1
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Yan X, Fu Y, Feng G, Li H, Su H, Liu X, Wu Y, Hua J, Cao F. Reading disability is characterized by reduced print-speech convergence. Child Dev 2024. [PMID: 39032033 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.14134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
Reading disability (RD) may be characterized by reduced print-speech convergence, which is the extent to which neurocognitive processes for reading and hearing words overlap. We examined how print-speech convergence changes from children (mean age: 11.07+0.48) to adults (mean age: 21.33+1.80) in 86 readers with or without RD. The participants were recruited in elementary schools and associate degree colleges in China (from 2020 to 2021). Three patterns of abnormalities were revealed: (1) persistent reduction of print-speech convergence in the left inferior parietal cortex in both children and adults with RD, suggesting a neural signature of RD; (2) reduction of print-speech convergence in the left inferior frontal gyrus only evident in children but not adults with RD, suggesting a developmental delay; and (3) increased print-speech convergence in adults with RD than typical adults in the bilateral cerebella/fusiform, suggesting compensations. It provides insights into developmental differences in brain functional abnormalities in RD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui Yan
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Lab of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Yang Fu
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Lab of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Guoyan Feng
- Guangzhou Xinhua University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hui Li
- Anyang Preschool Education College, Anyang, China
| | - Haibin Su
- The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
| | - Xinhong Liu
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu Wu
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Lab of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Jia Hua
- Instrumental Analysis and Research Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fan Cao
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Lab of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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2
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Beck J, Chyl K, Dębska A, Łuniewska M, van Atteveldt N, Jednoróg K. Letter-speech sound integration in typical reading development during the first years of formal education. Child Dev 2024; 95:e236-e252. [PMID: 38396333 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.14080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
This study investigated the neural basis of letter and speech sound (LS) integration in 53 typical readers (35 girls, all White) during the first 2 years of reading education (ages 7-9). Changes in both sensory (multisensory vs unisensory) and linguistic (congruent vs incongruent) aspects of LS integration were examined. The left superior temporal cortex and bilateral inferior frontal cortex showed increasing activation for multisensory over unisensory LS over time, driven by reduced activation to speech sounds. No changes were noted in the congruency effect. However, at age nine, heightened activation to incongruent over congruent LS pairs were observed, correlating with individual differences in reading development. This suggests that the incongruency effect evolves at varying rates depending on reading skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Beck
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
- Bioimaging Research Center, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Warsaw, Poland, Kajetany, Mazovia, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Chyl
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
- Educational Research Institute, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Dębska
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
| | - Magdalena Łuniewska
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Nienke van Atteveldt
- Department of Clinical Developmental Psychology & Institute LEARN!, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Katarzyna Jednoróg
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw, Poland
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3
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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.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Toivo Glatz
- Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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4
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Vandecruys F, Vandermosten M, De Smedt B. The inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus correlates with early precursors of mathematics and reading before the start of formal schooling. Cortex 2024; 174:149-163. [PMID: 38547813 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Diffusion-weighted imaging studies in preschoolers have almost exclusively been done in the field of reading. As a result, virtually nothing is known about white matter tracts associated with individual differences in mathematics at this age. Studying the preschoolers' brain is crucial because it allows us to identify individual differences in brain anatomy without influences of formal mathematics and reading instruction. To fill this gap, we investigated for the first time before the start of formal school entry the associations between white matter tracts and precursors of mathematics and reading simultaneously. We also investigated whether these associations were specific to mathematics and to reading, or not. We focused on four bilateral white matter tracts (arcuate fasciculus (direct, anterior), inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus), which have been previously correlated with mathematical performance in older children and with reading performance in children of a similar age as the current study. Participants were 56 5-year-old children (Mage = 67 months; SD = 1.8), none of which received formal instruction. Our results showed an association between the bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and precursors of mathematics (numerical ordering, numeral knowledge) and reading (phonological awareness, letter knowledge). Follow-up regression analyses revealed that the associations found with the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus were neither specific to mathematics nor specific to reading. These findings suggest that, already before the start of formal schooling, the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus might be related to the neural overlap between mathematics and reading. This overlap potentially reflects one of their many shared mechanisms, such as the reliance on phonological codes or the processing of visual symbols, and these mechanisms should be exploited in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floor Vandecruys
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Experimental ORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Bert De Smedt
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium.
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5
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Bonte M, Brem S. Unraveling individual differences in learning potential: A dynamic framework for the case of reading development. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 66:101362. [PMID: 38447471 PMCID: PMC10925938 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101362] [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: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Children show an enormous capacity to learn during development, but with large individual differences in the time course and trajectory of learning and the achieved skill level. Recent progress in developmental sciences has shown the contribution of a multitude of factors including genetic variation, brain plasticity, socio-cultural context and learning experiences to individual development. These factors interact in a complex manner, producing children's idiosyncratic and heterogeneous learning paths. Despite an increasing recognition of these intricate dynamics, current research on the development of culturally acquired skills such as reading still has a typical focus on snapshots of children's performance at discrete points in time. Here we argue that this 'static' approach is often insufficient and limits advancements in the prediction and mechanistic understanding of individual differences in learning capacity. We present a dynamic framework which highlights the importance of capturing short-term trajectories during learning across multiple stages and processes as a proxy for long-term development on the example of reading. This framework will help explain relevant variability in children's learning paths and outcomes and fosters new perspectives and approaches to study how children develop and learn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milene Bonte
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience and Maastricht Brain Imaging Center, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
| | - 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
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6
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Bertoni S, Andreola C, Mascheretti S, Franceschini S, Ruffino M, Trezzi V, Molteni M, Sali ME, Salandi A, Gaggi O, Palazzi C, Gori S, Facoetti A. Action video games normalise the phonemic awareness in pre-readers at risk for developmental dyslexia. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2024; 9:25. [PMID: 38514689 PMCID: PMC10957868 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-024-00230-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Action video-games (AVGs) could improve reading efficiency, enhancing not only visual attention but also phonological processing. Here we tested the AVG effects upon three consolidated language-based predictors of reading development in a sample of 79 pre-readers at-risk and 41 non-at-risk for developmental dyslexia. At-risk children were impaired in either phonemic awareness (i.e., phoneme discrimination task), phonological working memory (i.e., pseudoword repetition task) or rapid automatized naming (i.e., RAN of colours task). At-risk children were assigned to different groups by using an unequal allocation randomization: (1) AVG (n = 43), (2) Serious Non-Action Video Game (n = 11), (3) treatment-as-usual (i.e., speech therapy, n = 11), and (4) waiting list (n = 14). Pre- and post-training comparisons show that only phonemic awareness has a significantly higher improvement in the AVG group compared to the waiting list, the non-AVG, and the treatment-as-usual groups, as well as the combined active groups (n = 22). This cross-modal plastic change: (i) leads to a recovery in phonemic awareness when compared to the not-at-risk pre-readers; (ii) is present in more than 80% of AVG at-risk pre-readers, and; (iii) is maintained at a 6-months follow-up. The present findings indicate that this specific multisensory attentional training positively affects how phonemic awareness develops in pre-readers at risk for developmental dyslexia, paving the way for innovative prevention programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Bertoni
- Università di Bergamo, Department of Human and Social Sciences, Bergamo, Italy.
