into families with low socio-economic status to improve human capital.
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26
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Bezerra RLM, Alves RJR, Azoni CAS. Creativity and its relationship with intelligence and reading skills in children: an exploratory study. PSICOLOGIA-REFLEXAO E CRITICA 2022; 35:17. [PMID: 35689121 PMCID: PMC9187149 DOI: 10.1186/s41155-022-00221-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Creativity, intelligence, and reading skills such as phonological awareness and decoding in reading can be critical to academic success, especially during childhood. Thus, this study aimed to characterize creativity, intelligence, phonological awareness, and reading decoding and verify possible relationships between creativity and these skills. The sample consisted of 75 children divided between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades of municipal public schools in the Brazilian context. The results indicated the gradual evolution of creativity, intelligence, phonological awareness, and reading decoding in children from the 1st to the 3rd year, especially for the performance of the 3rd year. Correlations between creativity with intelligence and reading skills were also evidenced for all three classes, with the 3rd year with stronger correlations, which are promising results for these relationships. The study of creativity is still a recent field for empirical investigations and deserves future investigations for a better understanding of these constructs in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Louise Mariano Bezerra
- Laboratório de Linguagem Escrita, Interdisciplinaridade e Aprendizagem (LEIA), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Departamento de Fonoaudiologia. Centro de Ciências da Saúde. Rua Gen. Gustavo Cordeiro de Farias, s/n - Petrópolis, Natal, RN, 59012-570, Brazil.
| | - Rauni Jandé Roama Alves
- Laboratório de Neuropsicologia e Avaliação Psicológica (NeuropsiLab), Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), Av. Fernando Correa da Costa, 2.367 - Bairro: Boa Esperança, Cuiabá, MT, 78060-900, Brazil
| | - Cíntia Alves Salgado Azoni
- Laboratório de Linguagem Escrita, Interdisciplinaridade e Aprendizagem (LEIA), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Departamento de Fonoaudiologia. Centro de Ciências da Saúde. Rua Gen. Gustavo Cordeiro de Farias, s/n - Petrópolis, Natal, RN, 59012-570, Brazil
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27
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Brignoni-Pérez E, Dubner SE, Ben-Shachar M, Berman S, Mezer AA, Feldman HM, Travis KE. White matter properties underlying reading abilities differ in 8-year-old children born full term and preterm: A multi-modal approach. Neuroimage 2022; 256:119240. [PMID: 35490913 PMCID: PMC9213558 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Many diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) studies document associations between reading skills and fractional anisotropy (FA) within brain white matter, suggesting that efficient transfer of information across the brain contributes to individual differences in reading. Use of complementary imaging methods can determine if these associations relate to myelin content of white matter tracts. Compared to children born at term (FT), children born preterm (PT) are at risk for reading deficits. We used two MRI methods to calculate associations of reading and white matter properties in FT and PT children. Participants (N=79: 36 FT and 43 PT) were administered the Gray's Oral Reading Test at age 8. We segmented three dorsal (left arcuate and bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus) and four ventral (bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus and bilateral uncinate) tracts and quantified (1) FA from dMRI and (2) R1 from quantitative T1 relaxometry. We examined correlations between reading scores and these metrics along the trajectories of the tracts. Reading positively correlated with FA in segments of left arcuate and bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculi in FT children; no FA associations were found in PT children. Reading positively correlated with R1 in segments of the left superior longitudinal, right uncinate, and left inferior longitudinal fasciculi in PT children; no R1 associations were found in FT children. Birth group significantly moderated the associations of reading and white matter metrics. Myelin content of white matter may contribute to individual differences in PT but not FT children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edith Brignoni-Pérez
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, 3145 Porter Drive, MC 5395, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States
| | - Sarah E Dubner
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, 3145 Porter Drive, MC 5395, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States
| | - Michal Ben-Shachar
- The Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel; Department of English Literature and Linguistics, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Shai Berman
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Aviv A Mezer
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Heidi M Feldman
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, 3145 Porter Drive, MC 5395, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States
| | - Katherine E Travis
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, 3145 Porter Drive, MC 5395, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States.
