1
|
Economou M, Vanden Bempt F, Van Herck S, Glatz T, Wouters J, Ghesquière P, Vanderauwera J, Vandermosten M. Cortical Structure in Pre-Readers at Cognitive Risk for Dyslexia: Baseline Differences and Response to Intervention. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2024; 5:264-287. [PMID: 38832361 PMCID: PMC11093402 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Early childhood is a critical period for structural brain development as well as an important window for the identification and remediation of reading difficulties. Recent research supports the implementation of interventions in at-risk populations as early as kindergarten or first grade, yet the neurocognitive mechanisms following such interventions remain understudied. To address this, we investigated cortical structure by means of anatomical MRI before and after a 12-week tablet-based intervention in: (1) at-risk children receiving phonics-based training (n = 29; n = 16 complete pre-post datasets), (2) at-risk children engaging with AC training (n = 24; n = 15 complete pre-post datasets) and (3) typically developing children (n = 25; n = 14 complete pre-post datasets) receiving no intervention. At baseline, we found higher surface area of the right supramarginal gyrus in at-risk children compared to typically developing peers, extending previous evidence that early anatomical differences exist in children who may later develop dyslexia. Our longitudinal analysis revealed significant post-intervention thickening of the left supramarginal gyrus, present exclusively in the intervention group but not the active control or typical control groups. Altogether, this study contributes new knowledge to our understanding of the brain morphology associated with cognitive risk for dyslexia and response to early intervention, which in turn raises new questions on how early anatomy and plasticity may shape the trajectories of long-term literacy development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Toivo Glatz
- Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Alwashmi K, Meyer G, Rowe F, Ward R. Enhancing learning outcomes through multisensory integration: A fMRI study of audio-visual training in virtual reality. Neuroimage 2024; 285:120483. [PMID: 38048921 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The integration of information from different sensory modalities is a fundamental process that enhances perception and performance in real and virtual environments (VR). Understanding these mechanisms, especially during learning tasks that exploit novel multisensory cue combinations provides opportunities for the development of new rehabilitative interventions. This study aimed to investigate how functional brain changes support behavioural performance improvements during an audio-visual (AV) learning task. Twenty healthy participants underwent a 30 min daily VR training for four weeks. The task was an AV adaptation of a 'scanning training' paradigm that is commonly used in hemianopia rehabilitation. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and performance data were collected at baseline, after two and four weeks of training, and four weeks post-training. We show that behavioural performance, operationalised as mean reaction time reduction in VR, significantly improves. In separate tests in a controlled laboratory environment, we showed that the behavioural performance gains in the VR training environment transferred to a significant mean RT reduction for the trained AV voluntary task on a computer screen. Enhancements were observed in both the visual-only and AV conditions, with the latter demonstrating a faster response time supported by the presence of audio cues. The behavioural learning effect also transfers to two additional tasks that were tested: a visual search task and an involuntary visual task. Our fMRI results reveal an increase in functional activation (BOLD signal) in multisensory brain regions involved in early-stage AV processing: the thalamus, the caudal inferior parietal lobe and cerebellum. These functional changes were only observed for the trained, multisensory, task and not for unimodal visual stimulation. Functional activation changes in the thalamus were significantly correlated to behavioural performance improvements. This study demonstrates that incorporating spatial auditory cues to voluntary visual training in VR leads to augmented brain activation changes in multisensory integration, resulting in measurable performance gains across tasks. The findings highlight the potential of VR-based multisensory training as an effective method for enhancing cognitive function and as a potentially valuable tool in rehabilitative programmes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kholoud Alwashmi