- Università di Padova, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of General Psychology, Padova, Italy.
| | - Chiara Andreola
- Université Paris Cité, Laboratoire de Psychologie de Développement et de l'Éducation de l'Enfant (LaPsyDÉ), UMR CNRS 8240, Paris, France
| | - Sara Mascheretti
- Università di Pavia, Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Pavia, Italy
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Child Psychopathology Unit, Lecco, Italy
| | | | - Milena Ruffino
- ASST Valle Olona, Neuropsychiatric Unit, Saronno, Varese, Italy
| | - Vittoria Trezzi
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Child Psychopathology Unit, Lecco, Italy
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Child Psychopathology Unit, Lecco, Italy
| | - Maria Enrica Sali
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Child Psychopathology Unit, Lecco, Italy
| | - Antonio Salandi
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Child Psychopathology Unit, Lecco, Italy
| | | | | | - Simone Gori
- Università di Bergamo, Department of Human and Social Sciences, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Andrea Facoetti
- Università di Padova, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of General Psychology, Padova, Italy.
- Sigmund Freud University, Milano, Italy.
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7
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Sinha N, Nikki Arrington C, Malins JG, Pugh KR, Frijters JC, Morris R. The reading-attention relationship: Variations in working memory network activity during single word decoding in children with and without dyslexia. Neuropsychologia 2024; 195:108821. [PMID: 38340962 PMCID: PMC11284775 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108821] [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: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
This study utilized a neuroimaging task to assess working memory (WM) network recruitment during single word reading. Associations between WM and reading comprehension skills are well documented. Several converging models suggest WM may also contribute to foundational reading skills, but few studies have assessed this contribution directly. Two groups of children (77 developmental dyslexia (DD), 22 controls) completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task to identify activation of a priori defined regions of the WM network. fMRI trials consisted of familiar word, pseudoword, and false font stimuli within a 1-back oddball task to assess how activation in the WM network differs in response to stimuli that can respectively be processed using word recognition, phonological decoding, or non-word strategies. Results showed children with DD recruited WM regions bilaterally in response to all stimulus types, whereas control children recruited left-lateralized WM regions during the pseudoword condition only. Group-level comparisons revealed activation differences in the defined WM network regions for false font and familiar word, but not pseudoword conditions. This effect was driven by increased activity in participants with DD in right hemisphere frontal, parietal, and motor regions despite poorer task performance. Findings suggest the WM network may contribute to inefficient decoding and word recognition strategies in children with DD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niki Sinha
- Department of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada.
| | - C Nikki Arrington
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30303, United States; GSU/GT Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30318, United States; Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30303, United States
| | - Jeffrey G Malins
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30303, United States; Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, 06511, United States
| | - Kenneth R Pugh
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, 06511, United States; Department of Linguistics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, United States; Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, United States
| | - Jan C Frijters
- Department of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Robin Morris
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30303, United States
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8
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França LGS, Ciarrusta J, Gale-Grant O, Fenn-Moltu S, Fitzgibbon S, Chew A, Falconer S, Dimitrova R, Cordero-Grande L, Price AN, Hughes E, O'Muircheartaigh J, Duff E, Tuulari JJ, Deco G, Counsell SJ, Hajnal JV, Nosarti C, Arichi T, Edwards AD, McAlonan G, Batalle D. Neonatal brain dynamic functional connectivity in term and preterm infants and its association with early childhood neurodevelopment. Nat Commun 2024; 15:16. [PMID: 38331941 PMCID: PMC10853532 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44050-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Brain dynamic functional connectivity characterises transient connections between brain regions. Features of brain dynamics have been linked to emotion and cognition in adult individuals, and atypical patterns have been associated with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism. Although reliable functional brain networks have been consistently identified in neonates, little is known about the early development of dynamic functional connectivity. In this study we characterise dynamic functional connectivity with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in the first few weeks of postnatal life in term-born (n = 324) and preterm-born (n = 66) individuals. We show that a dynamic landscape of brain connectivity is already established by the time of birth in the human brain, characterised by six transient states of neonatal functional connectivity with changing dynamics through the neonatal period. The pattern of dynamic connectivity is atypical in preterm-born infants, and associated with atypical social, sensory, and repetitive behaviours measured by the Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT) scores at 18 months of age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas G S França
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK
| | - Judit Ciarrusta
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Oliver Gale-Grant
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Sunniva Fenn-Moltu
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Sean Fitzgibbon
- Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Andrew Chew
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Shona Falconer
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Ralica Dimitrova
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Lucilio Cordero-Grande
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- Biomedical Image Technologies, ETSI Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Anthony N Price
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Emer Hughes
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Jonathan O'Muircheartaigh
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Eugene Duff
- Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, W12 0BZ, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London, London, W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Jetro J Tuulari
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, 20500, Turku, Finland
- Turku Collegium for Science and Medicine and Technology, University of Turku, 20500, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, 20500, Turku, Finland
| | - Gustavo Deco
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Pompeu Fabra University, 08002, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, 08010, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Serena J Counsell
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Joseph V Hajnal
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Chiara Nosarti
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Tomoki Arichi
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
- Department of Paediatric Neurosciences, Evelina London Children's Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - A David Edwards
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Grainne McAlonan
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Dafnis Batalle
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK.