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28
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Loued-Khenissi L, Trofimova O, Vollenweider P, Marques-Vidal P, Preisig M, Lutti A, Kliegel M, Sandi C, Kherif F, Stringhini S, Draganski B. Signatures of life course socioeconomic conditions in brain anatomy. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:2582-2606. [PMID: 35195323 PMCID: PMC9057097 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Socioeconomic status (SES) plays a significant role in health and disease. At the same time, early-life conditions affect neural function and structure, suggesting the brain may be a conduit for the biological embedding of SES. Here, we investigate the brain anatomy signatures of SES in a large-scale population cohort aged 45-85 years. We assess both gray matter morphometry and tissue properties indicative of myelin content. Higher life course SES is associated with increased volume in several brain regions, including postcentral and temporal gyri, cuneus, and cerebellum. We observe more widespread volume differences and higher myelin content in the sensorimotor network but lower myelin content in the temporal lobe associated with childhood SES. Crucially, childhood SES differences persisted in adult brains even after controlling for adult SES, highlighting the unique contribution of early-life conditions to brain anatomy, independent of later changes in SES. These findings inform on the biological underpinnings of social inequality, particularly as they pertain to early-life conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leyla Loued-Khenissi
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne.,Theory of Pain Laboratory, University of Geneva, Geneva
| | - Olga Trofimova
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne
| | - Peter Vollenweider
- Department of medicine, Internal medicine, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pedro Marques-Vidal
- Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Martin Preisig
- Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Antoine Lutti
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne
| | - Matthias Kliegel
- Laboratoire du Vieillissement Cognitif, Université de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Carmen Sandi
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ferhat Kherif
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- University Centre for General Medicine and Public Health (UNISANTE), Lausanne University, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Unit of Population Epidemiology, Primary Care Division, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bogdan Draganski
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne.,Neurology Department, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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29
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Rakesh D, Whittle S. Socioeconomic status and the developing brain - A systematic review of neuroimaging findings in youth. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 130:379-407. [PMID: 34474050 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.08.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A growing literature has shown associations between socioeconomic disadvantage and neural properties (such as brain structure and function). In this review, we aimed to synthesize findings on the neural correlates of socioeconomic status (SES) in youth samples across neuroimaging modalities. We also aimed to disentangle the effects of different SES measures (e.g., parent income and education) in our synthesis. We found relatively consistent patterns of positive associations between SES and both volume and cortical surface area of frontal regions, and amygdala, hippocampal, and striatal volume (with most consistent results for composite SES indices). Despite limited longitudinal work, results suggest that SES is associated with developmental trajectories of gray matter structure. Higher SES was also found to be associated with increased fractional anisotropy of some white matter tracts, although there were more null than positive findings. Finally, methodological heterogeneity in brain function and connectivity studies prevented us from making strong inferences. Based on our findings, we make recommendations for future research, discuss the role of mitigating factors, and implications for policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divyangana Rakesh
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, VIC, Australia.
| | - Sarah Whittle
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, VIC, Australia
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30
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Martins M, Reis AM, Castro SL, Gaser C. Gray matter correlates of reading fluency deficits: SES matters, IQ does not. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:2585-2601. [PMID: 34357437 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02353-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Brain correlates of reading ability have been intensely investigated. Most studies have focused on single-word reading and phonological processing, but the brain basis of reading fluency remains poorly explored to date. Here, in a voxel-based morphometry study with 8-year-old children, we compared fluent readers (n = 18; seven boys) with dysfluent readers with normal IQ (n = 18; six boys) and with low IQ (n = 18; ten boys). Relative to dysfluent readers, fluent readers had larger gray matter volume in the right superior temporal gyrus and the two subgroups of dysfluent readers did not differ from each other, as shown in frequentist and Bayesian analyses. Pairwise comparisons showed that dysfluent readers of normal and low IQ did not differ in core reading regions and that both subgroups had less gray matter volume than fluent readers in occipito-temporal, parieto-temporal and fusiform areas. We also examined gray matter volume in matched subgroups of dysfluent readers differing only in socioeconomic status (SES): lower-SES (n = 14; seven boys) vs. higher-SES (n = 14; seven boys). Higher-SES dysfluent readers had larger gray matter volume in the right angular gyrus than their lower-SES peers, and the volume of this cluster correlated positively with lexico-semantic fluency. Age, sex, IQ, and gray matter volume of the right angular cluster explained 68% of the variance in the reading fluency of higher-SES dysfluent readers. In sum, this study shows that gray matter correlates of dysfluent reading are independent of IQ, and suggests that SES modulates areas sub-serving lexico-semantic processes in dysfluent readers-two findings that may be useful to inform language/reading remediation programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Martins
- Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal
- Center for Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
| | | | - São Luís Castro
- Center for Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Christian Gaser
- Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
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31