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom; Department of Radiology, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Georg Meyer
- Digital Innovation Facility, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona Rowe
- Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Ryan Ward
- Digital Innovation Facility, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom; School Computer Science and Mathematics, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Di Pietro SV, Willinger D, Frei N, Lutz C, Coraj S, Schneider C, Stämpfli P, Brem S. Disentangling influences of dyslexia, development, and reading experience on effective brain connectivity in children. Neuroimage 2023; 268:119869. [PMID: 36639004 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.119869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Altered brain connectivity between regions of the reading network has been associated with reading difficulties. However, it remains unclear whether connectivity differences between children with dyslexia (DYS) and those with typical reading skills (TR) are specific to reading impairments or to reading experience. In this functional MRI study, 132 children (M = 10.06 y, SD = 1.46) performed a phonological lexical decision task. We aimed to disentangle (1) disorder-specific from (2) experience-related differences in effective connectivity and to (3) characterize the development of DYS and TR. We applied dynamic causal modeling to age-matched (ndys = 25, nTR = 35) and reading-level-matched (ndys = 25, nTR = 22) groups. Developmental effects were assessed in beginning and advanced readers (TR: nbeg = 48, nadv = 35, DYS: nbeg = 24, nadv = 25). We show that altered feedback connectivity between the inferior parietal lobule and the visual word form area (VWFA) during print processing can be specifically attributed to reading impairments, because these alterations were found in DYS compared to both the age-matched and reading-level-matched TR. In contrast, feedforward connectivity from the VWFA to parietal and frontal regions characterized experience in TR and increased with age and reading skill. These directed connectivity findings pinpoint disorder-specific and experience-dependent alterations in the brain's reading network.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah V Di Pietro
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland; URPP Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - David Willinger
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Psychology and Psychodynamics, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Nada Frei
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christina Lutz
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Seline Coraj
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Chiara Schneider
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Stämpfli
- MR-Center of the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Brem
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland; URPP Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; MR-Center of the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Valdois S. The visual-attention span deficit in developmental dyslexia: Review of evidence for a visual-attention-based deficit. DYSLEXIA (CHICHESTER, ENGLAND) 2022; 28:397-415. [PMID: 35903834 DOI: 10.1002/dys.1724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The visual attention span (VAS) deficit hypothesis in developmental dyslexia posits that a subset of dyslexic individuals shows a multielement parallel processing deficit due to reduced visual attention capacity. However, the attention-based interpretation of poor performance on VAS tasks is hotly debated. The purpose of the present paper is to clarify this issue through a critical review of relevant behavioural and neurobiological findings. We first examine the plausibility of alternative verbal interpretations of VAS performance, evaluating whether performance on VAS tasks might reflect verbal short-term memory, verbal coding or visual-to-verbal mapping skills. We then focus on the visual dimensions of VAS tasks to question whether VAS primarily reflects visuo-attentional rather than more basic visual skills. Scrutiny of the available behavioural and neurobiological findings not only points to a deficit of visual attention in dyslexic individuals with impaired VAS but further suggests a selective endogenous attentional system deficit that relates to atypical functioning of the brain dorsal attentional network. The overview clarifies the debate on what is being measured through VAS tasks and provides insights on how to interpret the VAS deficit in developmental dyslexia.
