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Horowitz-Kraus T, Dudley J, Rosch K, Fotang J, Farah R. Localized alterations in cortical thickness and sulcal depth of the cingulo-opercular network in relation to lower reading fluency skills in children with dyslexia. Brain Res 2024; 1834:148891. [PMID: 38554796 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
The traditional models of reading development describe how language processing and word decoding contribute to reading comprehension and how impairments in word decoding, a defining feature of dyslexia, affect reading comprehension outcomes. However, these models do not include word and sentence reading (contextual reading) fluency, both of which engage executive functions, with notably decreased performance in children with dyslexia. In the current study, we compared cortical thickness and sulcal depth (CT/SD) in the cingulo-opercular (CO) executive functions brain network in children with dyslexia and typical readers and examined associations with word vs. contextual reading fluency. Overall, CT was lower in insular regions and higher in parietal and caudal anterior cingulate cortex regions in children with dyslexia. Children with dyslexia showed positive correlations between word reading fluency and CT/SD in insular regions, whereas no significant correlations were observed in typical readers. For sentence reading fluency, negative correlations with CT/SD were found in insular regions in children with dyslexia, while positive correlations with SD were found in insular regions in typical readers. These results demonstrate the differential relations between word and sentence reading fluency and anatomical circuitry supporting executive functions in children with dyslexia vs. typical readers. It also suggests that word and sentence reading fluency, relate to morphology of executive function-related regions in children with dyslexia, whereas in typical readers, only sentence reading fluency relates to morphology of executive function regions. The results also highlight the role of the insula within the CO network in reading fluency. Here we suggest that word and sentence reading fluency are distinct components of reading that should each be included in the Simple View of Reading traditional model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion; Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion; Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Jonathan Dudley
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, OH, USA
| | - Keri Rosch
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion; Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion
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2
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Ashburn SM, Matejko AA, Eden GF. Activation and functional connectivity of cerebellum during reading and during arithmetic in children with combined reading and math disabilities. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1135166. [PMID: 38741787 PMCID: PMC11090247 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1135166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Reading and math constitute important academic skills, and as such, reading disability (RD or developmental dyslexia) and math disability (MD or developmental dyscalculia) can have negative consequences for children's educational progress. Although RD and MD are different learning disabilities, they frequently co-occur. Separate theories have implicated the cerebellum and its cortical connections in RD and in MD, suggesting that children with combined reading and math disability (RD + MD) may have altered cerebellar function and disrupted functional connectivity between the cerebellum and cortex during reading and during arithmetic processing. Methods Here we compared Control and RD + MD groups during a reading task as well as during an arithmetic task on (i) activation of the cerebellum, (ii) background functional connectivity, and (iii) task-dependent functional connectivity between the cerebellum and the cortex. Results The two groups (Control, RD + MD) did not differ for either task (reading, arithmetic) on any of the three measures (activation, background functional connectivity, task-dependent functional connectivity). Conclusion These results do not support theories that children's deficits in reading and math originate in the cerebellum.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Guinevere F. Eden
- Center for the Study of Learning, Department of Pediatrics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
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3
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Farah R, Dworetsky A, Coalson RS, Petersen SE, Schlaggar BL, Rosch KS, Horowitz-Kraus T. An executive-functions-based reading training enhances sensory-motor systems integration during reading fluency in children with dyslexia. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae166. [PMID: 38664864 PMCID: PMC11045473 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae166] [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: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The Simple View of Reading model suggests that intact language processing and word decoding lead to proficient reading comprehension, with recent studies pointing at executive functions as an important component contributing to reading proficiency. Here, we aimed to determine the underlying mechanism(s) for these changes. Participants include 120 8- to 12-year-old children (n = 55 with dyslexia, n = 65 typical readers) trained on an executive functions-based reading program, including pre/postfunctional MRI and behavioral data collection. Across groups, improved word reading was related to stronger functional connections within executive functions and sensory networks. In children with dyslexia, faster and more accurate word reading was related to stronger functional connections within and between sensory networks. These results suggest greater synchronization of brain systems after the intervention, consistent with the "neural noise" hypothesis in children with dyslexia and support the consideration of including executive functions as part of the Simple View of Reading model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion, Haifa, Israel
- Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion, Haifa, 3200003, Israel
| | - Ally Dworetsky
- Neurology and Radiology at Washington University Medical School, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Rebecca S Coalson
- Neurology and Radiology at Washington University Medical School, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Steven E Petersen
- Department of Neurology, Washington University Medical School, 1 Brookings Dr, St. Louis, MO 63130, United States
| | - Bradley L Schlaggar
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 North Broadway Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
- Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1800 Orleans St Baltimore, MD 21287, United States
| | - Keri S Rosch
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 North Broadway Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1800 Orleans St Baltimore, MD 21287, United States
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion, Haifa, Israel
- Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion, Haifa, 3200003, Israel
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 North Broadway Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1800 Orleans St Baltimore, MD 21287, United States
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Habouba N, Talmon R, Kraus D, Farah R, Apter A, Steinberg T, Radhakrishnan R, Barazany D, Horowitz-Kraus T. Parent-child couples display shared neural fingerprints while listening to stories. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2883. [PMID: 38311616 PMCID: PMC10838923 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53518-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: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Neural fingerprinting is a method to identify individuals from a group of people. Here, we established a new connectome-based identification model and used diffusion maps to show that biological parent-child couples share functional connectivity patterns while listening to stories. These shared fingerprints enabled the identification of children and their biological parents from a group of parents and children. Functional patterns were evident in both cognitive and sensory brain networks. Defining "typical" shared biological parent-child brain patterns may enable predicting or even preventing impaired parent-child connections that develop due to genetic or environmental causes. Finally, we argue that the proposed framework opens new opportunities to link similarities in connectivity patterns to behavioral, psychological, and medical phenomena among other populations. To our knowledge, this is the first study to reveal the neural fingerprint that represents distinct biological parent-child couples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nir Habouba
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ronen Talmon
- Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Dror Kraus
- The Institute of Child Neurology, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikvah, Israel
| | - Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Alan Apter
- The Department of Psychological Medicine, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikvah, Israel
| | - Tamar Steinberg
- The Department of Psychological Medicine, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikvah, Israel
| | | | - Daniel Barazany
- The Alfredo Federico Strauss Center for Computational Neuroimaging, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
- The Institute of Child Neurology, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikvah, Israel.
- Department of Neuropsychology, Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research (CNIR), Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Taran N, Farah R, Gashri C, Gitman E, Rosch K, Schlaggar BL, Horowitz-Kraus T. Executive functions-based reading training engages the cingulo-opercular and dorsal attention networks. Netw Neurosci 2023; 7:1452-1482. [PMID: 38144685 PMCID: PMC10727775 DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a computerized executive functions (EFs)-based reading intervention on neural circuits supporting EFs and visual attention. Seed-to-voxel functional connectivity analysis was conducted focusing on large-scale attention system brain networks, during an fMRI reading fluency task. Participants were 8- to 12-year-old English-speaking children with dyslexia (n = 43) and typical readers (n = 36) trained on an EFs-based reading training (n = 40) versus math training (n = 39). Training duration was 8 weeks. After the EFs-based reading intervention, children with dyslexia improved their scores in reading rate and visual attention (compared to math intervention). Neurobiologically, children with dyslexia displayed an increase in functional connectivity strength after the intervention between the cingulo-opercular network and occipital and precentral regions. Noteworthy, the functional connectivity indices between these brain regions showed a positive correlation with speed of processing and visual attention scores in both pretest and posttest. The results suggest that reading improvement following an EFs-based reading intervention involves neuroplastic connectivity changes in brain areas related to EFs and primary visual processing in children with dyslexia. Our results highlight the need for training underlying cognitive abilities supporting reading, such as EFs and visual attention, in order to enhance reading abilities in dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay Taran
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Carmel Gashri
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ester Gitman
- 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 Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bradley L. Schlaggar
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neurology, 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 Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Church JA. The Brain's Control Networks in Reading: Insights From Cross-Task Studies of Youth. MIND, BRAIN AND EDUCATION : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL MIND, BRAIN, AND EDUCATION SOCIETY 2023; 17:257-266. [PMID: 38745918 PMCID: PMC11091959 DOI: 10.1111/mbe.12372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Humans engage multiple brain systems to read successfully, including using regions important for vision, language, and control. Control refers to the set of executive processes in the brain that guide moment-to-moment behavior in service of our goals. There is a growing appreciation for the role of the brain's control system in reading comprehension, in reading skill change over time, and in those who have difficulty with the reading process. One way to understand the brain's control engagement in reading may be to study control engagement across multiple tasks in order to study consistencies, or cross-task similarities, relative to reading-specific variations. In this commentary, I briefly summarize some of our recent work studying the brain's control networks across different tasks (e.g., when reading, or doing different executive function tasks). I then review our findings of when control activation does or does not relate to measures of reading ability, and reading growth over time. The utility of cross-task comparisons in neuroimaging is noted, as well as the need to better understand multiple sources of heterogeneity in our developmental samples. I end by discussing a few of the many future directions for further study of the brain with regard to the brain's control processing and academic achievement.