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Zuk J, Yu X, Sanfilippo J, Figuccio MJ, Dunstan J, Carruthers C, Sideridis G, Turesky TK, Gagoski B, Grant PE, Gaab N. White matter in infancy is prospectively associated with language outcomes in kindergarten. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 50:100973. [PMID: 34119849 PMCID: PMC8209179 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Language acquisition is of central importance to child development. Although this developmental trajectory is shaped by experience postnatally, the neural basis for language emerges prenatally. Thus, a fundamental question remains: do structural foundations for language in infancy predict long-term language abilities? Longitudinal investigation of 40 children from infancy to kindergarten reveals that white matter in infancy is prospectively associated with subsequent language abilities, specifically between: (i) left arcuate fasciculus and phonological awareness and vocabulary knowledge, (ii) left corticospinal tract and phonological awareness, and bilateral corticospinal tract with phonological memory; controlling for age, cognitive, and environmental factors. Findings link white matter in infancy with school-age language abilities, suggesting that white matter organization in infancy sets a foundation for long-term language development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Zuk
- Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA; 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; State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Joseph Sanfilippo
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, 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
| | - Georgios Sideridis
- 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
| | - Ted K Turesky
- 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
| | - Borjan Gagoski
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Patricia Ellen Grant
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, 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, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
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32
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Developmental Dyslexia: Environment Matters. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11060782. [PMID: 34199166 PMCID: PMC8231524 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia (DD) is a multifactorial, specific learning disorder. Susceptibility genes have been identified, but there is growing evidence that environmental factors, and especially stress, may act as triggering factors that determine an individual's risk of developing DD. In DD, as in most complex phenotypes, the presence of a genetic mutation fails to explain the broad phenotypic spectrum observed. Early life stress has been repeatedly associated with the risk of multifactorial disorders, due to its effects on chromatin regulation, gene expression, HPA axis function and its long-term effects on the systemic stress response. Based on recent evidence, we discuss the potential role of stress on DD occurrence, its putative epigenetic effects on the HPA axis of affected individuals, as well as the necessity of early and appropriate intervention, based on the individual stress-associated (endo)phenotype.
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33
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Abstract
Childhood socio-economic status (SES), a measure of the availability of material and social resources, is one of the strongest predictors of lifelong well-being. Here we review evidence that experiences associated with childhood SES affect not only the outcome but also the pace of brain development. We argue that higher childhood SES is associated with protracted structural brain development and a prolonged trajectory of functional network segregation, ultimately leading to more efficient cortical networks in adulthood. We hypothesize that greater exposure to chronic stress accelerates brain maturation, whereas greater access to novel positive experiences decelerates maturation. We discuss the impact of variation in the pace of brain development on plasticity and learning. We provide a generative theoretical framework to catalyse future basic science and translational research on environmental influences on brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ursula A Tooley
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, USA
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Danielle S Bassett
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, College of Arts & Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - Allyson P Mackey
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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34
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Lou C, Cross AM, Peters L, Ansari D, Joanisse MF. Rich-club structure contributes to individual variance of reading skills via feeder connections in children with reading disabilities. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 49:100957. [PMID: 33894677 PMCID: PMC8093404 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The present work considers how connectome-wide differences in brain organization might distinguish good and poor readers. The connectome comprises a ‘rich-club’ organization in which a small number of hub regions play a focal role in assisting global communication across the whole brain. Prior work indicates that this rich-club structure is associated with typical and impaired cognitive function although no work so far has examined how this relates to skilled reading or its disorders. Here we investigated the rich-club structure of brain’s white matter connectome and its relationship to reading subskills in 64 children with and without reading disabilities. Among three types of white matter connections, the strength of feeder connections that connect hub and non-hub nodes was significantly correlated with word reading efficiency and phonemic decoding. Phonemic decoding was also positively correlated with connectivity between connectome-wide hubs and nodes within the left-hemisphere reading network, as well as the local efficiency of the reading network. Exploratory analyses also identified sex differences indicating these effects were stronger in girls. This work highlights the independent roles of connectome-wide structure and the more narrowly-defined reading network in understanding the neural bases of skilled and impaired reading in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenglin Lou
- Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
| | - Alexandra M Cross
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Lien Peters
- Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Daniel Ansari
- Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Faculty of Education, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Marc F Joanisse
- Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA
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35