Collapse
|
5
|
Hernández D, Kärkkäinen S, Tulonen T, Helenius P, Salmelin R, Parviainen T. Attentional modulation of interhemispheric (a)symmetry in children with developmental language disorder. Sci Rep 2022; 12:17904. [PMID: 36284164 PMCID: PMC9596496 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22820-x] [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: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The nature of auditory processing problems in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) is still poorly understood. Much research has been devoted to determining the extent to which DLD is associated with general auditory versus language-specific dysfunction. However, less emphasis has been given to the role of different task conditions in these dysfunctions. We explored whether children with DLD demonstrate atypical interhemispheric asymmetry during the auditory processing of speech and non-speech sounds and whether this interhemispheric balance is modulated by attention. Magnetoencephalography was used to record auditory evoked fields in 18 children (9 to 10 years old), 9 with DLD and 9 with language typical development, during active or passive listening to speech and non-speech sounds. A linear mixed model analysis revealed a bilateral effect of attention in both groups. Participants with DLD demonstrated atypical interhemispheric asymmetry, specifically in the later (185-600 ms) time window but only during the passive listening condition. During the active task, the DLD group did not differ from the typically developed children in terms of hemispheric balance of activation. Our results support the idea of an altered interhemispheric balance in passive auditory response properties in DLD. We further suggest that an active task condition, or top-down attention, can help to regain leftward lateralization, particularly in a later stage of activation. Our study highlights the highly dynamic and interhemispheric nature of auditory processing, which may contribute to the variability in reports of auditory language processing deficits in DLD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Doris Hernández
- grid.9681.60000 0001 1013 7965Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Research, Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Kärki, Mattilanniemi 6, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Salme Kärkkäinen
- grid.9681.60000 0001 1013 7965Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Terhi Tulonen
- grid.9681.60000 0001 1013 7965Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Päivi Helenius
- grid.15485.3d0000 0000 9950 5666Division of Child Neurology, Helsinki University Hospital, HUS, P.O. Box 100, 00029 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Riitta Salmelin
- grid.5373.20000000108389418Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 12200, 00076 Espoo, Finland ,grid.5373.20000000108389418Aalto NeuroImaging, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15100, 00076 Espoo, Finland
| | - Tiina Parviainen
- grid.9681.60000 0001 1013 7965Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Research, Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Kärki, Mattilanniemi 6, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland ,grid.5373.20000000108389418Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 12200, 00076 Espoo, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Pei C, Qiu Y, Li F, Huang X, Si Y, Li Y, Zhang X, Chen C, Liu Q, Cao Z, Ding N, Gao S, Alho K, Yao D, Xu P. The different brain areas occupied for integrating information of hierarchical linguistic units: a study based on EEG and TMS. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:4740-4751. [PMID: 36178127 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac376] [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: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Human language units are hierarchical, and reading acquisition involves integrating multisensory information (typically from auditory and visual modalities) to access meaning. However, it is unclear how the brain processes and integrates language information at different linguistic units (words, phrases, and sentences) provided simultaneously in auditory and visual modalities. To address the issue, we presented participants with sequences of short Chinese sentences through auditory, visual, or combined audio-visual modalities while electroencephalographic responses were recorded. With a frequency tagging approach, we analyzed the neural representations of basic linguistic units (i.e. characters/monosyllabic words) and higher-level linguistic structures (i.e. phrases and sentences) across the 3 modalities separately. We found that audio-visual integration occurs in all linguistic units, and the brain areas involved in the integration varied across different linguistic levels. In particular, the integration of sentences activated the local left prefrontal area. Therefore, we used continuous theta-burst stimulation to verify that the left prefrontal cortex plays a vital role in the audio-visual integration of sentence information. Our findings suggest the advantage of bimodal language comprehension at hierarchical stages in language-related information processing and provide evidence for the causal role of the left prefrontal regions in processing information of audio-visual sentences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Changfu Pei
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
| | - Yuan Qiu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
| | - Fali Li
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.,Research Unit of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, 2019RU035, Chengdu, China
| | - Xunan Huang
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.,School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China
| | - Yajing Si
- School of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, 453003, China
| | - Yuqin Li
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
| | - Xiabing Zhang
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
| | - Chunli Chen
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
| | - Qiang Liu
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610066, China
| | - Zehong Cao
- STEM, Mawson Lakes Campus, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5095, Australia
