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Vandecruys F, Vandermosten M, De Smedt B. The role of formal schooling in the development of children's reading and arithmetic white matter networks. Dev Sci 2024:e13557. [PMID: 39129483 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Children's white matter development is driven by experience, yet it remains poorly understood how it is shaped by attending formal education. A small number of studies compared children before and after the start of formal schooling to understand this, yet they do not allow to separate maturational effects from schooling-related effects. A clever way to (quasi-)experimentally address this issue is the longitudinal school cut-off design, which compares children who are similar in age but differ in schooling (because they are born right before or after the cut-off date for school entry). We used for the first time such a longitudinal school cut-off design to experimentally investigate the effect of schooling on children's white matter networks. We compared "young" first graders (schooling group, n = 34; Mage = 68 months; 20 girls) and "old" preschoolers (non-schooling group, n = 33; Mage = 66 months; 18 girls) that were similar in age but differed in the amount of formal instruction they received. Our study revealed that changes in fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity in five a priori selected white matter tracts during the transition from preschool to primary school were predominantly driven by age-related maturation. We did not find specific schooling effects on white matter, despite their strong presence for early reading and early arithmetic skills. The present study is the first to disentangle the effects of age-related maturation and schooling on white matter within a longitudinal cohort of 5-year-old preschoolers. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: White matter tracts that have been associated with reading and arithmetic may be susceptible to experience-dependent neuroplasticity when children learn to read and calculate. This longitudinal study used the school cut-off design to isolate schooling-induced from coinciding maturational influences on children's white matter development. White matter changes during the transition from preschool to primary school are predominantly driven by age-related maturation and not by schooling effects. Strong effects of schooling on behavior were shown for early reading and early arithmetic, but not for verbal ability and spatial ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floor Vandecruys
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Experimental ORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert De Smedt
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium
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Qi T, Mandelli ML, Pereira CLW, Wellman E, Bogley R, Licata AE, Chang EF, Oganian Y, Gorno-Tempini ML. Anatomical and behavioral correlates of auditory perception in developmental dyslexia. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.05.09.539936. [PMID: 37214875 PMCID: PMC10197694 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.09.539936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia is typically associated with difficulties in basic auditory processing and in manipulating speech sounds. However, the neuroanatomical correlates of auditory difficulties in developmental dyslexia (DD) and their contribution to individual clinical phenotypes are still unknown. Recent intracranial electrocorticography findings associated processing of sound amplitude rises and speech sounds with posterior and middle superior temporal gyrus (STG), respectively. We hypothesize that regional STG anatomy will relate to specific auditory abilities in DD, and that auditory processing abilities will relate to behavioral difficulties with speech and reading. One hundred and ten children (78 DD, 32 typically developing, age 7-15 years) completed amplitude rise time and speech in noise discrimination tasks. They also underwent a battery of cognitive tests. Anatomical MRI scans were used to identify regions in which local cortical gyrification complexity correlated with auditory behavior. Behaviorally, amplitude rise time but not speech in noise performance was impaired in DD. Neurally, amplitude rise time and speech in noise performance correlated with gyrification in posterior and middle STG, respectively. Furthermore, amplitude rise time significantly contributed to reading impairments in DD, while speech in noise only explained variance in phonological awareness. Finally, amplitude rise time and speech in noise performance were not correlated, and each task was correlated with distinct neuropsychological measures, emphasizing their unique contributions to DD. Overall, we provide a direct link between the neurodevelopment of the left STG and individual variability in auditory processing abilities in neurotypical and dyslexic populations.
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Vandecruys F, Vandermosten M, De Smedt B. The inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus correlates with early precursors of mathematics and reading before the start of formal schooling. Cortex 2024; 174:149-163. [PMID: 38547813 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Diffusion-weighted imaging studies in preschoolers have almost exclusively been done in the field of reading. As a result, virtually nothing is known about white matter tracts associated with individual differences in mathematics at this age. Studying the preschoolers' brain is crucial because it allows us to identify individual differences in brain anatomy without influences of formal mathematics and reading instruction. To fill this gap, we investigated for the first time before the start of formal school entry the associations between white matter tracts and precursors of mathematics and reading simultaneously. We also investigated whether these associations were specific to mathematics and to reading, or not. We focused on four bilateral white matter tracts (arcuate fasciculus (direct, anterior), inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus), which have been previously correlated with mathematical performance in older children and with reading performance in children of a similar age as the current study. Participants were 56 5-year-old children (Mage = 67 months; SD = 1.8), none of which received formal instruction. Our results showed an association between the bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and precursors of mathematics (numerical ordering, numeral knowledge) and reading (phonological awareness, letter knowledge). Follow-up regression analyses revealed that the associations found with the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus were neither specific to mathematics nor specific to reading. These findings suggest that, already before the start of formal schooling, the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus might be related to the neural overlap between mathematics and reading. This overlap potentially reflects one of their many shared mechanisms, such as the reliance on phonological codes or the processing of visual symbols, and these mechanisms should be exploited in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floor Vandecruys
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Experimental ORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Bert De Smedt
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium.
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4
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Martins B, Baba MY, Dimateo EM, Costa LF, Camara AS, Lukasova K, Nucci MP. Investigating Dyslexia through Diffusion Tensor Imaging across Ages: A Systematic Review. Brain Sci 2024; 14:349. [PMID: 38672001 PMCID: PMC11047980 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14040349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that presents a deficit in accuracy and/or fluency while reading or spelling that is not expected given the level of cognitive functioning. Research indicates brain structural changes mainly in the left hemisphere, comprising arcuate fasciculus (AF) and corona radiata (CR). The purpose of this systematic review is to better understand the possible methods for analyzing Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) data while accounting for the characteristics of dyslexia in the last decade of the literature. Among 124 articles screened from PubMed and Scopus, 49 met inclusion criteria, focusing on dyslexia without neurological or psychiatric comorbidities. Article selection involved paired evaluation, with a third reviewer resolving discrepancies. The selected articles were analyzed using two topics: (1) a demographic and cognitive assessment of the sample and (2) DTI acquisition and analysis. Predominantly, studies centered on English-speaking children with reading difficulties, with preserved non-verbal intelligence, attention, and memory, and deficits in reading tests, rapid automatic naming, and phonological awareness. Structural differences were found mainly in the left AF in all ages and in the bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus for readers-children and adults. A better understanding of structural brain changes of dyslexia and neuroadaptations can be a guide for future interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce Martins
- Laboratório de Investigação Médica em Neurorradiologia—LIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (M.Y.B.); (E.M.D.)
| | - Mariana Yumi Baba
- Laboratório de Investigação Médica em Neurorradiologia—LIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (M.Y.B.); (E.M.D.)
| | - Elisa Monteiro Dimateo
- Laboratório de Investigação Médica em Neurorradiologia—LIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (M.Y.B.); (E.M.D.)
| | - Leticia Fruchi Costa
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André 09210-580, Brazil; (L.F.C.); (A.S.C.); (K.L.)
| | - Aila Silveira Camara
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André 09210-580, Brazil; (L.F.C.); (A.S.C.); (K.L.)
| | - Katerina Lukasova
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André 09210-580, Brazil; (L.F.C.); (A.S.C.); (K.L.)
| | - Mariana Penteado Nucci
- Laboratório de Investigação Médica em Neurorradiologia—LIM44—Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (M.Y.B.); (E.M.D.)