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Van Der Auwera S, Vandermosten M, Wouters J, Ghesquière P, Vanderauwera J. A three-time point longitudinal investigation of the arcuate fasciculus throughout reading acquisition in children developing dyslexia. Neuroimage 2021; 237:118087. [PMID: 33878382 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the neural basis of dyslexia has intensively been investigated, results are still unclear about the existence of a white matter deficit in the arcuate fasciculus (AF) throughout development. To unravel this ambiguity, we examined the difference in fractional anisotropy (FA) of the AF between children developing dyslexia and children developing typical reading skills in a longitudinal sample with three MRI time points throughout reading development: the pre-reading stage (5-6 years old), the early reading stage (7-8 years old) and the advanced reading stage (9-10 years old). Applying along-the-tract analyses of white matter organization, our results confirmed that a white matter deficit existed in the left AF prior to the onset of formal reading instruction in children who developed dyslexia later on. This deficit was consistently present throughout the course of reading development. Additionally, we evaluated the use of applying a continuous approach on the participants' reading skills rather than the arbitrary categorization in individuals with or without dyslexia. Our results confirmed the predictive relation between FA and word reading measurements later in development. This study supports the use of longitudinal approaches to investigate the neural basis of the developmental process of learning to read and the application of triangulation, i.e. using multiple research approaches to help gain more insight and aiding the interpretation of obtained results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stijn Van Der Auwera
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Jan Wouters
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jolijn Vanderauwera
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
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36
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Zuk J, Dunstan J, Norton E, Yu X, Ozernov-Palchik O, Wang Y, Hogan TP, Gabrieli JDE, Gaab N. Multifactorial pathways facilitate resilience among kindergarteners at risk for dyslexia: A longitudinal behavioral and neuroimaging study. Dev Sci 2021; 24:e12983. [PMID: 32356911 PMCID: PMC7606625 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Recent efforts have focused on screening methods to identify children at risk for dyslexia as early as preschool/kindergarten. Unfortunately, while low sensitivity leads to under-identification of at-risk children, low specificity can lead to over-identification, resulting in inaccurate allocation of limited educational resources. The present study focused on children identified as at-risk in kindergarten who do not subsequently develop poor reading skills to specify factors associated with better reading outcomes among at-risk children. Early screening was conducted in kindergarten and a subset of children was tracked longitudinally until second grade. Potential protective factors were evaluated at cognitive-linguistic, environmental, and neural levels. Relative to at-risk kindergarteners with subsequent poor reading, those with typical reading outcomes were characterized by significantly higher socioeconomic status (SES), speech production accuracy, and structural organization of the posterior right-hemispheric superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). A positive association between structural organization of the right SLF and subsequent decoding skills was found to be specific to at-risk children and not observed among typical controls. Among at-risk children, several kindergarten-age factors were found to significantly contribute to the prediction of subsequent decoding skills: white matter organization in the posterior right SLF, age, gender, SES, and phonological awareness. These findings suggest that putative compensatory mechanisms are already present by the start of kindergarten. The right SLF, in conjunction with the cognitive-linguistic and socioeconomic factors identified, may play an important role in facilitating reading development among at-risk children. This study has important implications for approaches to early screening, and assessment strategies for at-risk children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Zuk
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jade Dunstan
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Norton
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Xi Yu
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Ola Ozernov-Palchik
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Yingying Wang
- Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Tiffany P. Hogan
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John D. E. Gabrieli
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
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37
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A general role for ventral white matter pathways in morphological processing: Going beyond reading. Neuroimage 2020; 226:117577. [PMID: 33221439 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to recognize the structural components of words, known as morphological processing, was recently associated with the bilateral ventral white matter pathways, across different writing systems. However, it remains unclear whether these associations are specific to the context of reading. To shed light on this question, in the current study we investigated whether the ventral pathways are associated with morphological processing in an oral word production task that does not involve reading. Forty-five participants completed a morpheme-based fluency task in Hebrew, as well as diffusion MRI (dMRI) scans. We used probabilistic tractography to segment the major ventral and dorsal white matter pathways, and assessed the correlations between their microstructural properties and performance on the morpheme-based fluency task. We found significant correlations between morpheme-based fluency and properties of the bilateral ventral tracts, suggesting that the involvement of these tracts in morphological processing extends beyond the reading modality. In addition, significant correlations were found in the frontal aslant tract (FAT), a dorsal tract associated with oral fluency and speech production. Together, our findings emphasize that neurocognitive associations reflect both the cognitive construct under investigation as well as the task used for its assessment. Lastly, to elucidate the biological factors underlying these correlations, we incorporated the composite hindered and restricted model of diffusion (CHARMED) framework, measured in independent scans. We found that only some of our findings could be attributed to variation in a CHARMED-based estimate of fiber density. Further, we were able to uncover additional correlations that could not be detected using traditional dMRI indices. In sum, our results show that the involvement of the ventral tracts in morphological processing extends to the production domain, and demonstrate the added value of including sensitive structural measurements in neurocognitive investigations.
