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Farah R, Shchupak G, Holland S, Hutton J, Dudley J, DiFrancesco M, Altaye M, Horowitz-Kraus T. A greater modulation of the visual and fronto-parietal networks for children in a post-media versus pre-media exposure group. Acta Paediatr 2024; 113:1876-1883. [PMID: 38773283 DOI: 10.1111/apa.17276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
AIM Media use in children has exploded in the past several decades, most recently fuelled by portable electronic devices. This study aims to explore differences in functional brain connectivity in children during a story-listening functional MRI (fMRI) task using data collected before (1998) and after (2013) the widespread adoption of media. METHODS Cross-sectional data were collected from English-speaking 5- to 7-year-old children at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, USA, of a functional MRI narrative comprehension task completed in 1998 (n = 22) or 2013 (n = 25). Imaging data were processed using a graph theory approach, focusing on executive functions, language and visual processing networks supporting reading. RESULTS Group differences suggest more efficient processing in the fronto-parietal network in the pre-media group while listening to stories. A modulation of the visual and fronto-parietal networks for the post-media exposure group was found. CONCLUSION Further studies are needed to assess effects over time in the more exposed group to discern a causal effect of portable devices on cognitive networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - George Shchupak
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - John Hutton
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Jonathan Dudley
- Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Mark DiFrancesco
- Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Mekibib Altaye
- Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion, Haifa, Israel
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Shaer R, Eldin SN, Gashri C, Horowitz-Kraus T. Decreased frontal theta frequency during the presence of smartphone among children: an EEG study. Pediatr Res 2024:10.1038/s41390-024-03155-x. [PMID: 38789548 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-024-03155-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Smart devices have become an integral part of our lives. However, research has highlighted the potential implications of smartphone presence on task performance, particularly in young children. This study aimed to determine the effect of a smartphone presence on brainwaves associated with cognitive interruption in children. METHODS EEG data were collected from 5.3 to 8.5-year-old children performing a simple reaction time task with and without the presence of a smartphone. Theta and alpha bands were calculated, and repeated measure analysis of variance was performed to assess the impact of two conditions on alpha and theta bands: 1) with the presence and; 2) without the presence of a smartphone. EEG waveforms were also correlated with standardized cognitive measures evaluating attention abilities using Pearson correlation. RESULTS Theta and alpha activity values were higher in the absence vs the presence of a smartphone, with a significant difference between theta bands for the two study conditions. Moreover, the difference between theta bands in the two conditions was significantly correlated with lower scores on an auditory attention test. CONCLUSIONS The existence of an interactive electronic device during cognitive tasks is associated with alterations in brain activity related to cognitive control. IMPACT The presence of a smartphone during a simple reaction time task in young children was associated with a significant decrease in frontal theta frequency. A trend of a decreased alpha band in the presence of a smartphone. The differences in theta and alpha frequencies between conditions were significantly correlated with lower scores in auditory and visual attention and inhibition tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rawnaq Shaer
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Sheherban Nasser Eldin
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Carmel Gashri
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Greenwood PB, DeSerisy M, Koe E, Rodriguez E, Salas L, Perera FP, Herbstman J, Pagliaccio D, Margolis AE. Combined and sequential exposure to prenatal second hand smoke and postnatal maternal distress is associated with cingulo-opercular global efficiency and attention problems in school-age children. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2024; 102:107338. [PMID: 38431065 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2024.107338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal exposure to secondhand (environmental) tobacco smoke (SHS) is associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, including altered functional activation of cognitive control brain circuitry and increased attention problems in children. Exposure to SHS is more common among Black youth who are also disproportionately exposed to socioeconomic disadvantage and concomitant maternal distress. We examine the combined effects of exposure to prenatal SHS and postnatal maternal distress on the global efficiency (GE) of the brain's cingulo-opercular (CO) and fronto-parietal control (FP) networks in childhood, as well as associated attention problems. METHODS Thirty-two children of non-smoking mothers followed in a prospective longitudinal birth cohort at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) completed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at ages 7-9 years old. GE scores were extracted from general connectivity data collected while children completed the Simon Spatial Incompatibility functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task. Prenatal SHS was measured using maternal urinary cotinine from the third trimester; postnatal maternal distress was assessed at child age 5 using the Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Interview (PERI-D). The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) measured Attention and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) problems at ages 7-9. Linear regressions examined the interaction between prenatal SHS and postnatal maternal distress on the GE of the CO or FP networks, as well as associations between exposure-related network alterations and attention problems. All models controlled for age, sex, maternal education at prenatal visit, race/ethnicity, global brain correlation, and mean head motion. RESULTS The prenatal SHS by postnatal maternal distress interaction term associated with the GE of the CO network (β = 0.673, Bu = 0.042, t(22) = 2.427, p = .024, D = 1.42, 95% CI [0.006, 0.079], but not the FP network (β = 0.138, Bu = 0.006, t(22) = 0.434, p = .668, 95% CI [-0.022, 0.033]). Higher GE of the CO network was associated with more attention problems (β = 0.472, Bu = 43.076, t(23) = 2.780, p = .011, D = 1.74, n = 31, 95% CI [11.024, 75.128], n = 31) and ADHD risk (β = 0.436, Bu = 21.961, t(29) = 2.567, p = .018, D = 1.81, 95% CI [4.219, 39.703], n = 30). CONCLUSIONS These preliminary findings suggest that sequential prenatal SHS exposure and postnatal maternal distress could alter the efficiency of the CO network and increase risk for downstream attention problems and ADHD. These findings are consistent with prior studies showing that prenatal SHS exposure is associated with altered function of brain regions that support cognitive control and with ADHD problems. Our model also identifies postnatal maternal distress as a significant moderator of this association. These data highlight the combined neurotoxic effects of exposure to prenatal SHS and postnatal maternal distress. Critically, such exposures are disproportionately distributed among youth from minoritized groups, pointing to potential pathways to known mental health disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paige B Greenwood
- Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mariah DeSerisy
- Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Emily Koe
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elizabeth Rodriguez
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Leilani Salas
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Frederica P Perera
- Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Julie Herbstman
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - David Pagliaccio
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Amy E Margolis
- Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
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Habouba N, Talmon R, Kraus D, Farah R, Apter A, Steinberg T, Radhakrishnan R, Barazany D, Horowitz-Kraus T. Parent-child couples display shared neural fingerprints while listening to stories. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2883. [PMID: 38311616 PMCID: PMC10838923 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53518-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Neural fingerprinting is a method to identify individuals from a group of people. Here, we established a new connectome-based identification model and used diffusion maps to show that biological parent-child couples share functional connectivity patterns while listening to stories. These shared fingerprints enabled the identification of children and their biological parents from a group of parents and children. Functional patterns were evident in both cognitive and sensory brain networks. Defining "typical" shared biological parent-child brain patterns may enable predicting or even preventing impaired parent-child connections that develop due to genetic or environmental causes. Finally, we argue that the proposed framework opens new opportunities to link similarities in connectivity patterns to behavioral, psychological, and medical phenomena among other populations. To our knowledge, this is the first study to reveal the neural fingerprint that represents distinct biological parent-child couples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nir Habouba
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ronen Talmon
- Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Dror Kraus
- The Institute of Child Neurology, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikvah, Israel
| | - Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Alan Apter
- The Department of Psychological Medicine, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikvah, Israel
| | - Tamar Steinberg
- The Department of Psychological Medicine, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikvah, Israel
| | | | - Daniel Barazany
- The Alfredo Federico Strauss Center for Computational Neuroimaging, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
- The Institute of Child Neurology, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikvah, Israel.
- Department of Neuropsychology, Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research (CNIR), Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Horowitz-Kraus T, Meri R, Holland SK, Farah R, Rohana T, Haj N. Language First, Cognition Later: Different Trajectories of Subcomponents of the Future-Reading Network in Processing Narratives from Kindergarten to Adolescence. Brain Connect 2024; 14:60-69. [PMID: 38265789 PMCID: PMC10890959 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2023.0012] [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] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Narrative comprehension is a linguistic ability that emerges early in life and has a critical role in language development, reading acquisition, and comprehension. According to the Simple View of Reading model, reading is acquired through word decoding and linguistic comprehension. Here, within and between networks, functional connectivity in several brain networks supporting both language and reading abilities was examined from prereading to proficient reading age in 32 healthy children, ages 5-18 years, scanned annually while listening to stories over 12 years. Functional connectivity changes within and between the networks were assessed and compared between the years using hierarchical linear regression and were related to reading abilities. At prereading age, the networks related to basic language processing accounted for 32.5% of the variation of reading ability at reading age (at 12-14 years) (R2 = 0.325, p = 0.05). At age 17, more complex cognitive networks were involved and accounted for 97.4% of the variation in reading ability (R2 = 0.974, p = 0.022). Overall, networks composing the future-reading network are highly involved in processing narratives along development; however, networks related to semantic, phonological, and syntactic processing predict reading ability earlier in life, and more complex networks predict reading proficiency later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- Department of Neuropsychology, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Raya Meri
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tamara Rohana
- Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Narmeen Haj
- Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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6
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Raja R, Na X, Moore A, Otoo R, Glasier CM, Badger TM, Ou X. Associations Between White Matter Microstructures and Cognitive Functioning in 8-Year-Old Children: A Track-Weighted Imaging Study. J Child Neurol 2022; 37:471-490. [PMID: 35254148 PMCID: PMC9149064 DOI: 10.1177/08830738221083487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Quantitative tractography using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data is widely used in characterizing white matter microstructure throughout childhood, but more studies are still needed to investigate comprehensive brain-behavior relationships between tract-specific white matter measures and multiple cognitive functions in children. METHODS In this study, we analyzed diffusion-weighted MRI data of 71 healthy 8-year-old children utilizing white matter tract-specific quantitative measures derived from diffusion-weighted MRI tractography based on a novel track-weighted imaging approach. Track density imaging, average path length map and 4 track-weighted diffusion tensor imaging measures including: mean diffusivity, fractional anisotropy, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity were computed for 63 white matter tracts. The track-weighted imaging measures were then correlated with a comprehensive set of neuropsychological test scores in different cognitive domains including intelligence, language, memory, academic skills, and executive functions to identify tract-specific brain-behavior relationships. RESULTS Significant correlations (P < .05, false discovery rate corrected; r = 0.27-0.57) were found in multiple white matter tracts, with a total of 40 correlations identified between various track-weighted imaging measures including average path length map, track-weighted imaging-fractional anisotropy, and neuropsychological test scores and subscales. Specifically, track-weighted imaging measures indicative of better white matter connectivity and/or microstructural development significantly correlated with higher IQ and better language abilities. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrate the ability of track-weighted imaging measures in establishing associations between white matter and cognitive functioning in healthy children and can serve as a reference for normal brain/cognition relationships in young school-age children and further aid in identifying imaging biomarkers predictive of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajikha Raja