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Meisler SL, Gabrieli JDE, Christodoulou JA. White matter microstructural plasticity associated with educational intervention in reading disability. IMAGING NEUROSCIENCE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2024; 2:10.1162/imag_a_00108. [PMID: 38974814 PMCID: PMC11225775 DOI: 10.1162/imag_a_00108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
Children's reading progress typically slows during extended breaks in formal education, such as summer vacations. This stagnation can be especially concerning for children with reading difficulties or disabilities, such as dyslexia, because of the potential to exacerbate the skills gap between them and their peers. Reading interventions can prevent skill loss and even lead to appreciable gains in reading ability during the summer. Longitudinal studies relating intervention response to brain changes can reveal educationally relevant insights into rapid learning-driven brain plasticity. The current work focused on reading outcomes and white matter connections, which enable communication among the brain regions required for proficient reading. We collected reading scores and diffusion-weighted images at the beginning and end of summer for 41 children with reading difficulties who had completed either 1st or 2nd grade. Children were randomly assigned to either receive an intensive reading intervention (n = 26; Seeing Stars from Lindamood-Bell which emphasizes orthographic fluency) or be deferred to a wait-list group (n = 15), enabling us to analyze how white matter properties varied across a wide spectrum of skill development and regression trajectories. On average, the intervention group had larger gains in reading compared to the non-intervention group, who declined in reading scores. Improvements on a proximal measure of orthographic processing (but not other more distal reading measures) were associated with decreases in mean diffusivity within core reading brain circuitry (left arcuate fasciculus and left inferior longitudinal fasciculus) and increases in fractional anisotropy in the left corticospinal tract. Our findings suggest that responses to intensive reading instruction are related predominantly to white matter plasticity in tracts most associated with reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven L. Meisler
- Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - John D. E. Gabrieli
- Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Joanna A. Christodoulou
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Charlestown, MA, United States
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6
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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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7
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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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8
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Shekari E, Nozari N. A narrative review of the anatomy and function of the white matter tracts in language production and comprehension. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1139292. [PMID: 37051488 PMCID: PMC10083342 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1139292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Much is known about the role of cortical areas in language processing. The shift towards network approaches in recent years has highlighted the importance of uncovering the role of white matter in connecting these areas. However, despite a large body of research, many of these tracts’ functions are not well-understood. We present a comprehensive review of the empirical evidence on the role of eight major tracts that are hypothesized to be involved in language processing (inferior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, extreme capsule, middle longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, arcuate fasciculus, and frontal aslant tract). For each tract, we hypothesize its role based on the function of the cortical regions it connects. We then evaluate these hypotheses with data from three sources: studies in neurotypical individuals, neuropsychological data, and intraoperative stimulation studies. Finally, we summarize the conclusions supported by the data and highlight the areas needing further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Shekari
- Department of Neuroscience, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nazbanou Nozari
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC), Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Nazbanou Nozari
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9
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Sánchez SM, Schmidt H, Gallardo G, Anwander A, Brauer J, Friederici AD, Knösche TR. White matter brain structure predicts language performance and learning success. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:1445-1455. [PMID: 36399515 PMCID: PMC9921223 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual differences in the ability to process language have long been discussed. Much of the neural basis of these, however, is yet unknown. Here we investigated the relationship between long-range white matter connectivity of the brain, as revealed by diffusion tractography, and the ability to process syntactically complex sentences in the participants' native language as well as the improvement thereof by multiday training. We identified specific network motifs by singular value decomposition that indeed related white matter structural connectivity to individual language processing performance. First, for two such motifs, one in the left and one in the right hemisphere, their individual prevalence significantly predicted the individual language performance, suggesting an anatomical predisposition for the individual ability to process syntactically complex sentences. Both motifs comprise a number of cortical regions, but seem to be dominated by areas known for the involvement in working memory rather than the classical language network itself. Second, we identified another left hemispheric network motif, whose change of prevalence over the training period significantly correlated with the individual change in performance, thus reflecting training induced white matter plasticity. This motif comprises diverse cortical areas including regions known for their involvement in language processing, working memory and motor functions. The present findings suggest that individual differences in language processing and learning can be explained, in part, by individual differences in the brain's white matter structure. Brain structure may be a crucial factor to be considered when discussing variations in human cognitive performance, more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella M Sánchez
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Brain Networks Group, Leipzig, Germany.,Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Helmut Schmidt
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Brain Networks Group, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Computer Science, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Guillermo Gallardo
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alfred Anwander
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jens Brauer
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Friedrich Schiller University, Office of the Vice-President for Young Researchers, Jena, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas R Knösche
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Brain Networks Group, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, TU Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Germany
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Meisler SL, Gabrieli JDE. Fiber-specific structural properties relate to reading skills in children and adolescents. eLife 2022; 11:e82088. [PMID: 36576253 PMCID: PMC9815823 DOI: 10.7554/elife.82088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that the cross-sectional relationship between reading skills and white matter microstructure, as indexed by fractional anisotropy, is not as robust as previously thought. Fixel-based analyses yield fiber-specific micro- and macrostructural measures, overcoming several shortcomings of the traditional diffusion tensor model. We ran a whole-brain analysis investigating whether the product of fiber density and cross-section (FDC) related to single-word reading skills in a large, open, quality-controlled dataset of 983 children and adolescents ages 6-18. We also compared FDC between participants with (n = 102) and without (n = 570) reading disabilities. We found that FDC positively related to reading skills throughout the brain, especially in left temporoparietal and cerebellar white matter, but did not differ between reading proficiency groups. Exploratory analyses revealed that among metrics from other diffusion models - diffusion tensor imaging, diffusion kurtosis imaging, and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging - only the orientation dispersion and neurite density indexes from NODDI were associated (inversely) with reading skills. The present findings further support the importance of left-hemisphere dorsal temporoparietal white matter tracts in reading. Additionally, these results suggest that future DWI studies of reading and dyslexia should be designed to benefit from advanced diffusion models, include cerebellar coverage, and consider continuous analyses that account for individual differences in reading skill.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Lee Meisler
- Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
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11
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Del Mauro G, Del Maschio N, Abutalebi J. The relationship between reading abilities and the left occipitotemporal sulcus: A dual perspective study. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2022; 235:105189. [PMID: 36260960 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2022.105189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Reading activates a region within the left lateral occipitotemporal sulcus (OTS) known as the 'visual word form area' (VWFA). While several studies have investigated the impact of reading on brain structure through neuroplastic mechanisms, it has been recently suggested that individual differences in the pattern of the posterior OTS may predict reading skills in adults. In the present study, we first examined whether the structure and morphology and the anatomical connectivity of the left OTS are associated to reading ability. Second, we explored whether reading skills are predicted by the pattern of the left OTS. We found that reading skills were positively associated with increased connectivity between the left OTS and a network of reading-related regions in the left hemisphere. On the other hand, we did not observe an association between the pattern of the left OTS and reading skills. Finally, we found evidence that the morphology and the connectivity of the left OTS are correlated to its sulcal pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianpaolo Del Mauro