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38
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Beaulieu C, Yip E, Low PB, Mädler B, Lebel CA, Siegel L, Mackay AL, Laule C. Myelin Water Imaging Demonstrates Lower Brain Myelination in Children and Adolescents With Poor Reading Ability. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:568395. [PMID: 33192398 PMCID: PMC7596275 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.568395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a means to non-invasively investigate the neurological links with dyslexia, a learning disability that affects one’s ability to read. Most previous brain MRI studies of dyslexia and reading skill have used structural or diffusion imaging to reveal regional brain abnormalities. However, volumetric and diffusion MRI lack specificity in their interpretation at the microstructural level. Myelin is a critical neural component for brain function and plasticity, and as such, deficits in myelin may impact reading ability. MRI can estimate myelin using myelin water fraction (MWF) imaging, which is based on evaluation of the proportion of short T2 myelin-associated water from multi-exponential T2 relaxation analysis, but has not yet been applied to the study of reading or dyslexia. In this study, MWF MRI, intelligence, and reading assessments were acquired in 20 participants aged 10–18 years with a wide range of reading ability to investigate the relationship between reading ability and myelination. Group comparisons showed markedly lower MWF by 16–69% in poor readers relative to good readers in the left and right thalamus, as well as the left posterior limb of the internal capsule, left/right anterior limb of the internal capsule, left/right centrum semiovale, and splenium of the corpus callosum. MWF over the entire group also correlated positively with three different reading scores in the bilateral thalamus as well as white matter, including the splenium of the corpus callosum, left posterior limb of the internal capsule, left anterior limb of the internal capsule, and left centrum semiovale. MWF imaging from T2 relaxation suggests that myelination, particularly in the bilateral thalamus, splenium, and left hemisphere white matter, plays a role in reading abilities. Myelin water imaging thus provides a potentially valuable in vivo imaging tool for the study of dyslexia and its remediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Beaulieu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Eugene Yip
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Pauline B Low
- Department of Education and Counseling Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | | | - Linda Siegel
- Department of Education and Counseling Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Alex L Mackay
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Cornelia Laule
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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39
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Liebig J, Friederici AD, Neef NE. Auditory brainstem measures and genotyping boost the prediction of literacy: A longitudinal study on early markers of dyslexia. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 46:100869. [PMID: 33091833 PMCID: PMC7576516 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Multi-domain profiles advance retrospective prediction of emergent literacy. DCDC2 and KIAA0319 risk variants influence emergent spelling skills. Combined DYX2 and auditory brainstem measures enhance predictive model fits. Additional benefit of preliterate phonological awareness on predictive power.