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9
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Eyre HA, Hynes W, Ayadi R, Swieboda P, Berk M, Ibanez A, Castelló ME, Jeste DV, Tempest M, Abdullah JM, O’Brien K, Carnevale S, Njamnshi AK, Martino M, Mannix D, Maestri K, YU R, CHEN S, NG CH, Volmink HC, Ahuja R, Destrebecq F, Vradenburg G, Schmied A, Manes F, Platt ML. The Brain Economy: Advancing Brain Science to Better Understand the Modern Economy. Malays J Med Sci 2024; 31:1-13. [PMID: 38456111 PMCID: PMC10917588 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2024.31.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The coming years are likely to be turbulent due to a myriad of factors or polycrisis, including an escalation in climate extremes, emerging public health threats, weak productivity, increases in global economic instability and further weakening in the integrity of global democracy. These formidable challenges are not exogenous to the economy but are in some cases generated by the system itself. They can be overcome, but only with far-reaching changes to global economics. Our current socio-economic paradigm is insufficient for addressing these complex challenges, let alone sustaining human development, well-being and happiness. To support the flourishing of the global population in the age of polycrisis, we need a novel, person-centred and collective paradigm. The brain economy leverages insights from neuroscience to provide a novel way of centralising the human contribution to the economy, how the economy in turn shapes our lives and positive feedbacks between the two. The brain economy is primarily based on Brain Capital, an economic asset integrating brain health and brain skills, the social, emotional, and the diversity of cognitive brain resources of individuals and communities. People with healthy brains are essential to navigate increasingly complex systems. Policies and investments that improve brain health and hence citizens' cognitive functions and boost brain performance can increase productivity, stimulate greater creativity and economic dynamism, utilise often underdeveloped intellectual resources, afford social cohesion, and create a more resilient, adaptable and sustainability-engaged population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harris A. Eyre
- Brain Capital Alliance, San Francisco, California, USA
- Center for Health and Biosciences, The Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, Texas
- Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, Dallas, Texas, USA
- Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), Deakin University and Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Houston, Texas, USA
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California and Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- FondaMental Fondation, Paris, France
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
- Houston Methodist Behavioral Health, Houston Methodist Academic Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, California, USA
- Frontier Technology Lab, School of Engineering and Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University, California, USA
| | - William Hynes
- Brain Capital Alliance, San Francisco, California, USA
- Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association, Barcelona, Spain
- Rebuilding Macroeconomics, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
- School of Advanced International Studies Europe, Johns Hopkins University, Bologna, Italy
| | - Rym Ayadi
- Brain Capital Alliance, San Francisco, California, USA
- Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association, Barcelona, Spain
- Bayes Business School, City College London, London, United Kingdom
- Center for European Policy Studies, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pawel Swieboda
- Brain Capital Alliance, San Francisco, California, USA
- Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association, Barcelona, Spain
- NeuroCentury, Brussels, Belgium
- European Policy Centre, Brussels, Belgium
- International Center for Future Generations, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Michael Berk
- Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), Deakin University and Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
- Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health and the Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Agustin Ibanez
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California and Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
- Laboratorio Interdisciplinario del Tiempo, Universidad de San Andrés-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María E. Castelló
- Desarrollo y Evolución Neural, Departamento Neurociencias Integrativas y Computacionales, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (MEC), Montevideo, Uruguay
- Programa de Desarrollo de las Ciencias Básicas (MEC-UdelaR), Montevideo, Uruguay
- Fibras, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Dilip V. Jeste
- Global Research Network on Social Determinants of Health and Exposomics, La Jolla, California, USA
| | | | - Jafri Malin Abdullah
- Fellow, Academy of Sciences Malaysia, Menara Matrade, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Chairman of Medical and Health Sciences Cluster, The National Council of Professors, Malaysia (MPN), Selangor, Malaysia
- Professor of Neurosciences & Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon, Department of Neurosciences & Brain and Behaviour Cluster, School of Medical Sciences/Hospital USM, Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | | | | | - Alfred K. Njamnshi
- Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN), Geneva, Switzerland & Yaoundé, Cameroon, Africa
| | - Michael Martino
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), South Carolina, USA
| | - Dan Mannix
- Brain Capital Alliance, San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | - Ruojuan YU
- School of Management, Yale University, Connecticut, USA
| | - Shuo CHEN
- Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, College of Engineering, University of California, California, USA
| | - Chee H. NG
- Department of Psychiatry, The Melbourne Clinic and St. Vincent’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Heinrich C. Volmink
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, Africa
- Division of Health Systems and Public Health, Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, Africa
| | - Rajiv Ahuja
- Milken Institute, Center for the Future of Aging, California, USA
| | | | - George Vradenburg
- UsAgainstAlzhiemer’s, Washington DC, USA
- Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, Washington DC, USA
| | - Astrid Schmied
- Science of Learning in Education Center, Office of Education Research, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Facundo Manes
- Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Michael L. Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Marketing Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Wharton Neuroscience Initiative, Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
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10
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Kwok FY, Wilkey ED, Peters L, Khiu E, Bull R, Lee K, Ansari D. Developmental dyscalculia is not associated with atypical brain activation: A univariate fMRI study of arithmetic, magnitude processing, and visuospatial working memory. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:6308-6325. [PMID: 37909347 PMCID: PMC10681641 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26495] [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: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional neuroimaging serves as a tool to better understand the cerebral correlates of atypical behaviors, such as learning difficulties. While significant advances have been made in characterizing the neural correlates of reading difficulties (developmental dyslexia), comparatively little is known about the neurobiological correlates of mathematical learning difficulties, such as developmental dyscalculia (DD). Furthermore, the available neuroimaging studies of DD are characterized by small sample sizes and variable inclusion criteria, which make it problematic to compare across studies. In addition, studies to date have focused on identifying single deficits in neuronal processing among children with DD (e.g., mental arithmetic), rather than probing differences in brain function across different processing domains that are known to be affected in children with DD. Here, we seek to address the limitations of prior investigations. Specifically, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to probe brain differences between children with and without persistent DD; 68 children (8-10 years old, 30 with DD) participated in an fMRI study designed to investigate group differences in the functional neuroanatomy associated with commonly reported behavioral deficits in children with DD: basic number processing, mental arithmetic and visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM). Behavioral data revealed that children with DD were less accurate than their typically achieving (TA) peers for the basic number processing and arithmetic tasks. No behavioral differences were found for the tasks measuring VSWM. A pre-registered, whole-brain, voxelwise univariate analysis of the fMRI data from the entire sample of children (DD and TA) revealed areas commonly associated with the three tasks (basic number processing, mental arithmetic, and VSWM). However, the examination of differences in brain activation between children with and without DD revealed no consistent group differences in brain activation. In view of these null results, we ran exploratory, Bayesian analyses on the data to quantify the amount of evidence for no group differences. This analysis provides supporting evidence for no group differences across all three tasks. We present the largest fMRI study comparing children with and without persistent DD to date. We found no group differences in brain activation using univariate, frequentist analyses. Moreover, Bayesian analyses revealed evidence for the null hypothesis of no group differences. These findings contradict previous literature and reveal the need to investigate the neural basis of DD using multivariate and network-based approaches to brain imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fu Yu Kwok
