1
|
Lorusso ML, Borasio F, Travellini S, Molteni M. Predicting Response to Neuropsychological Intervention in Developmental Dyslexia: A Retrospective Study. Brain Sci 2024; 14:775. [PMID: 39199469 PMCID: PMC11352360 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14080775] [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: 07/06/2024] [Revised: 07/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/28/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Identifying the patients who are likely to be non-responders to a certain treatment may allow clinicians to provide alternative strategies and avoid frustration and unrealistic expectations for the patients and their families. A retrospective study on 145 children treated with visual hemisphere-specific stimulation examined the specific profiles (reading, writing, metaphonology, memory, callosal functions) of non-responders, and identified predictors of response to intervention (reading, reading and writing) through linear regression models. The effects of additional variables such as rapid automatized naming (RAN) and Visual Search were investigated in a subsample of 48 participants. Subgroups related to gender and dyslexia subtype were considered in the analyses. The results highlight an Intervention Differential Effect (IDE) not depending on regression to the mean and mathematical coupling effects. The characteristics of non-responders for reading seem to correspond children with mild reading and severe writing impairments; non-responders for reading and writing are those with impaired callosal transfer. Predictors of overall response to intervention were pre-test reading and writing scores; phoneme blending, accuracy in visual search and speed in rapid automatized naming contributed to explaining response variance. Specific predictors for female vs. male participants and dyslexia subtypes were identified.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Luisa Lorusso
- Unit of Child Psychopathology, Scientific Institute IRCSS E. Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (F.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Francesca Borasio
- Unit of Child Psychopathology, Scientific Institute IRCSS E. Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (F.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Simona Travellini
- Department of Humanistic Studies (DISTUM), University of Urbino “Carlo Bo”, 61029 Urbino, Italy;
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Unit of Child Psychopathology, Scientific Institute IRCSS E. Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (F.B.); (M.M.)
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Yang Y, Zheng T, Tang Q, Xiang B, Yang M, Zeng J, Zhou F, Xie X. Developmental dyslexia genes are selectively targeted by diverse environmental pollutants. BMC Psychiatry 2024; 24:509. [PMID: 39020327 PMCID: PMC11256705 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-024-05952-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Developmental dyslexia, a complex neurodevelopmental disorder, not only affects children's academic performance but is also associated with increased healthcare costs, lower employment rates, and reduced productivity. The pathogenesis of dyslexia remains unclear and it is generally considered to be caused by the overlap of genetic and environmental factors. Systematically exploring the close relationship between exposure to environmental compounds and susceptibility genes in the development of dyslexia is currently lacking but high necessary. METHODS In this study, we systematically compiled 131 publicly reported susceptibility genes for dyslexia sourced from DisGeNET, OMIM, and GeneCards databases. Comparative Toxicogenomics Database database was used to explore the overlap between susceptibility genes and 95 environmental compounds, including metals, persistent organic pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and pesticides. Chemical bias towards the dyslexia risk genes was taken into account in the observation/expectation ratios > 1 and the corresponding P value obtained by hypergeometric probability test. RESULTS Our study found that the number of dyslexia risk genes targeted by each chemical varied from 1 to 109. A total of 35 chemicals were involved in chemical reactions with dyslexia-associated genes, with significant enrichment values (observed/expected dyslexia risk genes) ranging from 1.147 (Atrazine) to 66.901 (Dibenzo(a, h)pyrene). CONCLUSION The results indicated that dyslexia-associated genes were implicated in certain chemical reactions. However, these findings are exploratory, and further research involving animal or cellular experiments is needed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yangyang Yang
- Research Center for Health Promotion in Women, Youth and Children, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, West Huangjiahu Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Tingting Zheng
- Department of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China
| | - Qidi Tang
- Research Center for Health Promotion in Women, Youth and Children, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, West Huangjiahu Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Bing Xiang