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Ren X, Li J, Liu J, Liu D, Zhao J. Intervention targeting different visual attention span components in Chinese children with developmental dyslexia: a study based on Bundesen's theory of visual attention. ANNALS OF DYSLEXIA 2023; 73:487-509. [PMID: 37422551 DOI: 10.1007/s11881-023-00288-2] [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: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
Within the framework of the theory of visual attention (TVA), the visual attention span (VAS) deficit among individuals with developmental dyslexia has been ascribed to the problems entailed by bottom-up (BotU) and top-down (TopD) attentional processes. The former involves two VAS subcomponents: the visual short-term memory storage and perceptual processing speed; the latter consists of the spatial bias of attentional weight and the inhibitory control. Then, what about the influences of the BotU and TopD components on reading? Are there differences in the roles of the two types of attentional processes in reading? This study addresses these issues by using two types of training tasks separately, corresponding to the BotU and TopD attentional components. Three groups of Chinese children with dyslexia-15 children each in the BotU training, TopD training, and non-trained active control groups were recruited here. Participants completed reading measures and a CombiTVA task which was used to estimate VAS subcomponents, before and after the training procedure. Results showed that BotU training improved both the within-category and between-category VAS subcomponents and sentence reading performance; meanwhile, TopD training enhanced character reading fluency through improving spatial attention capacity. Moreover, benefits on attentional capacities and reading skills in the two training groups were generally maintained three months after the intervention. The present findings revealed diverse patterns in the influences of VAS on reading within the TVA framework, which contributes to enriching the understanding of VAS-reading relation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Ren
- Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Li
- Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jinqiu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Duo Liu
- Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
| | - Jing Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.
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8
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Turesky TK, Luetje MM, Eden GF. An fMRI study of finger movements in children with and without dyslexia. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1135437. [PMID: 37274202 PMCID: PMC10233035 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1135437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Developmental dyslexia is a language-based reading disability, yet some have reported motor impairments, usually attributed to cerebellar dysfunction. Methods Using fMRI, we compared children with and without dyslexia during irregularly paced, left or right-hand finger tapping. Next, we examined seed-to-voxel intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC) using six seed regions of the motor system (left and right anterior lobe of the cerebellum, SM1 and SMA). Results A whole-brain task-evoked analysis revealed relatively less activation in the group with dyslexia in right anterior cerebellum during right hand tapping. For iFC, we found the group with dyslexia to have greater iFC between the right SM1 seed and a medial aspect of right postcentral gyrus for left hand tapping; and greater iFC between the left SM1 seed and left thalamus, as well as weaker local iFC around the left SM1 seed region for right hand tapping. Lastly, extracted activity and connectivity values that had been identified in these between-group comparisons were not correlated with measures of reading. Discussion We conclude that there are some aberrations in motor system function in children with dyslexia, but these are not tied to reading ability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Guinevere F. Eden
- Center for the Study of Learning, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
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Nugiel T, Mitchell ME, Demeter DV, Garza A, Cirino PT, Hernandez AE, Juranek J, Church JA. Brain Engagement During a Cognitive Flexibility Task Relates to Academic Performance in English Learners. MIND, BRAIN AND EDUCATION : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL MIND, BRAIN, AND EDUCATION SOCIETY 2023; 17:149-160. [PMID: 38770227 PMCID: PMC11103627 DOI: 10.1111/mbe.12362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
English Learners (ELs), students from non-English-speaking backgrounds, are a fast-growing, understudied, group of students in the U.S. with unique learning challenges. Cognitive flexibility-the ability to switch between task demands with ease-may be an important factor in learning for ELs as they have to manage learning in their non-dominant language and access knowledge in multiple languages. We used functional MRI to measure cognitive flexibility brain activity in a group of Hispanic middle school ELs (N = 63) and related it to their academic skills. We found that brain engagement during the cognitive flexibility task was related to both out-of-scanner reading and math measures. These relationships were observed across the brain, including in cognitive control, attention, and default mode networks. This work suggests the real-world importance of cognitive flexibility for adolescent ELs, where individual differences in brain engagement were associated with educational outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tehila Nugiel
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Mackenzie E Mitchell
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Damion V Demeter
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego
| | | | | | | | - Jenifer Juranek
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center
| | - Jessica A Church
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin
- Biomedical Imaging Center, The University of Texas at Austin
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10