- Centre for Research in Child Development, National Institute of EducationNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore
- Macquarie School of EducationMacquarie UniversitySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Eric D. Wilkey
- Brain and Mind InstituteWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
- Vanderbilt Brain InstituteVanderbilt UniversityNashvilleTennesseeUSA
- Department of Psychology & Human DevelopmentPeabody College, Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleTennesseeUSA
| | - Lien Peters
- Brain and Mind InstituteWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology Research in Developmental Disorders LabGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
| | - Ellyn Khiu
- Centre for Research in Child Development, National Institute of EducationNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore
| | - Rebecca Bull
- Macquarie School of EducationMacquarie UniversitySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Kerry Lee
- Department of Early Childhood EducationThe Education University of Hong KongHong Kong
| | - Daniel Ansari
- Centre for Research in Child Development, National Institute of EducationNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore
- Brain and Mind InstituteWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
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11
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Pulli EP, Nolvi S, Eskola E, Nordenswan E, Holmberg E, Copeland A, Kumpulainen V, Silver E, Merisaari H, Saunavaara J, Parkkola R, Lähdesmäki T, Saukko E, Kataja E, Korja R, Karlsson L, Karlsson H, Tuulari JJ. Structural brain correlates of non-verbal cognitive ability in 5-year-old children: Findings from the FinnBrain birth cohort study. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:5582-5601. [PMID: 37606608 PMCID: PMC10619410 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26463] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-verbal cognitive ability predicts multiple important life outcomes, for example, school and job performance. It has been associated with parieto-frontal cortical anatomy in prior studies in adult and adolescent populations, while young children have received relatively little attention. We explored the associations between cortical anatomy and non-verbal cognitive ability in 165 5-year-old participants (mean scan age 5.40 years, SD 0.13; 90 males) from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort study. T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance images were processed using FreeSurfer. Non-verbal cognitive ability was measured using the Performance Intelligence Quotient (PIQ) estimated from the Block Design and Matrix Reasoning subtests from the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III). In vertex-wise general linear models, PIQ scores associated positively with volumes in the left caudal middle frontal and right pericalcarine regions, as well as surface area in left the caudal middle frontal, left inferior temporal, and right lingual regions. There were no associations between PIQ and cortical thickness. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine structural correlates of non-verbal cognitive ability in a large sample of typically developing 5-year-olds. The findings are generally in line with prior findings from older age groups, with the important addition of the positive association between volume / surface area in the right medial occipital region and non-verbal cognitive ability. This finding adds to the literature by discovering a new brain region that should be considered in future studies exploring the role of cortical structure for cognitive development in young children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elmo P. Pulli
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Centre for Population Health ResearchTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Saara Nolvi
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Centre for Population Health ResearchTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Turku Institute for Advanced Studies, Department of Psychology and Speech‐Language PathologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Eeva Eskola
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Centre for Population Health ResearchTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Elisabeth Nordenswan
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Centre for Population Health ResearchTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Eeva Holmberg
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Centre for Population Health ResearchTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Anni Copeland
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Centre for Population Health ResearchTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Venla Kumpulainen
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Centre for Population Health ResearchTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Eero Silver
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Centre for Population Health ResearchTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Harri Merisaari
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Centre for Population Health ResearchTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Department of RadiologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Jani Saunavaara
- Department of Medical PhysicsTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Riitta Parkkola
- Department of RadiologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Department of RadiologyTurku University HospitalTurkuFinland
| | - Tuire Lähdesmäki
- Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent MedicineTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | | | - Eeva‐Leena Kataja
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Centre for Population Health ResearchTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Riikka Korja
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Centre for Population Health ResearchTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Centre for Population Health ResearchTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent MedicineTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Hasse Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Centre for Population Health ResearchTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Department of PsychiatryTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Jetro J. Tuulari
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Centre for Population Health ResearchTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Department of PsychiatryTurku University Hospital and University of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Turku Collegium for Science, Medicine and TechnologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
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12
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Turker S, Kuhnke P, Jiang Z, Hartwigsen G. Disrupted network interactions serve as a neural marker of dyslexia. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1114. [PMID: 37923809 PMCID: PMC10624919 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05499-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Dyslexia, a frequent learning disorder, is characterized by severe impairments in reading and writing and hypoactivation in reading regions in the left hemisphere. Despite decades of research, it remains unclear to date if observed behavioural deficits are caused by aberrant network interactions during reading and whether differences in functional activation and connectivity are directly related to reading performance. Here we provide a comprehensive characterization of reading-related brain connectivity in adults with and without dyslexia. We find disrupted functional coupling between hypoactive reading regions, especially between the left temporo-parietal and occipito-temporal cortices, and an extensive functional disruption of the right cerebellum in adults with dyslexia. Network analyses suggest that individuals with dyslexia process written stimuli via a dorsal decoding route and show stronger reading-related interaction with the right cerebellum. Moreover, increased connectivity within networks is linked to worse reading performance in dyslexia. Collectively, our results provide strong evidence for aberrant task-related connectivity as a neural marker for dyslexia that directly impacts behavioural performance. The observed differences in activation and connectivity suggest that one effective way to alleviate reading problems in dyslexia is through modulating interactions within the reading network with neurostimulation methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Turker
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Wilhelm Wundt Institute for Psychology, Leipzig University, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Philipp Kuhnke
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Wilhelm Wundt Institute for Psychology, Leipzig University, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Zhizhao Jiang
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gesa Hartwigsen
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Wilhelm Wundt Institute for Psychology, Leipzig University, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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13