| | - Nai Ding
- College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310007, China
| | - Shan Gao
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China
| | - Kimmo Alho
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FI 00014, Finland
| | - Dezhong Yao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.,Research Unit of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, 2019RU035, Chengdu, China
| | - Peng Xu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.,Research Unit of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, 2019RU035, Chengdu, China.,Radiation Oncology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, 610041, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
López-Madrona VJ, Medina Villalon S, Badier JM, Trébuchon A, Jayabal V, Bartolomei F, Carron R, Barborica A, Vulliémoz S, Alario FX, Bénar CG. Magnetoencephalography can reveal deep brain network activities linked to memory processes. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:4733-4749. [PMID: 35766240 PMCID: PMC9491290 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25987] [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: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recording from deep neural structures such as hippocampus noninvasively and yet with high temporal resolution remains a major challenge for human neuroscience. Although it has been proposed that deep neuronal activity might be recordable during cognitive tasks using magnetoencephalography (MEG), this remains to be demonstrated as the contribution of deep structures to MEG recordings may be too small to be detected or might be eclipsed by the activity of large‐scale neocortical networks. In the present study, we disentangled mesial activity and large‐scale networks from the MEG signals thanks to blind source separation (BSS). We then validated the MEG BSS components using intracerebral EEG signals recorded simultaneously in patients during their presurgical evaluation of epilepsy. In the MEG signals obtained during a memory task involving the recognition of old and new images, we identified with BSS a putative mesial component, which was present in all patients and all control subjects. The time course of the component selectively correlated with stereo‐electroencephalography signals recorded from hippocampus and rhinal cortex, thus confirming its mesial origin. This finding complements previous studies with epileptic activity and opens new possibilities for using MEG to study deep brain structures in cognition and in brain disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Samuel Medina Villalon
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France.,APHM, Timone Hospital, Epileptology and Cerebral Rhythmology, Marseille, France
| | | | - Agnès Trébuchon
- APHM, Timone Hospital, Epileptology and Cerebral Rhythmology, Marseille, France.,APHM, Timone Hospital, Functional and Stereotactic Neurosurgery, Marseille, France
| | | | - Fabrice Bartolomei
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France.,APHM, Timone Hospital, Epileptology and Cerebral Rhythmology, Marseille, France
| | - Romain Carron
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France.,APHM, Timone Hospital, Functional and Stereotactic Neurosurgery, Marseille, France
| | | | - Serge Vulliémoz
- EEG and Epilepsy Unit, University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Christian G Bénar
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Xia Z, Yang T, Cui X, Hoeft F, Liu H, Zhang X, Shu H, Liu X. Neurofunctional basis underlying audiovisual integration of print and speech sound in Chinese children. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 55:806-826. [PMID: 35032071 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15597] [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: 05/15/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Effortless print-sound integration is essential to reading development, and the superior temporal cortex (STC) is the most critical brain region. However, to date, the conclusion is almost restricted to alphabetic orthographies. To examine the neural basis in non-alphabetic languages and its relationship with reading abilities, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in typically developing Chinese children. Two neuroimaging-based indicators of audiovisual processing-additive enhancement (higher activation in the congruent than the average activation of unimodal conditions) and neural integration (different activations between the congruent versus incongruent conditions)-were used to investigate character-sounds (opaque) and pinyin-sounds (transparent) processing. We found additive enhancement in bilateral STCs processing both character and pinyin stimulations. Moreover, the neural integrations in the left STC for the two scripts were strongly correlated. In terms of differentiation, first, areas beyond the STCs showed additive enhancement in processing pinyin-sounds. Second, while the bilateral STCs, left inferior/middle frontal and parietal regions manifested a striking neural integration (incongruent > congruent) for character-sounds, no significant clusters were revealed for pinyin-sounds. Finally, the neural integration in the left middle frontal gyrus for characters was specifically associated with silent reading comprehension proficiency, indicating automatic semantic processing during implicit character-sound integration. In contrast, the neural integration in the left STC for pinyin was specifically associated with oral reading fluency that relies on grapho-phonological mapping. To summarize, this study revealed both script-universal and script-specific neurofunctional substrates of print-sound integration as well as their processing- and region-dependent associations with reading abilities in typical Chinese children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhichao Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, China.,School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, China
| | - Ting Yang
- Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, China
| | - Xin Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, China.,Haskins Laboratories, USA
| | - Fumiko Hoeft