- Research Center for Health Promotion in Women, Youth and Children, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, West Huangjiahu Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Mei Yang
- Research Center for Health Promotion in Women, Youth and Children, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, West Huangjiahu Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Jing Zeng
- Research Center for Health Promotion in Women, Youth and Children, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, West Huangjiahu Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Feng Zhou
- Research Center for Health Promotion in Women, Youth and Children, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, West Huangjiahu Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Xinyan Xie
- Research Center for Health Promotion in Women, Youth and Children, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, West Huangjiahu Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430065, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Kershner JR. Early life stress, literacy and dyslexia: an evolutionary perspective. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:809-822. [PMID: 38436668 PMCID: PMC11003919 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02766-8] [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: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Stress and learning co-evolved in parallel, with their interdependence critical to the survival of the species. Even today, the regulation of moderate levels of stress by the central autonomic network (CAN), especially during pre- and post-natal periods, facilitates biological adaptability and is an essential precursor for the cognitive requisites of learning to read. Reading is a remarkable evolutionary achievement of the human brain, mysteriously unusual, because it is not pre-wired with a genetic address to facilitate its acquisition. There is no gene for reading. The review suggests that reading co-opts a brain circuit centered in the left hemisphere ventral occipital cortex that evolved as a domain-general visual processor. Its adoption by reading depends on the CAN's coordination of the learning and emotional requirements of learning to read at the metabolic, cellular, synaptic, and network levels. By stabilizing a child's self-control and modulating the attention network's inhibitory controls over the reading circuit, the CAN plays a key role in school readiness and learning to read. In addition, the review revealed two beneficial CAN evolutionary adjustments to early-life stress "overloads" that come with incidental costs of school under-performance and dyslexia. A short-term adaptation involving methylation of the FKBP5 and NR3C1 genes is a liability for academic achievement in primary school. The adaptation leading to dyslexia induces alterations in BDNF trafficking, promoting long-term adaptive fitness by protecting against excessive glucocorticoid toxicity but risks reading difficulties by disruptive signaling from the CAN to the attention networks and the reading circuit.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John R Kershner
- Department of Applied Psychology and Human Resources, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A1, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Cainelli E, Vedovelli L, Carretti B, Bisiacchi P. EEG correlates of developmental dyslexia: a systematic review. ANNALS OF DYSLEXIA 2023; 73:184-213. [PMID: 36417146 PMCID: PMC10247570 DOI: 10.1007/s11881-022-00273-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Dyslexia is one of the most studied learning disorders. Despite this, its biological basis and main causes are still not fully understood. Electroencephalography (EEG) could be a powerful tool in identifying the underlying mechanisms, but knowledge of the EEG correlates of developmental dyslexia (DD) remains elusive. We aimed to systematically review the evidence on EEG correlates of DD and establish their quality. In July 2021, we carried out an online search of the PubMed and Scopus databases to identify published articles on EEG correlates in children with dyslexia aged 6 to 12 years without comorbidities. We follow the PRISMA guidelines and assess the quality using the Appraisal Tool questionnaire. Our final analysis included 49 studies (14% high quality, 63% medium, 20% low, and 2% very low). Studies differed greatly in methodology, making a summary of their results challenging. However, some points came to light. Even at rest, children with dyslexia and children in the control group exhibited differences in several EEG measures, particularly in theta and alpha frequencies; these frequencies appear to be associated with learning performance. During reading-related tasks, the differences between dyslexic and control children seem more localized in the left temporoparietal sites. The EEG activity of children with dyslexia and children in the control group differed in many aspects, both at rest and during reading-related tasks. Our data are compatible with neuroimaging studies in the same diagnostic group and expand the literature by offering new insights into functional significance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Cainelli
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35133, Padua, Italy.