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Turker S, Kuhnke P, Schmid FR, Cheung VKM, Weise K, Knoke M, Zeidler B, Seidel K, Eckert L, Hartwigsen G. Adaptive short-term plasticity in the typical reading network. Neuroimage 2023; 281:120373. [PMID: 37696425 PMCID: PMC10577446 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The left temporo-parietal cortex (TPC) is crucial for phonological decoding, i.e., for learning and retaining sound-letter mappings, and appears hypoactive in dyslexia. Here, we tested the causal contribution of this area for reading in typical readers with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and explored the reading network's response with fMRI. By investigating the underlying neural correlates of stimulation-induced modulations of the reading network, we can help improve targeted interventions for individuals with dyslexia. 28 typical adult readers overtly read simple and complex words and pseudowords during fMRI after effective and sham TMS over the left TPC. To explore differences in functional activation and effective connectivity within the reading network, we performed univariate and multivariate analyses, as well as dynamic causal modeling. While TMS-induced effects on reading performance and brain activation showed large individual variability, multivariate analyses revealed a shift in activation in the left inferior frontal cortex for pseudoword reading after effective TMS. Furthermore, TMS increased effective connectivity from the left ventral occipito-temporal cortex to the left TPC. In the absence of effects on reading performance, the observed changes in task-related activity and the increase in functional coupling between the two core reading nodes suggest successful short-term compensatory reorganization in the reading network following TMS-induced disruption. This study is the first to explore neurophysiological changes induced by TMS to a core reading node in typical readers while performing an overt reading task. We provide evidence for remote stimulation effects and emphasize the relevance of functional interactions in the reading network.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Turker
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, Leipzig 04103, Germany; Wilhelm Wundt Institute for Psychology, University of Leipzig, Germany.
| | - P Kuhnke
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, Leipzig 04103, Germany; Wilhelm Wundt Institute for Psychology, University of Leipzig, Germany
| | - F R Schmid
- CBC Center for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - V K M Cheung
- Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - K Weise
- Methods and Development Group Brain Networks, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - M Knoke
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - B Zeidler
- Centre for Systematic Musicology, University of Graz, Austria
| | - K Seidel
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - L Eckert
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - G Hartwigsen
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, Leipzig 04103, Germany; Wilhelm Wundt Institute for Psychology, University of Leipzig, Germany
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14
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Di Pietro SV, Karipidis II, Pleisch G, Brem S. Neurodevelopmental trajectories of letter and speech sound processing from preschool to the end of elementary school. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 61:101255. [PMID: 37196374 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Learning to read alphabetic languages starts with learning letter-speech-sound associations. How this process changes brain function during development is still largely unknown. We followed 102 children with varying reading skills in a mixed-longitudinal/cross-sectional design from the prereading stage to the end of elementary school over five time points (n = 46 with two and more time points, of which n = 16 fully-longitudinal) to investigate the neural trajectories of letter and speech sound processing using fMRI. Children were presented with letters and speech sounds visually, auditorily, and audiovisually in kindergarten (6.7yo), at the middle (7.3yo) and end of first grade (7.6yo), and in second (8.4yo) and fifth grades (11.5yo). Activation of the ventral occipitotemporal cortex for visual and audiovisual processing followed a complex trajectory, with two peaks in first and fifth grades. The superior temporal gyrus (STG) showed an inverted U-shaped trajectory for audiovisual letter processing, a development that in poor readers was attenuated in middle STG and absent in posterior STG. Finally, the trajectories for letter-speech-sound integration were modulated by reading skills and showed differing directionality in the congruency effect depending on the time point. This unprecedented study captures the development of letter processing across elementary school and its neural trajectories in children with varying reading skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- S 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
| | - I I Karipidis
- 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
| | - G Pleisch
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - S 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.
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15
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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.
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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.
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16
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Ozernov‐Palchik O, Sury D, Turesky TK, Yu X, Gaab N. Longitudinal changes in brain activation underlying reading fluency. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:18-34. [PMID: 35984111 PMCID: PMC9783447 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Reading fluency-the speed and accuracy of reading connected text-is foundational to educational success. The current longitudinal study investigates the neural correlates of fluency development using a connected-text paradigm with an individualized presentation rate. Twenty-six children completed a functional MRI task in 1st/2nd grade (time 1) and again 1-2 years later (time 2). There was a longitudinal increase in activation in the ventral occipito-temporal (vOT) cortex from time 1 to time 2. This increase was also associated with improvements in reading fluency skills and modulated by individual speed demands. These findings highlight the reciprocal relationship of the vOT region with reading proficiency and its importance for supporting the developmental transition to fluent reading. These results have implications for developing effective interventions to target increased automaticity in reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ola Ozernov‐Palchik
- McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
- Harvard Graduate School of EducationHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Dana Sury
- Department of Learning Disabilities, Faculty of EducationBeit Berl CollegeHasharonIsrael
| | - Ted K. Turesky
- Harvard Graduate School of EducationHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and LearningBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Harvard Graduate School of EducationHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
- Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
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17
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Beyer M, Liebig J, Sylvester T, Braun M, Heekeren HR, Froehlich E, Jacobs AM, Ziegler JC. Structural gray matter features and behavioral preliterate skills predict future literacy - A machine learning approach. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:920150. [PMID: 36248649 PMCID: PMC9558903 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.920150] [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: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
When children learn to read, their neural system undergoes major changes to become responsive to print. There seem to be nuanced interindividual differences in the neurostructural anatomy of regions that later become integral parts of the reading network. These differences might affect literacy acquisition and, in some cases, might result in developmental disorders like dyslexia. Consequently, the main objective of this longitudinal study was to investigate those interindividual differences in gray matter morphology that might facilitate or hamper future reading acquisition. We used a machine learning approach to examine to what extent gray matter macrostructural features and cognitive-linguistic skills measured before formal literacy teaching could predict literacy 2 years later. Forty-two native German-speaking children underwent T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and psychometric testing at the end of kindergarten. They were tested again 2 years later to assess their literacy skills. A leave-one-out cross-validated machine-learning regression approach was applied to identify the best predictors of future literacy based on cognitive-linguistic preliterate behavioral skills and cortical measures in a priori selected areas of the future reading network. With surprisingly high accuracy, future literacy was predicted, predominantly based on gray matter volume in the left occipito-temporal cortex and local gyrification in the left insular, inferior frontal, and supramarginal gyri. Furthermore, phonological awareness significantly predicted future literacy. In sum, the results indicate that the brain morphology of the large-scale reading network at a preliterate age can predict how well children learn to read.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moana Beyer
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johanna Liebig
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Teresa Sylvester
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mario Braun
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Universität Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Hauke R. Heekeren
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eva Froehlich
- Department of Decision Neuroscience and Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany
| | - Arthur M. Jacobs
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes C. Ziegler
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, Aix-Marseille Université and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseille, France
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18