Literacy acquisition is impaired in children with developmental dyslexia resulting in lifelong struggle to read and spell. Proper diagnosis is usually late and commonly achieved after structured schooling started, which causes delayed interventions. Legascreen set out to develop a preclinical screening to identify children at risk of developmental dyslexia. To this end we examined 93 preliterate German children, half of them with a family history of dyslexia and half of them without a family history. We assessed standard demographic and behavioral precursors of literacy, acquired saliva samples for genotyping, and recorded speech-evoked brainstem responses to add an objective physiological measure. Reading and spelling was assessed after two years of structured literacy instruction. Multifactorial regression analyses considering demographic information, genotypes, and auditory brainstem encoding, predicted children’s literacy skills to varying degrees. These predictions were improved by adding the standard psychometrics with a slightly higher impact on spelling compared to reading comprehension. Our findings suggest that gene-brain-behavior profiling has the potential to determine the risk of developmental dyslexia. At the same time our results imply the need for a more sophisticated assessment to fully account for the disparate cognitive profiles and the multifactorial basis of developmental dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Liebig
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Nicole E Neef
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Georg-August-University, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
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40
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Abstract
A burgeoning literature has recently begun investigating the links between socioeconomic inequality and the developing brain. This work suggests widespread disparities in both brain structure and function that begin as early as the first year of life. Here we review disparities in neural structure that have been reported in both cortical and subcortical gray matter, as well as in white matter. Disparities in brain function have also been reported, particularly in circuits that support language, memory, executive functioning, and emotion processing. We additionally review recent work investigating the mechanisms that underlie socioeconomic disparities in brain development. Taken together, this work has the potential to identify important targets for intervention in policy and practice.
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41
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Kershner JR. Dyslexia as an adaptation to cortico-limbic stress system reactivity. Neurobiol Stress 2020; 12:100223. [PMID: 32435671 PMCID: PMC7231974 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2020.100223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
A new school of thought in evolutionary developmental biology, combined with research in the neurobiology of stress, suggest that early exposure to stressful circumstances may be a cause of dyslexia. A balance between epigenetic, stress-induced and cognitive-growth genetic programs modulates the brain's cellular, regional, and network homeostasis. This balance is essential for adaptability to the normative range of everyday stress. However, even mild chronic stress exposition may overactivate the hypothalmic-pituitary-adrenal stress axis, upsetting the homeostatic balance between these programs, and exposing the brain to harmful levels of stress hormones. A protective strategy to sustained disequilibrium precociously advances maturation at the cost of neuroplasticity, which blunts stress axis reactivity but also compromises learning potential in the prefrontal cortex and networks associated with dyslexia. Stress exceeding an individual's range of resilience: (1) reduces levels of TFEB and BDNF, gene regulatory factors prolonging maturation and neuroplasticity; (2) interferes with the insular cortex, amygdala and hippocampus in coordinating afferent visceral signals with cognitive performance; (3) over-recruits the brain's Default Mode network; and (4) amplifies release from the Locus coeruleus/norepinephrine system which impairs the entrainment of oscillations in the lower phonological frequencies of speech. Evidence supporting a stress-growth imbalance is preliminary, but holds promise for reconceptualizing the neurobiology of dyslexia and reducing its prevalence.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R. Kershner
- University of Toronto, Dept of Applied Psychology University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
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42
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Su M, Thiebaut de Schotten M, Zhao J, Song S, Zhou W, Gong G, McBride C, Tardif T, Ramus F, Shu H. Influences of the early family environment and long-term vocabulary development on the structure of white matter pathways: A longitudinal investigation. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 42:100767. [PMID: 32072939 PMCID: PMC7031118 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the present longitudinal study, we investigated the joint effect of early family factors and long-term vocabulary development on the structure of reading-related white matter pathways in adolescents. Seventy-nine children participated in this study. Family environment was measured via parental questionnaire between age 1 and age 3. From age 4 to age 10, children's vocabulary skills were tested annually. At age 14, diffusion tensor imaging data of the children were collected. Using individual-based tractography, 10 reading-related tracts of the two hemispheres were delineated. Different family factors were found to be correlated with different pathways: Age of literacy exposure was correlated with fractional anisotropy of the direct segment of the left arcuate fasciculus, while an association trend was found between early family socioeconomic status and fractional anisotropy of the left inferior frontal occipital fasciculus. Further regression analyses showed that the age of literacy exposure modulated the relationships between vocabulary development and the structure of the left arcuate fasciculus. Specifically, in the earlier literacy exposure group, no association was found between vocabulary development and the strength of the arcuate fasciculus, whereas in the later literacy exposure group, significant associations were found between vocabulary development and the strength of the arcuate fasciculus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengmeng Su
- College of Elementary Education, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Michel Thiebaut de Schotten
- Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Group, Brain and Spine Institute (ICM), CNRS UMR 7225, INSERM-UPMC UMRS 1127, Paris, France
| | - Jingjing Zhao
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University and Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an, China
| | - Shuang Song
- College of Teacher Education, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- Beijing Key Lab of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Gaolang Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Catherine McBride
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Twila Tardif
- Department of Psychology and Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Franck Ramus
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique (ENS, CNRS, EHESS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France.