| | - Luca Vedovelli
- Unit of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Public Health, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences, and Public Health, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Barbara Carretti
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35133, Padua, Italy
| | - Patrizia Bisiacchi
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35133, Padua, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Centre, PNC, Padua, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Kershner JR. Multisensory deficits in dyslexia may result from a locus coeruleus attentional network dysfunction. Neuropsychologia 2021; 161:108023. [PMID: 34530025 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.108023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
A fundamental educational requirement of beginning reading is to learn, access, and rapidly process associations between novel visuospatial symbols and their phonological representations in speech. Children with difficulties in such cross-modal integration are often divided into dyslexia subtypes, based on whether their primary problem is with the written or spoken component of decoding. The present review suggests that starting in infancy, perceptions of audiovisual speech are integrated by mutual oscillatory phase-resetting between sensory cortices, and throughout development visual and auditory experiences are coupled into unified perceptions. Entirely separate subtypes are incompatible with this view. Visual or auditory deficits will invariably affect processing to some degree in both domains. It is suggested that poor auditory/visual integration may be diagnostic for both forms of dyslexia, stemming from an encoding weakness in the early cross-sensory binding of audiovisual speech. The review presents a model of dyslexia as a dysfunction of the large-scale ventral and dorsal attention networks controlling such binding. Excessive glutamatergic neuronal excitability of the attention networks by the Locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system may interfere with multisensory integration, with deleterious effects on the acquisition of reading by degrading graphene/phoneme conversion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John R Kershner
- Dept. of Applied Psychology and Human Resources University of Toronto, ON, M5S 1A1, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Developmental Dyslexia: Environment Matters. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11060782. [PMID: 34199166 PMCID: PMC8231524 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia (DD) is a multifactorial, specific learning disorder. Susceptibility genes have been identified, but there is growing evidence that environmental factors, and especially stress, may act as triggering factors that determine an individual's risk of developing DD. In DD, as in most complex phenotypes, the presence of a genetic mutation fails to explain the broad phenotypic spectrum observed. Early life stress has been repeatedly associated with the risk of multifactorial disorders, due to its effects on chromatin regulation, gene expression, HPA axis function and its long-term effects on the systemic stress response. Based on recent evidence, we discuss the potential role of stress on DD occurrence, its putative epigenetic effects on the HPA axis of affected individuals, as well as the necessity of early and appropriate intervention, based on the individual stress-associated (endo)phenotype.
Collapse
|
7
|
Nguyen BN, Kolbe SC, Verghese A, Nearchou C, McKendrick AM, Egan GF, Vidyasagar TR. Visual search efficiency and functional visual cortical size in children with and without dyslexia. Neuropsychologia 2021; 155:107819. [PMID: 33684399 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Dyslexia is characterised by poor reading ability. Its aetiology is probably multifactorial, with abnormal visual processing playing an important role. Among adults with normal reading ability, there is a larger representation of central visual field in the primary visual cortex (V1) in those with more efficient visuospatial attention. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that poor reading ability in school-aged children (17 children with dyslexia, 14 control children with normal reading ability) is associated with deficits in visuospatial attention using a visual search task. We corroborated the psychophysical findings with neuroimaging, by measuring the functional size of V1 in response to a central 12° visual stimulus. Consistent with other literature, visual search was impaired and less efficient in the dyslexic children, particularly with more distractor elements in the search array (p = 0.04). We also found atypical interhemispheric asymmetry in functional V1 size in the dyslexia group (p = 0.02). Reading impaired children showed poorer visual search efficiency (p = 0.01), needing more time per unit distractor (higher ms/item). Reading ability was also correlated with V1 size asymmetry (p = 0.03), such that poorer readers showed less left hemisphere bias relative to the right hemisphere. Our findings support the view that dyslexic children have abnormal visuospatial attention and interhemispheric V1 asymmetry, relative to chronological age-matched peers, and that these factors may contribute to inter-individual variation in reading performance in children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bao N Nguyen