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics (CNPL), Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Nicola Del Maschio
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics (CNPL), Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy; Facultyof Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Jubin Abutalebi
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics (CNPL), Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy; Facultyof Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy; TheArctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
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12
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Yu X, Ferradal S, Dunstan J, Carruthers C, Sanfilippo J, Zuk J, Zöllei L, Gagoski B, Ou Y, Grant PE, Gaab N. Patterns of Neural Functional Connectivity in Infants at Familial Risk of Developmental Dyslexia. JAMA Netw Open 2022; 5:e2236102. [PMID: 36301547 PMCID: PMC9614583 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.36102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Importance Developmental dyslexia is a heritable learning disability affecting 7% to 10% of the general population and can have detrimental impacts on mental health and vocational potential. Individuals with dyslexia show altered functional organization of the language and reading neural networks; however, it remains unknown how early in life these neural network alterations might emerge. Objective To determine whether the early emergence of large-scale neural functional connectivity (FC) underlying long-term language and reading development is altered in infants with a familial history of dyslexia (FHD). Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study included infants recruited at Boston Children's Hospital between May 2011 and February 2019. Participants underwent structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in the Department of Radiology at Boston Children's Hospital. Infants with FHD were matched with infants without FHD based on age and sex. Data were analyzed from April 2019 to June 2021. Exposures FHD was defined as having at least 1 first-degree relative with a dyslexia diagnosis or documented reading difficulties. Main Outcomes and Measures Whole-brain FC patterns associated with 20 predefined cerebral regions important for long-term language and reading development were computed for each infant. Multivariate pattern analyses were applied to identify specific FC patterns that differentiated between infants with vs without FHD. For classification performance estimates, 99% CIs were calculated as the classification accuracy minus chance level. Results A total of 98 infants (mean [SD] age, 8.5 [2.3] months; 51 [52.0%] girls) were analyzed, including 35 infants with FHD and 63 infants without FHD. Multivariate pattern analyses identified distinct FC patterns between infants with vs without FHD in the left fusiform gyrus (classification accuracy, 0.55 [99% CI, 0.046-0.062]; corrected P < .001; Cohen d = 0.76). Connections linking left fusiform gyrus to regions in the frontal and parietal language and attention networks were among the paths with the highest contributions to the classification performance. Conclusions and Relevance These findings suggest that on the group level, FHD was associated with an early onset of atypical FC of regions important for subsequent word form recognition during reading acquisition. Longitudinal studies linking the atypical functional network and school-age reading abilities will be essential to further elucidate the ontogenetic mechanisms underlying the development of dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Silvina Ferradal
- Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington
| | - Jade Dunstan
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Clarisa Carruthers
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Joseph Sanfilippo
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jennifer Zuk
- Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lilla Zöllei
- A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Borjan Gagoski
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yangming Ou
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - P. Ellen Grant
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts
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13
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Farah R, Glukhovsky N, Rosch K, Horowitz-Kraus T. Structural white matter characteristics for working memory and switching/inhibition in children with reading difficulties: The role of the left superior longitudinal fasciculus. Netw Neurosci 2022; 6:897-915. [PMID: 36605413 PMCID: PMC9810373 DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Reading difficulties (RDs) are characterized by slow and inaccurate reading as well as additional challenges in cognitive control (i.e., executive functions, especially in working memory, inhibition, and visual attention). Despite evidence demonstrating differences in these readers' language and visual processing abilities, white matter differences associated with executive functions (EFs) difficulties in children with RDs are scarce. Structural correlates for reading and EFs in 8- to 12-year-old children with RDs versus typical readers (TRs) were examined using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data. Results suggest that children with RDs showed significantly lower reading and EF abilities versus TRs. Lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in left temporo-parietal tracts was found in children with RDs, who also showed positive correlations between reading and working memory and switching/inhibition scores and FA in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). FA in the left SLF predicted working memory performance mediated by reading ability in children with RDs but not TRs. Our findings support alterations in white matter tracts related to working memory, switching/inhibition, and overall EF challenges in children with RDs and the linkage between working memory difficulties and FA alterations in the left SLF in children with RDs via reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Noam Glukhovsky
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Keri Rosch
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel,Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,* Corresponding Author:
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14
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Christodoulides P, Miltiadous A, Tzimourta KD, Peschos D, Ntritsos G, Zakopoulou V, Giannakeas N, Astrakas LG, Tsipouras MG, Tsamis KI, Glavas E, Tzallas AT. Classification of EEG signals from young adults with dyslexia combining a Brain Computer Interface device and an Interactive Linguistic Software Tool. Biomed Signal Process Control 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bspc.2022.103646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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15
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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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16
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Economou M, Billiet T, Wouters J, Ghesquière P, Vanderauwera J, Vandermosten M. Myelin water fraction in relation to fractional anisotropy and reading in 10-year-old children. Brain Struct Funct 2022; 227:2209-2217. [PMID: 35403895 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02486-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Diffusion-weighted imaging studies have repeatedly shown that white matter correlates with reading throughout development. However, the neurobiological interpretation of this relationship is constrained by the limited microstructural specificity of diffusion imaging. A critical component of white matter microstructure is myelin, which can be investigated noninvasively using MRI. Here, we examined the link between myelin water fraction (MWF) and reading ability in 10-year-old children (n = 69). To better understand this relationship, we additionally investigated how these two variables relate to fractional anisotropy (FA; a common index of diffusion-weighted imaging). Our analysis revealed that lower MWF coheres with better reading scores in left-hemispheric tracts relevant for reading. While we replicated previous reports on a positive relationship between FA and MWF, we did not find any evidence for an association between reading and FA. Together, these findings contrast previous research suggesting that poor reading abilities might be rooted in lower myelination and emphasize the need for further longitudinal research to understand how this relationship evolves throughout reading development. Altogether, this study contributes important insights into the role of myelin-related processes in the relationship between reading and white matter structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Economou
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Thibo Billiet
- Icometrix, Research and Development, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jolijn Vanderauwera
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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17
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Evidence of Altered Functional Connectivity at Rest in the Writing Network of Children with Dyslexia. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12020243. [PMID: 35204006 PMCID: PMC8869855 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12020243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Aim. Handwriting abilities in children with dyslexia (DYS) are not well documented in the current literature, and the presence of graphomotor impairment in addition to spelling impairment in dyslexia is controversial. Using resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC), the present study aims to answer the following question: are there markers of graphomotor impairment at rest in DYS children? Method. The participants were children with DYS and typically developing (TD) children (n = 32) from French-speaking primary schools (Mage = 9.3 years). The behavioural evaluation consisted of spelling and handwriting measures. Participants underwent a resting-state fMRI scan. Results. Analyses of RSFC focused on a brain region responsible for graphomotor processes—the graphemic/motor frontal area (GMFA). The RSFC between the GMFA and all other voxels of the brain was measured. Whole-brain ANOVAs were run to compare RSFC in DYS and TD children. The results demonstrated reduced RSFC in DYS compared to TD between the GMFA and brain areas involved in both spelling processes and motor-related processes. Conclusions. For the first time, this study highlighted a disruption of the writing network in DYS. By identifying functional markers of both spelling and handwriting deficits at rest in young DYS participants, this study supports the presence of graphomotor impairment in dyslexia.