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Wang Y, Guan H, Ma L, Luo J, Chu C, Hu M, Zhao G, Men W, Tan S, Gao JH, Qin S, He Y, Dong Q, Tao S. Learning to read may help promote attention by increasing the volume of the left middle frontal gyrus and enhancing its connectivity to the ventral attention network. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:2260-2272. [PMID: 35641153 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac206] [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: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Attention and reading are essential skills for successful schooling and in adult life. While previous studies have documented that attention development supports reading acquisition, whether and how learning to read may improve attention among school-age children and the brain structural and functional development that may be involved remain unknown. In this prospective longitudinal study, we examined bidirectional and longitudinal predictions between attention and reading development and the neural mediators of attention and reading development among school-age children using cross-lagged panel modeling. The results showed that better baseline reading performance significantly predicted better attention performance one year later after controlling for baseline attention performance. In contrast, after controlling for baseline reading performance, attention did not significantly predict reading performance one year later, while more attention problems also significantly predicted worse reading performance. Both the increasing gray matter volume of the left middle frontal gyrus and the increasing connectivity between the left middle frontal gyrus and the ventral attention network mediated the above significant longitudinal predictions. This study, directly revealed that reading skills may predict the development of important cognitive functions, such as attention, in school-age children. Therefore, learning to read is not only a challenge for school-age children but is also an important way to optimize attention and brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanpei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Haoran Guan
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Leilei Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Jie Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Congying Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Mingming Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Gai Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Weiwei Men
- Center for MRI Research, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Shuping Tan
- Psychiatry Research Center, Beijing HuiLongGuan Hospital, Peking University, Nandian North Road, Huilongguan Town, Changping District, Beijing 100096, China
| | - Jia-Hong Gao
- Center for MRI Research, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Shaozheng Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yong He
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Qi Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Sha Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
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11
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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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12
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Abo-Elhija D, Farah R, Horowitz-Kraus T. Stroop performance is related to reading profiles in Hebrew-speaking individuals with dyslexia and typical readers. DYSLEXIA (CHICHESTER, ENGLAND) 2022; 28:212-227. [PMID: 35132738 DOI: 10.1002/dys.1708] [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: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
There is a debate in the literature regarding the level of contribution of executive functions (EF) to reading comprehension (RC), in the context of the simple view of reading (SVR) model. The current study aims to create sub-profiles of reading and cognitive abilities based on a measure traditionally used for evaluating EF, that is, the Stroop task, and specifically, Stroop time. Ninety-seven adults with and without reading difficulties performed reading and cognitive tasks, including the Stroop tests. Four groups were created based on Stroop performance time and a reading profile was created for each group. A mediation analysis was conducted to determine if reading accuracy and linguistic abilities predict RC mediated by Stroop time. Participants with a shorter Stroop time demonstrated better reading abilities, whereas those with longer Stroop time showed decreased reading performance. Stroop time was also negatively associated with better performance in additional cognitive abilities. A mediation analysis suggested that decoding ability and linguistic ability predict RC through EF. Our findings support the SVR model and the involvement of EF in reading proficiency and might be used for designing EF-based interventions for reading and RC difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donia Abo-Elhija
- Educational Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion, Haifa, Israel
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13
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Greenwood P, Dudley J, Hutton J, DiFrancesco M, Farah R, Horowitz-Kraus T. Higher maternal education is related to negative functional connectivity between attention system networks and reading-related regions in children with reading difficulties compared to typical readers. Brain Res 2021; 1766:147532. [PMID: 34033755 PMCID: PMC8214310 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Ten to 15% of school-age children have reading difficulties (RD, or dyslexia), defined by deficits in phonological processing, fluency, and executive functions (EFs). Although RD is referred to as a genetic disorder, reading ability may also be affected by environmental factors such as inadequate exposure to literacy and a lack of parental involvement. These environmental components are a part of the socioeconomic status (SES) measure, which is defined by parental occupation, educational attainment, and household income and are positively correlated to reading ability. The goal of the current study was to relate maternal education, a construct of SES to executive functions (EFs) that relate to reading in children with RD compared to typical readers (TRs) using behavioral and neurobiological resting-state fMRI data. The results show that higher maternal education is negatively correlated to inhibitory control for TRs and not for children with RD. Higher maternal education was also associated with negative functional connectivity of the frontal-parietal network to the left central opercular cortex and left occipital gyrus for children with RD compared to TRs. These results suggest that higher maternal education has contrasting roles on the behavioral and neurobiological correlates of EFs for children with RD compared to TRs. We conclude that higher education levels for mothers may provide their children with a structured environment and educational resources that may assist their children with RD and TRs with cognitive development based on their reading profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paige Greenwood