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Ligges C, Lehmann T. Multiple Case Studies in German Children with Dyslexia: Characterization of Phonological, Auditory, Visual, and Cerebellar Processing on the Group and Individual Levels. Brain Sci 2022; 12:1292. [PMID: 36291226 PMCID: PMC9599942 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12101292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The underlying mechanisms of dyslexia are still debated. The question remains as to whether there is evidence of a predominant type of deficit or whether it is a multideficit disorder with individual profiles. The assumptions of which mechanism causes the disorder influences the selection of the training approach. METHODS A sample of German neurotypical reading children (NT) and children with dyslexia (DYSL) was investigated with a comprehensive behavioral test battery assessing phonological, auditory, visual, and cerebellar performance, thus addressing performance described in three major theories in dyslexia. RESULTS In the present sample using the test battery of the present study, DYSL had the strongest impairment in phonological and auditory processing, accompanied by individual processing deficits in cerebellar performance, but only a few in the investigated visual domains. Phonological awareness and auditory performance were the only significant predictors for reading ability. CONCLUSION These findings point out that those reading difficulties were associated with phonological as well as auditory processing deficits in the present sample. Future research should investigate individual deficit profiles longitudinally, with studies starting before literacy acquisition at as many processing domains as possible. These individual deficit profiles should then be used to select appropriate interventions to promote reading and spelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Ligges
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Thomas Lehmann
- Institute of Medical Statistics, Computer and Data Sciences, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
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19
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Verhoeven L, Voeten M, Keuning J. Modeling developmental changes in print tuning in a transparent alphabetic orthography. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:934590. [PMID: 36161149 PMCID: PMC9495936 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.934590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of print tuning involves the increased specificity and redundancy for orthographic representations. However, it is by no means clear how decoding accuracy and efficiency are related over the years and how it affects reading disability. In the present study, we monitored the development of accuracy and efficiency of decoding in Dutch as a relatively transparent orthography as a function of orthographic complexity and lexical status throughout the primary grades. There was clear evidence that development of decoding accuracy preceded development of decoding efficiency and that a certain threshold of accuracy is needed for decoding efficiency to evolve. Furthermore, it was shown that pseudoword decoding efficiency predicted growth in word decoding efficiency, especially for the higher levels of orthographic complexity. There was also evidence that accuracy precedes efficiency across different profiles of readers and that decoding strength can be defined as a function of orthographic complexity and lexicality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludo Verhoeven
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Faculty of Arts, University of Curaçao Moises Da Costa Gomez, Willemstad, Curaçao
- *Correspondence: Ludo Verhoeven,
| | - Marinus Voeten
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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20
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Braid J, Richlan F. The Functional Neuroanatomy of Reading Intervention. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:921931. [PMID: 35784836 PMCID: PMC9243375 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.921931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The present article reviews the literature on the brain mechanisms underlying reading improvements following behavioral intervention for reading disability. This includes evidence of neuroplasticity concerning functional brain activation, brain structure, and brain connectivity related to reading intervention. Consequently, the functional neuroanatomy of reading intervention is compared to the existing literature on neurocognitive models and brain abnormalities associated with reading disability. A particular focus is on the left hemisphere reading network including left occipito-temporal, temporo-parietal, and inferior frontal language regions. In addition, potential normalization/compensation mechanisms involving right hemisphere cortical regions, as well as bilateral sub-cortical and cerebellar regions are taken into account. The comparison of the brain systems associated with reading intervention and the brain systems associated with reading disability enhances our understanding of the neurobiological basis of typical and atypical reading development. All in all, however, there is a lack of sufficient evidence regarding rehabilitative brain mechanisms in reading disability, which we discuss in this review.
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Bonte M, van Atteveldt N. Editorial: Capturing developmental brain dynamics. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2022; 7:11. [PMID: 35654944 PMCID: PMC9163026 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-022-00126-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Milene Bonte
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, and Maastricht Brain Imaging Center, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
| | - Nienke van Atteveldt
- Department of Clinical Developmental Psychology & Institute Learn!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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22
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van Duijvenvoorde ACK, Whitmore LB, Westhoff B, Mills KL. A methodological perspective on learning in the developing brain. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2022; 7:12. [PMID: 35654860 PMCID: PMC9163171 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-022-00127-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The brain undergoes profound development across childhood and adolescence, including continuous changes in brain morphology, connectivity, and functioning that are, in part, dependent on one's experiences. These neurobiological changes are accompanied by significant changes in children's and adolescents' cognitive learning. By drawing from studies in the domains of reading, reinforcement learning, and learning difficulties, we present a brief overview of methodological approaches and research designs that bridge brain- and behavioral research on learning. We argue that ultimately these methods and designs may help to unravel questions such as why learning interventions work, what learning computations change across development, and how learning difficulties are distinct between individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna C K van Duijvenvoorde
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
- Leiden Institute for Brain & Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Lucy B Whitmore
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Bianca Westhoff
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain & Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Kathryn L Mills
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Laporta-Hoyos O, Pannek K, Pagnozzi AM, Whittingham K, Wotherspoon J, Benfer K, Fiori S, Ware RS, Boyd RN. Cognitive, academic, executive and psychological functioning in children with spastic motor type cerebral palsy: Influence of extent, location, and laterality of brain lesions. Eur J Paediatr Neurol 2022; 38:33-46. [PMID: 35381411 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpn.2022.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate, in spastic motor-type cerebral palsy, the association between 1) the location and extent of brain lesions and numerous psychological outcomes; 2) the laterality of brain lesions and performance of verbal-related cognitive functions. METHODS The semi-quantitative scale for MRI (sqMRI) was scored for 101 children with cerebral palsy. Non-verbal and verbal proxy intelligence quotients (IQ), word reading, spelling, numerical operations skills, executive functioning, and psychological adjustment were assessed. Relationships between global and regional sqMRI scores and clinical scores were examined. The best multivariable linear regression model for each outcome was identified using the Bayesian Information Criteria. Regional sqMRI scores, gross motor functioning, manual ability, and epilepsy status were considered for inclusion as covariables. Where sqMRI scores made statistically significant contributions to models of verbal-related functioning, data were reanalysed including these sqMRI scores' laterality index. Verbal-related outcomes were compared between participants with left-sided versus bilateral brain lesions. RESULTS Medial dorsal thalamus and parietal lobe lesions significantly accounted for poorer verbal proxy-IQ. Left-hemisphere lateralization of temporal lobe lesions was associated with poorer verbal proxy-IQ. Participants with bilateral lesions performed significantly better than those with unilateral left-sided lesions in verbal cognitive functions. Controlling for epilepsy diagnosis, participants with ventral posterior lateral thalamus lesions presented with better Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function scores, although within the normal range. sqMRI scores were not significantly associated with some psychological outcomes or these only bordered on significance after accounting for relevant control variables. CONCLUSION The laterality of early-life lesions influences the development of verbal-related cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Laporta-Hoyos
- Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Kerstin Pannek
- Australian E-Health Research Centre, CSIRO, Brisbane, Australia.