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18
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OUP accepted manuscript. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:4684-4697. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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19
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Romanovska L, Bonte M. How Learning to Read Changes the Listening Brain. Front Psychol 2021; 12:726882. [PMID: 34987442 PMCID: PMC8721231 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.726882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Reading acquisition reorganizes existing brain networks for speech and visual processing to form novel audio-visual language representations. This requires substantial cortical plasticity that is reflected in changes in brain activation and functional as well as structural connectivity between brain areas. The extent to which a child's brain can accommodate these changes may underlie the high variability in reading outcome in both typical and dyslexic readers. In this review, we focus on reading-induced functional changes of the dorsal speech network in particular and discuss how its reciprocal interactions with the ventral reading network contributes to reading outcome. We discuss how the dynamic and intertwined development of both reading networks may be best captured by approaching reading from a skill learning perspective, using audio-visual learning paradigms and longitudinal designs to follow neuro-behavioral changes while children's reading skills unfold.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Milene Bonte
- *Correspondence: Linda Romanovska, ; Milene Bonte,
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20
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Eberhard-Moscicka AK, Jost LB, Daum MM, Maurer U. Predicting Reading From Behavioral and Neural Measures - A Longitudinal Event-Related Potential Study. Front Psychol 2021; 12:733494. [PMID: 34916991 PMCID: PMC8669350 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.733494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluent reading is characterized by fast and effortless decoding of visual and phonological information. Here we used event-related potentials (ERPs) and neuropsychological testing to probe the neurocognitive basis of reading in a sample of children with a wide range of reading skills. We report data of 51 children who were measured at two time points, i.e., at the end of first grade (mean age 7.6 years) and at the end of fourth grade (mean age 10.5 years). The aim of this study was to clarify whether next to behavioral measures also basic unimodal and bimodal neural measures help explaining the variance in the later reading outcome. Specifically, we addressed the question of whether next to the so far investigated unimodal measures of N1 print tuning and mismatch negativity (MMN), a bimodal measure of audiovisual integration (AV) contributes and possibly enhances prediction of the later reading outcome. We found that the largest variance in reading was explained by the behavioral measures of rapid automatized naming (RAN), block design and vocabulary (46%). Furthermore, we demonstrated that both unimodal measures of N1 print tuning (16%) and filtered MMN (7%) predicted reading, suggesting that N1 print tuning at the early stage of reading acquisition is a particularly good predictor of the later reading outcome. Beyond the behavioral measures, the two unimodal neural measures explained 7.2% additional variance in reading, indicating that basic neural measures can improve prediction of the later reading outcome over behavioral measures alone. In this study, the AV congruency effect did not significantly predict reading. It is therefore possible that audiovisual congruency effects reflect higher levels of multisensory integration that may be less important for reading acquisition in the first year of learning to read, and that they may potentially gain on relevance later on.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra K. Eberhard-Moscicka
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Perception and Eye Movement Laboratory, Department of Neurology and BioMedical Research, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lea B. Jost
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Neuroscience and Movement Science, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Moritz M. Daum
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Urs Maurer
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
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21
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Palser ER, Morris NA, Roy ARK, Holley SR, Veziris CR, Watson C, Deleon J, Miller ZA, Miller BL, Gorno-Tempini ML, Sturm VE. Children with developmental dyslexia show elevated parasympathetic nervous system activity at rest and greater cardiac deceleration during an empathy task. Biol Psychol 2021; 166:108203. [PMID: 34653546 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Reading difficulties are the hallmark feature of dyslexia, but less is known about other areas of functioning. Previously, we found children with dyslexia exhibited heightened emotional reactivity, which correlated with better social skills. Whether emotional differences in dyslexia extend to the parasympathetic nervous system-an autonomic branch critical for attention, social engagement, and empathy-is unknown. Here, we measured autonomic nervous system activity in 24 children with dyslexia and 24 children without dyslexia, aged 7 - 12, at rest and during a film-based empathy task. At rest, children with dyslexia had higher respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) than those without dyslexia. Cardiac deceleration during the empathy task was greater in dyslexia and correlated with higher resting RSA across the sample. Children with dyslexia produced more facial expressions of concentration during film-viewing, suggesting greater engagement. These results suggest elevated resting parasympathetic activity and accentuated autonomic and behavioral responding to others' emotions in dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor R Palser
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Nathaniel A Morris
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Ashlin R K Roy
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Sarah R Holley
- Psychology Department, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94131, USA
| | - Christina R Veziris
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Christa Watson
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Jessica Deleon
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Zachary A Miller
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Bruce L Miller
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94131, USA
| | - Virginia E Sturm
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94131, USA.
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22
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Brain-behavior dynamics between the left fusiform and reading. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 227:587-597. [PMID: 34510280 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02372-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The visual word form area (VWFA) plays a significant role in the development of reading skills. However, the developmental course and anatomical properties of the VWFA have only limitedly been investigated. The aim of the current longitudinal MRI study was to investigate dynamic, bidirectional relations between reading, and the structure of the left fusiform gyrus at the early-to-advanced reading stage. More specifically, by means of bivariate correlations and a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM), the interrelations between the size of the left fusiform gyrus and reading skills (an average score of a word and pseudo-word reading task) were studied in a longitudinal cohort of 43 Flemish children (29M, 14F) with variable reading skills in grade 2 (the early stage of reading) and grade 5 (the advanced stage of reading) of primary school. Results revealed that better reading skills at grade 2 lead to a larger size of the left fusiform gyrus at grade 5, whereas there are no directional effects between the size of the left fusiform gyrus at grade 2 and reading skills at grade 5. Hence, according to our results, there is behavior-driven brain plasticity and no brain-driven reading change between the early and advanced stage of reading. Together with pre-reading brain studies showing predictive relations to later reading scores, our results suggest that the direction of brain-behavioral influences changes throughout the course of reading development.
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Koirala N, Perdue MV, Su X, Grigorenko EL, Landi N. Neurite density and arborization is associated with reading skill and phonological processing in children. Neuroimage 2021; 241:118426. [PMID: 34303796 PMCID: PMC8539928 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Studies exploring neuroanatomic correlates of reading have associated white matter tissue properties with reading disability and related componential skills (e.g., phonological and single-word reading skills). Mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) are widely used surrogate measures of tissue microstructure with high sensitivity; however, they lack specificity for individual microstructural features. Here we investigated neurite features with higher specificity in order to explore the underlying microstructural architecture. Methods: Diffusion weighted images (DWI) and a battery of behavioral and neuropsychological assessments were obtained from 412 children (6 – 16 years of age). Neurite indices influenced by orientation and density were attained from 23 major white matter tracts. Partial correlations were calculated between neurite indices and indicators of phonological processing and single-word reading skills using age, sex, and image quality metrics as covariates. In addition, mediation analysis was performed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate the indirect effect of phonological processing on reading skills. Results: We observed that orientation dispersion index (ODI) and neurite density index (NDI) were negatively correlated with single-word reading and phonological processing skills in several tracts previously shown to have structural correlates with reading efficiency. We also observed a significant and substantial effect in which phonological processing mediated the relationship between neurite indices and reading skills in most tracts. Conclusions: In sum, we established that better reading and phonological processing skills are associated with greater tract coherence (lower ODI) and lower neurite density (lower NDI). We interpret these findings as evidence that reading is associated with neural architecture and its efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nabin Koirala
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, Connecticut, United States.