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Scott C Kolbe
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Ashika Verghese
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Christine Nearchou
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Allison M McKendrick
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Gary F Egan
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Trichur R Vidyasagar
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
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: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John R. Kershner
- Department of Applied Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Laudenbach V, Charollais A, Radi S, Stumpf MH, Vincent A, Kaltwasser I, Tomczyk T, Benichou J, Leroux P, Marret S. Conditions requiring hospitalisations, more than general anaesthesia itself, are associated with diagnosis of learning disorders in children. Anaesth Crit Care Pain Med 2020; 39:777-783. [PMID: 32977071 DOI: 10.1016/j.accpm.2020.07.017] [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: 11/30/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anaesthesia is neurotoxic in developing primates. Retrospective clinical studies show a correlation between exposure to anaesthesia during infancy and the occurrence of learning disorders (LD). Prospective studies failed to detect any influence of a single exposure to anaesthesia on neurodevelopment. We hypothesised that some specific populations of children were electively sensitive to anaesthesia-related neurotoxicity. METHODS Using a case-control design, we analysed the medical histories of children with LD, compared to those of their normally reading siblings. Interviews were conducted and medical records were reviewed. The numbers of hospitalisations and anaesthesia exposures before the age of five years were determined. RESULTS Four hundred fourteen dyslexic children were screened over a one-year period. Two hundred and seventy patients were excluded due to confounding variables (single child, all siblings showing LD or any condition placing the neurological prognosis at risk (N = 107/414 for the latter)) or inability to accurately collect evaluation criteria. In the 144 case-control pairs studied, the mean number of hospitalisations was significantly different (N = 1.097 ± 0 .135/case versus 0.667 ± 0.097/control, p = 0.0052), as was the proportion of hospitalised patients (54.2% versus 38.9%, p = 0.0031). The mean number of anaesthesia exposures per individual was not statistically different (N = 0.958 ± 0.183/case versus 0.569 ± 0.107/control, p = 0.0732), but the proportion of children anaesthetised at least once was (43.8% (cases) versus 33.3% (controls), p = 0.0301). DISCUSSION One or more hospitalisation(s) may reflect a health status and/or have an iatrogenic effect disrupting the normal setting up of learning abilities. Anaesthesia may play a role, but a correlation between LD and anaesthesia is of a lower magnitude than between LD and hospitalisation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Laudenbach
- Reference Centre for Learning Disorders, Rouen University Hospital, F-76031 Rouen Cedex, France; Department of Neonatology and Paediatric Intensive Care, Rouen University Hospital, F-76031 Cedex, France.
| | - Aude Charollais
- Reference Centre for Learning Disorders, Rouen University Hospital, F-76031 Rouen Cedex, France; Department of Neonatology and Paediatric Intensive Care, Rouen University Hospital, F-76031 Cedex, France; Laboratory ICONES EA4699, Faculty of Psychology, Sociology and Educational Sciences, University of Rouen, France
| | - Sophie Radi
- Reference Centre for Learning Disorders, Rouen University Hospital, F-76031 Rouen Cedex, France
| | - Marie-Hélène Stumpf
- Reference Centre for Learning Disorders, Rouen University Hospital, F-76031 Rouen Cedex, France
| | - Anne Vincent
- Reference Centre for Learning Disorders, Rouen University Hospital, F-76031 Rouen Cedex, France; Department of Neonatology and Paediatric Intensive Care, Rouen University Hospital, F-76031 Cedex, France
| | - Ingrid Kaltwasser
- Reference Centre for Learning Disorders, Rouen University Hospital, F-76031 Rouen Cedex, France
| | - Tiphaine Tomczyk
- Reference Centre for Learning Disorders, Rouen University Hospital, F-76031 Rouen Cedex, France; Department of Neonatology and Paediatric Intensive Care, Rouen University Hospital, F-76031 Cedex, France
| | - Jacques Benichou
- Department of Biostatistics, Rouen University Hospital, F-76031 Cedex, France
| | - Philippe Leroux
- Laboratory INSERM UMR 1245, Rouen School of Pharmacy and Medicine, Normandy University Rouen, 22 Bd Gambetta, F-76183 Rouen Cedex, France
| | - Stéphane Marret
- Reference Centre for Learning Disorders, Rouen University Hospital, F-76031 Rouen Cedex, France; Department of Neonatology and Paediatric Intensive Care, Rouen University Hospital, F-76031 Cedex, France; Laboratory INSERM UMR 1245, Rouen School of Pharmacy and Medicine, Normandy University Rouen, 22 Bd Gambetta, F-76183 Rouen Cedex, France