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Jonathan Dudley
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - John Hutton
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Mark DiFrancesco
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Educational Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
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14
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Cecil KM, Brunst KJ, Horowitz-Kraus T. Greater reading gain following intervention is associated with low magnetic resonance spectroscopy derived concentrations in the anterior cingulate cortex in children with dyslexia. Brain Res 2021; 1759:147386. [PMID: 33631208 PMCID: PMC7980091 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE The "neural noise" hypothesis suggests that individuals with dyslexia have high glutamate concentrations associated with their reading challenges. Different reading intervention programs have showed low GLX (a combined measure for glutamine and glutamate obtained with in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy) in association with reading improvement. Several studies demonstrated improved reading and increased activation in the anterior cingulate cortex following an-executive-function (EF)-based reading intervention. The goals of the current study are two-fold: 1) to determine if the effect of the EF-based reading program extends also to the metabolite concentrations and in particular, on the GLX concentrations in the anterior cingulate cortex; 2) to expand the neural noise hypothesis in dyslexia also to neural networks supporting additional parts of the reading networks, i.e. in specific regions related to executive function skills. METHODS Children with dyslexia and typical readers were trained on the EF-based reading program. Reading ability was assessed before and after training while spectroscopy data was obtained at the end of the program. The association between change in reading scores following intervention and GLX concentrations was examined. RESULTS Greater "gains" in word reading were associated with low GLX, Glu, Cr, and NAA concentrations for children with dyslexia compared to typical readers. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the improvement reported following the EF-based reading intervention program also involved a low GLX concentration, as well as additional metabolites previously associated with better reading ability (Glx, Cr, NAA) which may point at the decreased neural noise, especially in the anterior cingulate cortex, as a possible mechanism for the effect of this program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim M Cecil
- Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, United States; Imaging Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, United States; Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, United States
| | - Kelly J Brunst
- Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, United States
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technicon Israel Institution of Technology, Israel; Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, United States; Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, United States.
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15
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Kershner JR. An Evolutionary Perspective of Dyslexia, Stress, and Brain Network Homeostasis. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 14:575546. [PMID: 33551772 PMCID: PMC7859477 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.575546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolution fuels interindividual variability in neuroplasticity, reflected in brain anatomy and functional connectivity of the expanding neocortical regions subserving reading ability. Such variability is orchestrated by an evolutionarily conserved, competitive balance between epigenetic, stress-induced, and cognitive-growth gene expression programs. An evolutionary developmental model of dyslexia, suggests that prenatal and childhood subclinical stress becomes a risk factor for dyslexia when physiological adaptations to stress promoting adaptive fitness, may attenuate neuroplasticity in the brain regions recruited for reading. Stress has the potential to blunt the cognitive-growth functions of the predominantly right hemisphere Ventral and Dorsal attention networks, which are primed with high entropic levels of synaptic plasticity, and are critical for acquiring beginning reading skills. The attentional networks, in collaboration with the stress-responsive Default Mode network, modulate the entrainment and processing of the low frequency auditory oscillations (1-8 Hz) and visuospatial orienting linked etiologically to dyslexia. Thus, dyslexia may result from positive, but costly adaptations to stress system dysregulation: protective measures that reset the stress/growth balance of processing to favor the Default Mode network, compromising development of the attentional networks. Such a normal-variability conceptualization of dyslexia is at odds with the frequent assumption that dyslexia results from a neurological abnormality. To put the normal-variability model in the broader perspective of the state of the field, a traditional evolutionary account of dyslexia is presented to stimulate discussion of the scientific merits of the two approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R. Kershner
- Department of Applied Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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