| | - Meaghan V Perdue
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, Connecticut, United States; Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Connecticut, United States
| | - Xing Su
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
| | - Elena L Grigorenko
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, Connecticut, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Texas, United States
| | - Nicole Landi
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, Connecticut, United States; Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Connecticut, United States
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Ostertag C, Reynolds JE, Dewey D, Landman B, Huo Y, Lebel C. Altered gray matter development in pre-reading children with a family history of reading disorder. Dev Sci 2021; 25:e13160. [PMID: 34278658 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Reading disorders are common in children and can impact academic success, mental health, and career prospects. Reading is supported by network of interconnected left hemisphere brain regions, including temporo-parietal, occipito-temporal, and inferior-frontal circuits. Poor readers often show hypoactivation and reduced gray matter volumes in this reading network, with hyperactivation and increased volumes in the posterior right hemisphere. We assessed gray matter development longitudinally in pre-reading children aged 2-5 years using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (N = 32, 110 MRI scans; mean age: 4.40 ± 0.77 years), half of whom had a family history of reading disorder. The family history group showed slower proportional growth (relative to total brain volume) in the left supramarginal and inferior frontal gyri, and faster proportional growth in the right angular, right fusiform, and bilateral lingual gyri. This suggests delayed development of left hemisphere reading areas in children with a family history of dyslexia, along with faster growth in right homologues. This alternate development pattern may predispose the brain to later reading difficulties and may later manifest as the commonly noted compensatory mechanisms. The results of this study further shows our understanding of structural brain alterations that may form the neurological basis of reading difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Curtis Ostertag
- Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Owerko Centre, Alberta Children Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Jess E Reynolds
- Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Owerko Centre, Alberta Children Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Deborah Dewey
- Owerko Centre, Alberta Children Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Bennett Landman
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Yuankai Huo
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Catherine Lebel
- Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Owerko Centre, Alberta Children Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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25
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Perani D, Scifo P, Cicchini GM, Rosa PD, Banfi C, Mascheretti S, Falini A, Marino C, Morrone MC. White matter deficits correlate with visual motion perception impairments in dyslexic carriers of the DCDC2 genetic risk variant. Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:2725-2740. [PMID: 34228165 PMCID: PMC8448712 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06137-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Motion perception deficits in dyslexia show a large intersubjective variability, partly reflecting genetic factors influencing brain architecture development. In previous work, we have demonstrated that dyslexic carriers of a mutation of the DCDC2 gene have a very strong impairment in motion perception. In the present study, we investigated structural white matter alterations associated with the poor motion perception in a cohort of twenty dyslexics with a subgroup carrying the DCDC2 gene deletion (DCDC2d+) and a subgroup without the risk variant (DCDC2d–). We observed significant deficits in motion contrast sensitivity and in motion direction discrimination accuracy at high contrast, stronger in the DCDC2d+ group. Both motion perception impairments correlated significantly with the fractional anisotropy in posterior ventral and dorsal tracts, including early visual pathways both along the optic radiation and in proximity of occipital cortex, MT and VWFA. However, the DCDC2d+ group showed stronger correlations between FA and motion perception impairments than the DCDC2d– group in early visual white matter bundles, including the optic radiations, and in ventral pathways located in the left inferior temporal cortex. Our results suggest that the DCDC2d+ group experiences higher vulnerability in visual motion processing even at early stages of visual analysis, which might represent a specific feature associated with the genotype and provide further neurobiological support to the visual-motion deficit account of dyslexia in a specific subpopulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Perani
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.,C.E.R.M.A.C. (Centro di Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo), Milan, Italy.,Nuclear Medicine Department, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Scifo
- C.E.R.M.A.C. (Centro di Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo), Milan, Italy.,Nuclear Medicine Department, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Guido M Cicchini
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy.
| | - Pasquale Della Rosa
- C.E.R.M.A.C. (Centro di Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo), Milan, Italy.,Unit of Neuroradiology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Banfi
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Sara Mascheretti
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute Eugenio Medea, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Andrea Falini
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.,C.E.R.M.A.C. (Centro di Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo), Milan, Italy.,Unit of Neuroradiology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Cecilia Marino
- Department of Psychiatry, Unviersity of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Child and Youth Psychiatry, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Canada
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.,Scientific Institute Stella Maris (IRCSS), Pisa, Italy
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26
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Phan TV, Sima D, Smeets D, Ghesquière P, Wouters J, Vandermosten M. Structural brain dynamics across reading development: A longitudinal MRI study from kindergarten to grade 5. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:4497-4509. [PMID: 34197028 PMCID: PMC8410537 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary education is the incubator for learning academic skills that help children to become a literate, communicative, and independent person. Over this learning period, nonlinear and regional changes in the brain occur, but how these changes relate to academic performance, such as reading ability, is still unclear. In the current study, we analyzed longitudinal T1 MRI data of 41 children in order to investigate typical cortical development during the early reading stage (end of kindergarten-end of grade 2) and advanced reading stage (end of grade 2-middle of grade 5), and to detect putative deviant trajectories in children with dyslexia. The structural brain change was quantified with a reliable measure that directly calculates the local morphological differences between brain images of two time points, while considering the global head growth. When applying this measure to investigate typical cortical development, we observed that left temporal and temporoparietal regions belonging to the reading network exhibited an increase during the early reading stage and stabilized during the advanced reading stage. This suggests that the natural plasticity window for reading is within the first years of primary school, hence earlier than the typical period for reading intervention. Concerning neurotrajectories in children with dyslexia compared to typical readers, we observed no differences in gray matter development of the left reading network, but we found different neurotrajectories in right IFG opercularis (during the early reading stage) and in right isthmus cingulate (during the advanced reading stage), which could reflect compensatory neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thanh Van Phan
- icometrix, Research and Development, Leuven, Belgium.,Experimental Oto-rhino-laryngology, Department Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Diana Sima
- icometrix, Research and Development, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dirk Smeets
- icometrix, Research and Development, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Experimental Oto-rhino-laryngology, Department Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Experimental Oto-rhino-laryngology, Department Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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27
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Abstract
The scientific study of reading has a rich history that spans disciplines from vision science to linguistics, psychology, cognitive neuroscience, neurology, and education. The study of reading can elucidate important general mechanisms in spatial vision, attentional control, object recognition, and perceptual learning, as well as the principles of plasticity and cortical topography. However, literacy also prompts the development of specific neural circuits to process a unique and artificial stimulus. In this review, we describe the sequence of operations that transforms visual features into language, how the key neural circuits are sculpted by experience during development, and what goes awry in children for whom learning to read is a struggle. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Vision Science, Volume 7 is September 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason D Yeatman
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, California 93405, USA; .,Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA.,Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Alex L White
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, California 93405, USA; .,Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA.,Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Barnard College, New York, New York 10027, USA
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28
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The Neurological Basis of Developmental Dyslexia and Related Disorders: A Reappraisal of the Temporal Hypothesis, Twenty Years on. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11060708. [PMID: 34071786 PMCID: PMC8229928 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
In a now-classic article published a couple of decades ago (Brain, 2000; 123: 2373-2399), I proposed an "extended temporal processing deficit hypothesis of dyslexia", suggesting that a deficit in temporal processing could explain not only language-related peculiarities usually noticed in dyslexic children, but also a wider range of symptoms related to impaired processing of time in general. In the present review paper, I will revisit this "historical" hypothesis both in the light of a new clinical perspective, including the central yet poorly explained notion of comorbidity, and also taking a new look at the most recent experimental work, mainly focusing on brain imaging data. First, consistent with daily clinical practice, I propose to distinguish three groups of children who fail to learn to read, of fairly equal occurrence, who share the same initial presentation (difficulty in mastering the rules of grapheme-phoneme correspondence) but with differing associated signs and/or comorbid conditions (language disorders in the first group, attentional deficits in the second one, and motor coordination problems in the last one), thus suggesting, at least in part, potentially different triggering mechanisms. It is then suggested, in the light of brain imaging information available to date, that the three main clinical presentations/associations of cognitive impairments that compromise reading skills acquisition correspond to three distinct patterns of miswiring or "disconnectivity" in specific brain networks which have in common their involvement in the process of learning and their heavy reliance on temporal features of information processing. With reference to the classic temporal processing deficit of dyslexia and to recent evidence of an inability of the dyslexic brain to achieve adequate coupling of oscillatory brain activity to the temporal features of external events, a general model is proposed according to which a common mechanism of temporal uncoupling between various disconnected-and/or mis-wired-processors may account for distinct forms of specific learning disorders, with reading impairment being a more or less constant feature. Finally, the potential therapeutic implications of such a view are considered, with special emphasis on methods seeking to enhance cross-modal connectivity between separate brain systems, including those using rhythmic and musical training in dyslexic patients.