- Haskins Laboratories, USA.,Department of Psychological Sciences and Brain Imaging Research Center, University of Connecticut, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Weill Institute for Neurosciences and Dyslexia Center, University of California, San Francisco, USA.,Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Japan
| | - Hong Liu
- Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, China.,Department of Psychological Sciences and Brain Imaging Research Center, University of Connecticut, USA
| | - Xianglin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, China
| | - Hua Shu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, China
| | - Xiangping Liu
- Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Caffarra S, Lizarazu M, Molinaro N, Carreiras M. Reading-Related Brain Changes in Audiovisual Processing: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal MEG Evidence. J Neurosci 2021; 41:5867-5875. [PMID: 34088796 PMCID: PMC8265799 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3021-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to establish associations between visual objects and speech sounds is essential for human reading. Understanding the neural adjustments required for acquisition of these arbitrary audiovisual associations can shed light on fundamental reading mechanisms and help reveal how literacy builds on pre-existing brain circuits. To address these questions, the present longitudinal and cross-sectional MEG studies characterize the temporal and spatial neural correlates of audiovisual syllable congruency in children (age range, 4-9 years; 22 males and 20 females) learning to read. Both studies showed that during the first years of reading instruction children gradually set up audiovisual correspondences between letters and speech sounds, which can be detected within the first 400 ms of a bimodal presentation and recruit the superior portions of the left temporal cortex. These findings suggest that children progressively change the way they treat audiovisual syllables as a function of their reading experience. This reading-specific brain plasticity implies (partial) recruitment of pre-existing brain circuits for audiovisual analysis.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Linking visual and auditory linguistic representations is the basis for the development of efficient reading, while dysfunctional audiovisual letter processing predicts future reading disorders. Our developmental MEG project included a longitudinal and a cross-sectional study; both studies showed that children's audiovisual brain circuits progressively change as a function of reading experience. They also revealed an exceptional degree of neuroplasticity in audiovisual neural networks, showing that as children develop literacy, the brain progressively adapts so as to better detect new correspondences between letters and speech sounds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sendy Caffarra
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305-5101
- Stanford University Graduate School of Education, Stanford, California 94305
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, 20009 San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Mikel Lizarazu
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, 20009 San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Nicola Molinaro
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, 20009 San Sebastian, Spain
- Ikerbasque Basque Foundation for Science, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Manuel Carreiras
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, 20009 San Sebastian, Spain
- Ikerbasque Basque Foundation for Science, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
- University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940 Bilbao, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Lohvansuu K, Torppa M, Ahonen T, Eklund K, Hämäläinen JA, Leppänen PHT, Lyytinen H. Unveiling the Mysteries of Dyslexia-Lessons Learned from the Prospective Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia. Brain Sci 2021; 11:427. [PMID: 33801593 PMCID: PMC8066413 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11040427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper reviews the observations of the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia (JLD). The JLD is a prospective family risk study in which the development of children with familial risk for dyslexia (N = 108) due to parental dyslexia and controls without dyslexia risk (N = 92) were followed from birth to adulthood. The JLD revealed that the likelihood of at-risk children performing poorly in reading and spelling tasks was fourfold compared to the controls. Auditory insensitivity of newborns observed during the first week of life using brain event-related potentials (ERPs) was shown to be the first precursor of dyslexia. ERPs measured at six months of age related to phoneme length identification differentiated the family risk group from the control group and predicted reading speed until the age of 14 years. Early oral language skills, phonological processing skills, rapid automatized naming, and letter knowledge differentiated the groups from ages 2.5-3.5 years onwards and predicted dyslexia and reading development, including reading comprehension, until adolescence. The home environment, a child's interest in reading, and task avoidance were not different in the risk group but were found to be additional predictors of reading development. Based on the JLD findings, preventive and intervention methods utilizing the association learning approach have been developed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kaisa Lohvansuu
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland; (T.A.); (J.A.H.); (P.H.T.L.)
| | - Minna Torppa
- Department of Teacher Education, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland;
| | - Timo Ahonen
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland; (T.A.); (J.A.H.); (P.H.T.L.)
- Niilo Mäki Institute, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland;
| | - Kenneth Eklund
- Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland;
| | - Jarmo A. Hämäläinen
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland; (T.A.); (J.A.H.); (P.H.T.L.)
| | - Paavo H. T. Leppänen
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland; (T.A.); (J.A.H.); (P.H.T.L.)
| | - Heikki Lyytinen
- Niilo Mäki Institute, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland;
| |
Collapse
|