| | - Alex M Pagnozzi
- Australian E-Health Research Centre, CSIRO, Brisbane, Australia.
| | - Koa Whittingham
- Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Jane Wotherspoon
- Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Kath Benfer
- Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Simona Fiori
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy; Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Robert S Ware
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Roslyn N Boyd
- Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
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24
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Fehlbaum LV, Peters L, Dimanova P, Roell M, Borbás R, Ansari D, Raschle NM. Mother-child similarity in brain morphology: A comparison of structural characteristics of the brain's reading network. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 53:101058. [PMID: 34999505 PMCID: PMC8749220 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Substantial evidence acknowledges the complex gene-environment interplay impacting brain development and learning. Intergenerational neuroimaging allows the assessment of familial transfer effects on brain structure, function and behavior by investigating neural similarity in caregiver-child dyads. METHODS Neural similarity in the human reading network was assessed through well-used measures of brain structure (i.e., surface area (SA), gyrification (lG), sulcal morphology, gray matter volume (GMV) and cortical thickness (CT)) in 69 mother-child dyads (children's age~11 y). Regions of interest for the reading network included left-hemispheric inferior frontal gyrus, inferior parietal lobe and fusiform gyrus. Mother-child similarity was quantified by correlation coefficients and familial specificity was tested by comparison to random adult-child dyads. Sulcal morphology analyses focused on occipitotemporal sulcus interruptions and similarity was assessed by chi-square goodness of fit. RESULTS Significant structural brain similarity was observed for mother-child dyads in the reading network for lG, SA and GMV (r = 0.349/0.534/0.542, respectively), but not CT. Sulcal morphology associations were non-significant. Structural brain similarity in lG, SA and GMV were specific to mother-child pairs. Furthermore, structural brain similarity for SA and GMV was higher compared to CT. CONCLUSION Intergenerational neuroimaging techniques promise to enhance our knowledge of familial transfer effects on brain development and disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn V Fehlbaum
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lien Peters
- Numerical Cognition Laboratory, Department of Psychology and Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Plamina Dimanova
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Margot Roell
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Réka Borbás
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Ansari
- Numerical Cognition Laboratory, Department of Psychology and Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Nora M Raschle
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
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25
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Romanovska L, Bonte M. How Learning to Read Changes the Listening Brain. Front Psychol 2021; 12:726882. [PMID: 34987442 PMCID: PMC8721231 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.726882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Reading acquisition reorganizes existing brain networks for speech and visual processing to form novel audio-visual language representations. This requires substantial cortical plasticity that is reflected in changes in brain activation and functional as well as structural connectivity between brain areas. The extent to which a child's brain can accommodate these changes may underlie the high variability in reading outcome in both typical and dyslexic readers. In this review, we focus on reading-induced functional changes of the dorsal speech network in particular and discuss how its reciprocal interactions with the ventral reading network contributes to reading outcome. We discuss how the dynamic and intertwined development of both reading networks may be best captured by approaching reading from a skill learning perspective, using audio-visual learning paradigms and longitudinal designs to follow neuro-behavioral changes while children's reading skills unfold.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Milene Bonte
- *Correspondence: Linda Romanovska, ; Milene Bonte,
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26
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Karipidis II, Pleisch G, Di Pietro SV, Fraga-González G, Brem S. Developmental Trajectories of Letter and Speech Sound Integration During Reading Acquisition. Front Psychol 2021; 12:750491. [PMID: 34867636 PMCID: PMC8636811 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.750491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Reading acquisition in alphabetic languages starts with learning the associations between speech sounds and letters. This learning process is related to crucial developmental changes of brain regions that serve visual, auditory, multisensory integration, and higher cognitive processes. Here, we studied the development of audiovisual processing and integration of letter-speech sound pairs with an audiovisual target detection functional MRI paradigm. Using a longitudinal approach, we tested children with varying reading outcomes before the start of reading acquisition (T1, 6.5 yo), in first grade (T2, 7.5 yo), and in second grade (T3, 8.5 yo). Early audiovisual integration effects were characterized by higher activation for incongruent than congruent letter-speech sound pairs in the inferior frontal gyrus and ventral occipitotemporal cortex. Audiovisual processing in the left superior temporal gyrus significantly increased from the prereading (T1) to early reading stages (T2, T3). Region of interest analyses revealed that activation in left superior temporal gyrus (STG), inferior frontal gyrus and ventral occipitotemporal cortex increased in children with typical reading fluency skills, while poor readers did not show the same development in these regions. The incongruency effect bilaterally in parts of the STG and insular cortex at T1 was significantly associated with reading fluency skills at T3. These findings provide new insights into the development of the brain circuitry involved in audiovisual processing of letters, the building blocks of words, and reveal early markers of audiovisual integration that may be predictive of reading outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iliana I Karipidis
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Georgette Pleisch
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sarah V Di Pietro
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gorka Fraga-González
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Brem
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,MR-Center of the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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27