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29
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Partanen M, Kim DHC, Rauscher A, Siegel LS, Giaschi DE. White matter but not grey matter predicts change in reading skills after intervention. DYSLEXIA (CHICHESTER, ENGLAND) 2021; 27:224-244. [PMID: 32959479 DOI: 10.1002/dys.1668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This study examined changes in white matter microstructure and grey matter volume, cortical thickness, and cortical surface area before and after reading intervention. Participants included 22 average readers and 13 dyslexic readers (8-9 years old in third grade); the dyslexic readers were enrolled in reading intervention programs at their elementary school. Participants completed scans of diffusion tensor imaging and T1-weighted MRI before and after 3 months of instruction. An a priori region of interest (ROI) analysis was used. Dyslexic readers, compared to average readers, showed higher mean diffusivity in white matter ROIs including bilateral inferior frontal, bilateral insula, left superior temporal, and right supramarginal gyri across time points. Dyslexic readers also had thicker cortex in left fusiform and bilateral supramarginal gyri; whereas, average readers had greater surface area in right fusiform across time. There were no significant changes in white or grey matter following intervention; however, mean diffusivity in the right hemisphere was associated with reading gains over time. White matter organization in the right hemisphere predicts reading changes, and dyslexic readers may have persistent differences in white and grey matter due to ongoing reading deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marita Partanen
- Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Danny H C Kim
- B.C. Children's Hospital MRI Research Facility, B.C. Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Alexander Rauscher
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Linda S Siegel
- Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Deborah E Giaschi
- B.C. Children's Hospital MRI Research Facility, B.C. Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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30
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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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31
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Sturm VE, Roy ARK, Datta S, Wang C, Sible IJ, Holley SR, Watson C, Palser ER, Morris NA, Battistella G, Rah E, Meyer M, Pakvasa M, Mandelli ML, Deleon J, Hoeft F, Caverzasi E, Miller ZA, Shapiro KA, Hendren R, Miller BL, Gorno-Tempini ML. Enhanced visceromotor emotional reactivity in dyslexia and its relation to salience network connectivity. Cortex 2021; 134:278-295. [PMID: 33316603 PMCID: PMC7880083 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder mainly defined by reading difficulties. During reading, individuals with dyslexia exhibit hypoactivity in left-lateralized language systems. Lower activity in one brain circuit can be accompanied by greater activity in another, and, here, we examined whether right-hemisphere-based emotional reactivity may be elevated in dyslexia. We measured emotional reactivity (i.e., facial behavior, physiological activity, and subjective experience) in 54 children ages 7-12 with (n = 32) and without (n = 22) dyslexia while they viewed emotion-inducing film clips. Participants also underwent task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging. Parents of children with dyslexia completed the Behavior Assessment System for Children, which assesses real-world behavior. During film viewing, children with dyslexia exhibited significantly greater reactivity in emotional facial behavior, skin conductance level, and respiration rate than those without dyslexia. Across the sample, greater emotional facial behavior correlated with stronger connectivity between right ventral anterior insula and right pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pFWE<.05), key salience network hubs. In children with dyslexia, greater emotional facial behavior related to better real-world social skills and higher anxiety and depression. Our findings suggest there is heightened visceromotor emotional reactivity in dyslexia, which may lead to interpersonal strengths as well as affective vulnerabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia E Sturm
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Ashlin R K Roy
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Samir Datta
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Cheng Wang
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Isabel J Sible
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Sarah R Holley
- Department of Psychology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Christa Watson
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Eleanor R Palser
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Nathaniel A Morris
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Giovanni Battistella
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Esther Rah
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Marita Meyer
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Mikhail Pakvasa
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Maria Luisa Mandelli
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Jessica Deleon
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Fumiko Hoeft
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Eduardo Caverzasi
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Zachary A Miller
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Kevin A Shapiro
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Robert Hendren
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Bruce L Miller
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini
- Department of Neurology, University of California, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Sandler Neurosciences Center, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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32
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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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33
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The relation between neurofunctional and neurostructural determinants of phonological processing in pre-readers. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 46:100874. [PMID: 33130464 PMCID: PMC7606842 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Phonological processing skills are known as the most robust cognitive predictor of reading ability. Therefore, the neural determinants of phonological processing have been extensively investigated by means of either neurofunctional or neurostructural techniques. However, to fully understand how the brain represents and processes phonological information, there is need for studies that combine both methods. The present study applies such a multimodal approach with the aim of investigating the pre-reading relation between neural measures of auditory temporal processing, white matter properties of the reading network and phonological processing skills. We administered auditory steady-state responses, diffusion-weighted MRI scans and phonological awareness tasks in 59 pre-readers. Our results demonstrate that a stronger rightward lateralization of syllable-rate (4 Hz) processing coheres with higher fractional anisotropy in the left fronto-temporoparietal arcuate fasciculus. Both neural features each in turn relate to better phonological processing skills. As such, the current study provides novel evidence for the existence of a pre-reading relation between functional measures of syllable-rate processing, structural organization of the arcuate fasciculus and cognitive precursors of reading development. Moreover, our findings demonstrate the value of combining different neural techniques to gain insight in the underlying neural systems for reading (dis)ability.