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Lancaster HS, Liu X, Dinu V, Li J. Identifying interactive biological pathways associated with reading disability. Brain Behav 2020; 10:e01735. [PMID: 32596987 PMCID: PMC7428467 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Past research has suggested that reading disability is a complex disorder involving genetic and environment contributions, as well as gene-gene and gene-environment interaction, but to date little is known about the underlying mechanisms. METHOD Using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, we assessed the contributions of genetic, demographic, and environmental variables on case-control status using machine learning. We investigated the functional interactions between genes using pathway and network analysis. RESULTS Our results support a systems approach to studying the etiology of reading disability with many genes (e.g., RAPGEF2, KIAA0319, DLC1) and biological pathways (e.g., neuron migration, positive regulation of dendrite regulation, nervous system development) interacting with each other. We found that single nucleotide variants within genes often had opposite effects and that enriched biological pathways were mediated by neuron migration. We also identified behavioral (i.e., receptive language, nonverbal intelligence, and vocabulary), demographic (i.e., mother's highest education), and environmental (i.e., birthweight) factors that influenced case-control status when accounting for genetic information. DISCUSSION The behavioral and demographic factors were suggested to be protective against reading disability status, while birthweight conveyed risk. We provided supporting evidence that reading disability has a complex biological and environmental etiology and that there may be a shared genetic and neurobiological architecture for reading (dis)ability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hope Sparks Lancaster
- College of Health SolutionsArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
- Department of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems EngineeringSchools of EngineeringArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - Xiaonan Liu
- Department of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems EngineeringSchools of EngineeringArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - Valentin Dinu
- College of Health SolutionsArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - Jing Li
- School of Industrial and Systems EngineeringGeorgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaGAUSA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Kershner JR. Dyslexia as an adaptation to cortico-limbic stress system reactivity. Neurobiol Stress 2020; 12:100223. [PMID: 32435671 PMCID: PMC7231974 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2020.100223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
A new school of thought in evolutionary developmental biology, combined with research in the neurobiology of stress, suggest that early exposure to stressful circumstances may be a cause of dyslexia. A balance between epigenetic, stress-induced and cognitive-growth genetic programs modulates the brain's cellular, regional, and network homeostasis. This balance is essential for adaptability to the normative range of everyday stress. However, even mild chronic stress exposition may overactivate the hypothalmic-pituitary-adrenal stress axis, upsetting the homeostatic balance between these programs, and exposing the brain to harmful levels of stress hormones. A protective strategy to sustained disequilibrium precociously advances maturation at the cost of neuroplasticity, which blunts stress axis reactivity but also compromises learning potential in the prefrontal cortex and networks associated with dyslexia. Stress exceeding an individual's range of resilience: (1) reduces levels of TFEB and BDNF, gene regulatory factors prolonging maturation and neuroplasticity; (2) interferes with the insular cortex, amygdala and hippocampus in coordinating afferent visceral signals with cognitive performance; (3) over-recruits the brain's Default Mode network; and (4) amplifies release from the Locus coeruleus/norepinephrine system which impairs the entrainment of oscillations in the lower phonological frequencies of speech. Evidence supporting a stress-growth imbalance is preliminary, but holds promise for reconceptualizing the neurobiology of dyslexia and reducing its prevalence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John R. Kershner
- University of Toronto, Dept of Applied Psychology University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Abstract
Neurobiology helps us understand the processes that drive neurological processes including dyslexia. This article outlines the neurobiology underpinning typical reading skills and those seen in dyslexia, which is characterized by problems with accurate or fluent word recognition, poor decoding, and poor spelling abilities. There are exciting new developments in the neurobiological changes resulting from educational interventions for dyslexia, though more research is needed in this regard. This article also outlines the clinical features of dyslexia across the developmental span, and provides guidance to clinicians about referral to community resources and advocacy for families to seek educational interventions. Screening and diagnostic tools are described, as are interventions for remediation and accommodations for dyslexia across the educational span.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Munzer
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Khadijah Hussain
- Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, MI, USA
| | - Neelkamal Soares
- Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, MI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John R Kershner
- Department of Applied Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|