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Caffarra S, Karipidis II, Yablonski M, Yeatman JD. Anatomy and physiology of word-selective visual cortex: from visual features to lexical processing. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:3051-3065. [PMID: 34636985 PMCID: PMC8639194 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02384-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Over the past 2 decades, researchers have tried to uncover how the human brain can extract linguistic information from a sequence of visual symbols. The description of how the brain's visual system processes words and enables reading has improved with the progressive refinement of experimental methodologies and neuroimaging techniques. This review provides a brief overview of this research journey. We start by describing classical models of object recognition in non-human primates, which represent the foundation for many of the early models of visual word recognition in humans. We then review functional neuroimaging studies investigating the word-selective regions in visual cortex. This research led to the differentiation of highly specialized areas, which are involved in the analysis of different aspects of written language. We then consider the corresponding anatomical measurements and provide a description of the main white matter pathways carrying neural signals crucial to word recognition. Finally, in an attempt to integrate structural, functional, and electrophysiological findings, we propose a view of visual word recognition, accounting for spatial and temporal facets of word-selective neural processes. This multi-modal perspective on the neural circuitry of literacy highlights the relevance of a posterior-anterior differentiation in ventral occipitotemporal cortex for visual processing of written language and lexical features. It also highlights unanswered questions that can guide us towards future research directions. Bridging measures of brain structure and function will help us reach a more precise understanding of the transformation from vision to language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sendy Caffarra
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 291 Campus Drive, Li Ka Shing Building, Stanford, CA, 94305-5101, USA
- Stanford University Graduate School of Education, 485 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Mikeletegi 69, 20009, San Sebastian, Spain
- University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 287, 41125, Modena, Italy
| | - Iliana I Karipidis
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, School of Medicine, Stanford University, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, 94305-5717, USA.
| | - Maya Yablonski
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 291 Campus Drive, Li Ka Shing Building, Stanford, CA, 94305-5101, USA
- Stanford University Graduate School of Education, 485 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Jason D Yeatman
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 291 Campus Drive, Li Ka Shing Building, Stanford, CA, 94305-5101, USA
- Stanford University Graduate School of Education, 485 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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28
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Brain-behavior dynamics between the left fusiform and reading. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 227:587-597. [PMID: 34510280 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02372-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The visual word form area (VWFA) plays a significant role in the development of reading skills. However, the developmental course and anatomical properties of the VWFA have only limitedly been investigated. The aim of the current longitudinal MRI study was to investigate dynamic, bidirectional relations between reading, and the structure of the left fusiform gyrus at the early-to-advanced reading stage. More specifically, by means of bivariate correlations and a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM), the interrelations between the size of the left fusiform gyrus and reading skills (an average score of a word and pseudo-word reading task) were studied in a longitudinal cohort of 43 Flemish children (29M, 14F) with variable reading skills in grade 2 (the early stage of reading) and grade 5 (the advanced stage of reading) of primary school. Results revealed that better reading skills at grade 2 lead to a larger size of the left fusiform gyrus at grade 5, whereas there are no directional effects between the size of the left fusiform gyrus at grade 2 and reading skills at grade 5. Hence, according to our results, there is behavior-driven brain plasticity and no brain-driven reading change between the early and advanced stage of reading. Together with pre-reading brain studies showing predictive relations to later reading scores, our results suggest that the direction of brain-behavioral influences changes throughout the course of reading development.
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The rise and fall of rapid occipito-temporal sensitivity to letters: Transient specialization through elementary school. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 49:100958. [PMID: 34010761 PMCID: PMC8141525 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Letters, foundational units of alphabetic writing systems, are quintessential to human culture. The ability to read, indispensable to perform in today’s society, necessitates a reorganization of visual cortex for fast letter recognition, but the developmental course of this process has not yet been characterized. Here, we show the emergence of visual sensitivity to letters across five electroencephalography measurements from kindergarten and throughout elementary school and relate this development to emerging reading skills. We examined the visual N1, the electrophysiological correlate of ventral occipito-temporal cortex activation in 65 children at varying familial risk for dyslexia. N1 letter sensitivity emerged in first grade, when letter sound knowledge gains were most pronounced and decayed shortly after when letter knowledge is consolidated, showing an inverted U-shaped development. This trajectory can be interpreted within an interactive framework that underscores the influence of top-down predictions. While the N1 amplitudes to letters correlated with letter sound knowledge at the beginning of learning, no association between the early N1 letter response and later reading skills was found. In summary, the current findings provide an important reference point for our neuroscientific understanding of learning trajectories and the process of visual specialization during skill learning.
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30
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van Atteveldt N, Vandermosten M, Weeda W, Bonte M. How to capture developmental brain dynamics: gaps and solutions. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2021; 6:10. [PMID: 33941785 PMCID: PMC8093270 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-021-00088-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Capturing developmental and learning-induced brain dynamics is extremely challenging as changes occur interactively across multiple levels and emerging functions. Different levels include the (social) environment, cognitive and behavioral levels, structural and functional brain changes, and genetics, while functions include domains such as math, reading, and executive function. Here, we report the insights that emerged from the workshop “Capturing Developmental Brain Dynamics”, organized to bring together multidisciplinary approaches to integrate data on development and learning across different levels, functions, and time points. During the workshop, current main gaps in our knowledge and tools were identified including the need for: (1) common frameworks, (2) longitudinal, large-scale, multisite studies using representative participant samples, (3) understanding interindividual variability, (4) explicit distinction of understanding versus predicting, and (5) reproducible research. After illustrating interactions across levels and functions during development, we discuss the identified gaps and provide solutions to advance the capturing of developmental brain dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nienke van Atteveldt
- Dept. of Clinical Developmental Psychology & Institute Learn!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Dept. of Neuroscience, and Leuven Brain Institute, Experimental ORL, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wouter Weeda
- Dept. of Methodology & Statistics, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Milene Bonte
- Dept. of Cognitive Neuroscience, and Maastricht Brain Imaging Center, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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