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34
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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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35
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Vander Stappen C, Dricot L, Van Reybroeck M. RAN training in dyslexia: Behavioral and brain correlates. Neuropsychologia 2020; 146:107566. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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36
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Benischek A, Long X, Rohr CS, Bray S, Dewey D, Lebel C. Pre-reading language abilities and the brain’s functional reading network in young children. Neuroimage 2020; 217:116903. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
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37
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Yu X, Zuk J, Perdue MV, Ozernov‐Palchik O, Raney T, Beach SD, Norton ES, Ou Y, Gabrieli JDE, Gaab N. Putative protective neural mechanisms in prereaders with a family history of dyslexia who subsequently develop typical reading skills. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:2827-2845. [PMID: 32166830 PMCID: PMC7294063 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 01/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia affects 40-60% of children with a familial risk (FHD+) compared to a general prevalence of 5-10%. Despite the increased risk, about half of FHD+ children develop typical reading abilities (FHD+Typical). Yet the underlying neural characteristics of favorable reading outcomes in at-risk children remain unknown. Utilizing a retrospective, longitudinal approach, this study examined whether putative protective neural mechanisms can be observed in FHD+Typical at the prereading stage. Functional and structural brain characteristics were examined in 47 FHD+ prereaders who subsequently developed typical (n = 35) or impaired (n = 12) reading abilities and 34 controls (FHD-Typical). Searchlight-based multivariate pattern analyses identified distinct activation patterns during phonological processing between FHD+Typical and FHD-Typical in right inferior frontal gyrus (RIFG) and left temporo-parietal cortex (LTPC) regions. Follow-up analyses on group-specific classification patterns demonstrated LTPC hypoactivation in FHD+Typical compared to FHD-Typical, suggesting this neural characteristic as an FHD+ phenotype. In contrast, RIFG showed hyperactivation in FHD+Typical than FHD-Typical, and its activation pattern was positively correlated with subsequent reading abilities in FHD+ but not controls (FHD-Typical). RIFG hyperactivation in FHD+Typical was further associated with increased interhemispheric functional and structural connectivity. These results suggest that some protective neural mechanisms are already established in FHD+Typical prereaders supporting their typical reading development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and LearningBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Jennifer Zuk
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Meaghan V. Perdue
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of Psychological SciencesUniversity of ConnecticutStorrsConnecticutUSA
- Haskins LaboratoriesNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Ola Ozernov‐Palchik
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Talia Raney
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Sara D. Beach
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
- Division of Medical SciencesHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Elizabeth S. Norton
- Department of Communication Sciences and DisordersNorthwestern UniversityEvanstonIllinoisUSA
| | - Yangming Ou
- Division of Newborn MedicineBoston Children’s HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Fetal‐Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science CenterBoston Children’s HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of RadiologyBoston Children’s HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - John D. E. Gabrieli
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of MedicineBoston Children's HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of PediatricsHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Harvard Graduate School of EducationCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
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38
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Association between diffusivity measures and language and cognitive-control abilities from early toddler’s age to childhood. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:1103-1122. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02062-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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39
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Ekerdt CEM, Kühn C, Anwander A, Brauer J, Friederici AD. Word learning reveals white matter plasticity in preschool children. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:607-619. [PMID: 32072249 PMCID: PMC7046568 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02024-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Word learning plays a central role in language development and is a key predictor for later academic success. The underlying neural basis of successful word learning in children is still unknown. Here, we took advantage of the opportunity afforded by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging to investigate neural plasticity in the white matter of typically developing preschool children as they learn words. We demonstrate that after 3 weeks of word learning, children showed significantly larger increases of fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left precentral white matter compared to two control groups. Average training accuracy was correlated with FA change in the white matter underlying the left dorsal postcentral gyrus, with children who learned more slowly showing larger FA increases in this region. Moreover, we found that the status of white matter in the left middle temporal gyrus, assumed to support semantic processes, is predictive for early stages of word learning. Our findings provide the first evidence for white matter plasticity following word learning in preschool children. The present results on learning novel words in children point to a key involvement of the left fronto-parietal fiber connection, known to be implicated in top-down attention as well as working memory. While working memory and attention have been discussed to participate in word learning in children, our training study provides evidence that the neural structure supporting these cognitive processes plays a direct role in word learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara E M Ekerdt
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Clara Kühn
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alfred Anwander
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jens Brauer
- 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
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40
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Asaridou SS, Demir-Lira ÖE, Goldin-Meadow S, Levine SC, Small SL. Language development and brain reorganization in a child born without the left hemisphere. Cortex 2020; 127:290-312. [PMID: 32259667 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Revised: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
We present a case of a 14-year-old girl born without the left hemisphere due to prenatal left internal carotid occlusion. We combined longitudinal language and cognitive assessments with functional and structural neuroimaging data to situate the case within age-matched, typically developing children. Despite having had a delay in getting language off the ground during the preschool years, our case performed within the normal range on a variety of standardized language tests, and exceptionally well on phonology and word reading, during the elementary and middle school years. Moreover, her spatial, number, and reasoning skills also fell in the average to above-average range based on assessments during these time periods. Functional MRI data revealed activation in right fronto-temporal areas when listening to short stories, resembling the bilateral activation patterns in age-matched typically developing children. Diffusion MRI data showed significantly larger dorsal white matter association tracts (the direct and anterior segments of the arcuate fasciculus) connecting areas active during language processing in her remaining right hemisphere, compared to either hemisphere in control children. We hypothesize that these changes in functional and structural brain organization are the result of compensatory brain plasticity, manifesting in unusually large right dorsal tracts, and exceptional performance in phonology, speech repetition, and decoding. More specifically, we posit that our case's large white matter connections might have played a compensatory role by providing fast and reliable transfer of information between cortical areas for language in the right hemisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salomi S Asaridou
- University of California, Irvine, Department of Neurology, Biological Sciences III, Irvine, CA, USA.
| | - Ö Ece Demir-Lira
- The University of Iowa, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, DeLTA Center, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Susan Goldin-Meadow
- Department of Psychology, Center for Gesture, Sign and Language, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Susan C Levine
- University of Chicago, Department of Psychology, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Steven L Small
- University of California, Irvine, Department of Neurology, Biological Sciences III, Irvine, CA, USA
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41
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Maternal reading and fluency abilities are associated with diffusion properties of ventral and dorsal white matter tracts in their preschool-age children. Brain Cogn 2020; 140:105532. [PMID: 32007789 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105532] [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: 01/02/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Early language exposure and shared parent-child reading, as assessed by maternal reading ability and fluency, affect the child's future language and cognitive abilities. The aim of the current study was to explore the association between maternal reading ability and fluency and diffusion properties of language- and cognition-related white matter tracts in their pre-school age children using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). DTI data were acquired from fifteen girls (mean age: 3.83 ± 0.49 years). Reading ability and fluency were assessed in their mothers. Effects of hemisphere and node on diffusion properties were measured at 100 points along white matter tracts related to language and cognitive abilities. Significant positive correlations were found between maternal reading ability and fractional anisotropy in left and right dorsal and ventral language and executive functions-related tracts, while maternal reading fluency was associated with higher fractional anisotropy in ventral tracts, mainly in the left hemisphere. Fractional Anisotropy was significantly higher in the left compared to the right arcuate, cingulum cingulate, and inferior longitudinal fasciculus and higher in the right compared to the left superior longitudinal fasciculus. Our results signify the importance of maternal reading as a facilitator of the child's future language and cognitive abilities.
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42
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Correlation between diffusion tensor imaging measures and the reading and cognitive performance of Arabic readers: dyslexic children perspective. Neuroradiology 2020; 62:525-531. [PMID: 31955236 DOI: 10.1007/s00234-020-02368-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate the correlation between the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures and the reading, spelling, writing, rapid naming, memory, and motor abilities in Arabic dyslexic children. This could verify the influence of possible white matter alterations on the abilities of those children. METHODS Twenty native Arabic-speaking children with dyslexia (15 males and 5 females; 8.2 years ± 1) underwent DTI of the brain on 1.5 T scanner. Diffusion-weighted images were acquired in 32 noncollinear direction. Tractography of the arcuate fasciculus (AF) was performed. Region of interest (ROI)-based approach was also used. Regions encompass superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), anterior and superior corona radiata (CR), and posterior limb of internal capsule (PLIC) were analyzed. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were measured. The aptitudes of those children were evaluated by the dyslexia assessment test. These abilities were statistically correlated with the FA and ADC of the AF and other ROIs. RESULTS The reduction of FA of right AF was related to worse overall reading and related abilities performance. The ADC of right SLF was negatively correlated with memory abilities. The ADC of right PLIC was positively correlated with writing performance. Other relations were also found. CONCLUSION White matter microstructural DTI measurements in the right AF, right PLIC, SLF, and left anterior and superior CR are correlated to reading, spelling, writing, memory, and rapid naming abilities of the participants. The DTI measures could be promising regarding their use as a biomarker for follow-up in developmental dyslexia.