| | - Hua Shu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
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Romeo RR. Socioeconomic and experiential influences on the neurobiology of language development. PERSPECTIVES OF THE ASHA SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS 2019; 4:1229-1238. [PMID: 34013041 PMCID: PMC8130857 DOI: 10.1044/2019_persp-19-00073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The process by which young children acquire language is an incredible feat subserved by neurobiological language circuitry. While the foundations of brain structure and function are genetically determined, children's experiences during sensitive periods in early life have a significant influence on the development of language systems. The purpose of this review is to provide practitioners with a comprehensive summary of foundational and recent research on the ways that children's early experiences-both favorable and adverse-may influence the neuroanatomy and neurophysiology underlying language development. A specific focus is given to the burgeoning neuroimaging evidence of relationships between socioeconomic status (SES) and brain development, as well as to emerging research on proximal experiences that may serve as the direct mechanisms by which SES influences language development. CONCLUSION Findings from the neuroscience field have direct implications for practice in speech language pathology. Specifically, clinicians can have immense influence on crafting supportive language environments during windows of maximal neural influence, both via direct intervention and parent coaching. Practical suggestions are provided for translating research findings to practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel R. Romeo
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital; Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA
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44
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The interplay of socio-economic status represented by paternal educational level, white matter structure and reading. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0215560. [PMID: 31048844 PMCID: PMC6497374 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A child’s school achievement is influenced by environmental factors. The environmental factors, when represented by socio-economic status (SES) of the family, have been demonstrated to be related to the reading skills of a child. The neural correlates of the relation between SES and reading have been less thoroughly investigated. The present study expands current research by exploring the relation between SES, quantified by paternal educational level, reading of the offspring and the structure of white matter pathways in the left hemisphere as derived from DTI-based tractography analyses. Therefore, three dorsal white matter pathways, i.e. the long, anterior and posterior segments of the arcuate fasciculus (AF), and three ventral white matter pathways, i.e. the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) and the uncinate fasciculus (UF), were manually dissected in the left hemisphere of 34 adolescents with a wide range of reading skills. The results demonstrated a relation between word reading, SES quantified by paternal educational level, and fractional anisotropy (FA) within the left dorsal AF segment and the left ventral UF. Thus, the present study proposes a relationship between paternal educational level and a specific white matter pathway that is important for reading, aiming to guide future research that can determine processes underlying this relationship.
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45
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Ozernov-Palchik O, Norton ES, Wang Y, Beach SD, Zuk J, Wolf M, Gabrieli JDE, Gaab N. The relationship between socioeconomic status and white matter microstructure in pre-reading children: A longitudinal investigation. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 40:741-754. [PMID: 30276914 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Reading is a learned skill crucial for educational attainment. Children from families of lower socioeconomic status (SES) tend to have poorer reading performance and this gap widens across years of schooling. Reading relies on the orchestration of multiple neural systems integrated via specific white-matter pathways, but there is limited understanding about whether these pathways relate differentially to reading performance depending on SES background. Kindergarten white-matter FA and second-grade reading outcomes were investigated in an SES-diverse sample of 125 children. The three left-hemisphere white-matter tracts most associated with reading, and their right-hemisphere homologs, were examined: arcuate fasciculus (AF), superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), and inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF). There was a significant and positive association between SES and fractional anisotropy (FA) in the bilateral ILF in kindergarten. SES moderated the association between kindergarten ILF and second grade reading performance, such that it was positive in lower-SES children, but not significant in higher-SES children. These results have implications for understanding the role of the environment in the development of the neural pathways that support reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ola Ozernov-Palchik
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.,Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Elizabeth S Norton
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Department of Medical Social Sciences, and Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Yingying Wang
- College of Education and Human Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
| | - Sara D Beach
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Jennifer Zuk
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Maryanne Wolf
- Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice, Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, UCLA
| | - John D E Gabrieli
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
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