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43
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Beelen C, Vanderauwera J, Wouters J, Vandermosten M, Ghesquière P. Atypical gray matter in children with dyslexia before the onset of reading instruction. Cortex 2019; 121:399-413. [PMID: 31704534 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Revised: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Many studies have focused on neuroanatomical anomalies in dyslexia, yet primarily in school-aged children and adults. In the present study, we investigated gray matter surface area and cortical thickness at the pre-reading stage in a cohort of 54 children, 31 with a family risk for dyslexia and 23 without a family risk for dyslexia, of whom 16 children developed dyslexia. Surface-based analyses in the core regions of the reading network in the left hemisphere and in the corresponding right hemispheric regions were performed in FreeSurfer. Results revealed that pre-readers who develop dyslexia show reduced surface area in bilateral fusiform gyri. In addition, anomalies related to a family risk for dyslexia, irrespectively of later reading ability, were observed in the area of the bilateral inferior and middle temporal gyri. Differences were apparent in surface area, as opposed to cortical thickness. Results indicate that the neuroanatomical anomalies, since they are observed in the pre-reading phase, are not the consequence of impoverished reading experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Beelen
- Parenting & Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jolijn Vanderauwera
- Parenting & Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting & Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
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44
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Geva S, Fernyhough C. A Penny for Your Thoughts: Children's Inner Speech and Its Neuro-Development. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1708. [PMID: 31474897 PMCID: PMC6702515 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Inner speech emerges in early childhood, in parallel with the maturation of the dorsal language stream. To date, the developmental relations between these two processes have not been examined. We review evidence that the dorsal language stream has a role in supporting the psychological phenomenon of inner speech, before considering pediatric studies of the dorsal stream's anatomical development and evidence for its emerging functional roles. We examine possible causal accounts of the relations between these two developmental processes and consider their implications for phylogenetic theories about the evolution of inner speech and the accounts of the ontogenetic relations between language and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Geva
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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45
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Reynolds JE, Long X, Grohs MN, Dewey D, Lebel C. Structural and functional asymmetry of the language network emerge in early childhood. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 39:100682. [PMID: 31376589 PMCID: PMC6969356 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Macrostructural asymmetry of the arcuate fasciculus is present by age 2 years. Microstructural and functional asymmetry in the IFG increases across early childhood. Left arcuate microstructure is related to pre-reading language skills. Asymmetry is not related to pre-reading skills in early childhood.
Structural and functional neuroimaging studies show language and reading processes are left-lateralized, and associated with a dispersed group of left brain regions. However, it is unclear when and how asymmetry of these regions emerges. We characterized the development of structural and functional asymmetry of the language network in 386 datasets from 117 healthy children (58 male) across early childhood (2–7.5 years). Structural asymmetry was investigated using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and manual delineation of the arcuate fasciculus. Functional connectivity asymmetry was calculated from seed regions in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and middle temporal gyrus (MTG). We show that macrostructural asymmetry of the arcuate fasciculus is present by age 2 years, while leftward asymmetry of microstructure and functional connectivity with the IFG increases across the age range. This emerging microstructural and functional asymmetry likely underlie the development of language and reading skills during this time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jess E Reynolds
- Department of Radiology, Canada; Owerko Centre, Alberta Children Hospital Research Institute, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Canada
| | - Xiangyu Long
- Department of Radiology, Canada; Owerko Centre, Alberta Children Hospital Research Institute, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Canada
| | - Melody N Grohs
- Owerko Centre, Alberta Children Hospital Research Institute, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Canada; Cumming School of Medicine, Canada
| | - Deborah Dewey
- Owerko Centre, Alberta Children Hospital Research Institute, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, Canada; Department of Community Health Sciences, Canada
| | - Catherine Lebel
- Department of Radiology, Canada; Owerko Centre, Alberta Children Hospital Research Institute, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Canada.
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46
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Vandermosten M, Correia J, Vanderauwera J, Wouters J, Ghesquière P, Bonte M. Brain activity patterns of phonemic representations are atypical in beginning readers with family risk for dyslexia. Dev Sci 2019; 23:e12857. [PMID: 31090993 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
There is an ongoing debate whether phonological deficits in dyslexics should be attributed to (a) less specified representations of speech sounds, like suggested by studies in young children with a familial risk for dyslexia, or (b) to an impaired access to these phonemic representations, as suggested by studies in adults with dyslexia. These conflicting findings are rooted in between study differences in sample characteristics and/or testing techniques. The current study uses the same multivariate functional MRI (fMRI) approach as previously used in adults with dyslexia to investigate phonemic representations in 30 beginning readers with a familial risk and 24 beginning readers without a familial risk of dyslexia, of whom 20 were later retrospectively classified as dyslexic. Based on fMRI response patterns evoked by listening to different utterances of /bA/ and /dA/ sounds, multivoxel analyses indicate that the underlying activation patterns of the two phonemes were distinct in children with a low family risk but not in children with high family risk. However, no group differences were observed between children that were later classified as typical versus dyslexic readers, regardless of their family risk status, indicating that poor phonemic representations constitute a risk for dyslexia but are not sufficient to result in reading problems. We hypothesize that poor phonemic representations are trait (family risk) and not state (dyslexia) dependent, and that representational deficits only lead to reading difficulties when they are present in conjunction with other neuroanatomical or-functional deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maaike Vandermosten
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neuroscience, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Cognitive Neuroscience and Maastricht Brain Imaging Center, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Joao Correia
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience and Maastricht Brain Imaging Center, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Jolijn Vanderauwera
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neuroscience, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Research Group ExpORL, Department of Neuroscience, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Milene Bonte
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience and Maastricht Brain Imaging Center, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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47
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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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48
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Kershner JR. Neuroscience and education: Cerebral lateralization of networks and oscillations in dyslexia. Laterality 2019; 25:109-125. [PMID: 30987535 DOI: 10.1080/1357650x.2019.1606820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Liaison between neuroscience and education has resulted in significant advances in our understanding of the neurobiological learning requirements of individuals with reading disability, the neuroplasticity of the developing brain, and the participation of the right hemisphere in reading. Research in neural network theory and cortical oscillations suggests that the hemispheres collaborate in high-level language processes. The right hemisphere specializes in coding low frequencies of the speech envelope and interhemispheric cognitive control, while the left is specialized for local high frequency, verbal computations. Studies in neural networks, and cortical oscillations which controlled for reading-level, converge in identifying an impaired right hemisphere circuitry of frontoparietal attention networks as a primary cause of dyslexia. Occurring in early development, such a dysfunction would have a cascading negative effect on phonemic processing in the left hemisphere dorsal reading network. Such integrative hemispheric cooperation suggests a more comprehensive approach to early reading instruction and interventions in dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Kershner
- Department of Applied Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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49
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Neurobiological systems in dyslexia. Trends Neurosci Educ 2019; 14:11-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tine.2018.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Revised: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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50
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The Early Language Environment and the Neuroanatomical Foundations for Reading. J Neurosci 2019; 39:1136-1138. [PMID: 30760628 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2895-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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