- Department of Radiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
| | - Xiaoxu Na
- Department of Radiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
| | - Alexandra Moore
- College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
| | - Raymond Otoo
- College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
| | - Charles M. Glasier
- Department of Radiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences,Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
| | - Thomas M. Badger
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences,Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center
| | - Xiawei Ou
- Department of Radiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences,Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
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Kraus D, Horowitz‐Kraus T. Functional MRI research involving healthy children: Ethics, safety and recommended procedures. Acta Paediatr 2022; 111:741-749. [PMID: 34986521 DOI: 10.1111/apa.16247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
AIM This specific review aims to expose clinicians, researchers and administrators in hospitals to the importance, procedures and safety of fMRI studies to promote the increased utilisation of such studies in different geographical places worldwide. The child's brain is developing rapidly, both structurally and functionally. These functional changes can only be detected using functional scans generated from an MRI machine and referred to as a functional MRI (fMRI). This method may be used clinically in complex medical and surgical conditions (e.g., epilepsy surgery), but these days are often used for research purposes. However, due to ethical and logistical considerations, fMRI in the paediatric population is not widely and equally used in different geographical places. CONCLUSIONS The benefits of using this method to define the functional changes occurring in the developing brain are discussed in this review, along with desensitisation methods recommended when working with this vulnerable population in research and even in a clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dror Kraus
- Pediatric Neurology Institute Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel Tel Aviv University Petach‐Tiqua Israel
| | - Tzipi Horowitz‐Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Group Faculty of Education in Science and Technology Faculty of Biomedical Engineering Haifa Israel
- Kennedy Krieger Institute Baltimore Maryland USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore Maryland USA
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8
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Farah R, Greenwood P, Dudley J, Hutton J, Ammerman RT, Phelan K, Holland S, Horowitz-Kraus T. Maternal depression is associated with altered functional connectivity between neural circuits related to visual, auditory, and cognitive processing during stories listening in preschoolers. BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN FUNCTIONS : BBF 2020; 16:5. [PMID: 32340619 PMCID: PMC7187503 DOI: 10.1186/s12993-020-00167-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal depression can influence the early activity of a mother reading stories to a young child, as depressed mothers are less likely to read to their children. Here, maternal depression association to neurobiological circuitry of narrative comprehension, visualization, and executive functions during stories listening was examined in 21 4-year-old girls and their mothers. Maternal depression scores were collected from the mothers, and functional MRI during stories listening was collected from the children. RESULTS Increased maternal depression was related to decreased functional connectivity between visualization and auditory regions and increased connectivity between the right visual cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the children. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the need to monitor maternal depression and provide interventions to ensure positive linguistic outcomes in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Paige Greenwood
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Johnathan Dudley
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - John Hutton
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Robert T Ammerman
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Kieran Phelan
- The Permanente Medical Group, San Rafael Pediatrics, San Rafael, CA, USA
| | - Scott Holland
- Department of Physics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
- Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
- Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229-3039, USA.
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Association between diffusivity measures and language and cognitive-control abilities from early toddler’s age to childhood. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:1103-1122. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02062-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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10
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Freedman L, Zivan M, Farah R, Horowitz-Kraus T. Greater functional connectivity within the cingulo-opercular and ventral attention networks is related to better fluent reading: A resting-state functional connectivity study. Neuroimage Clin 2020; 26:102214. [PMID: 32092682 PMCID: PMC7038585 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Executive functions are higher-order cognitive abilities that affect many of our daily actions, including reading. A two-system model for cognitive control comprises a bottom-up system composed of the dorsal and ventral attention networks and a more evolved top-down system involving the frontoparietal and cingulo-opercular networks. We examined both within- and between-network functional connectivity of these four networks in 26 8-12-year-old children with readong difficulties and 30 age-matched typical readers using resting-state functional MRI. Fluency and nonfluency behavioral reading measures were collected, and the scores were analyzed together with the functional data. Children with reading difficulties did not differ in functional connectivity for the four networks compared to typical readers. Grouping the entire cohort into low vs. high fluency-level reading groups, however, revealed significantly higher functional connectivity values within the cingulo-opercular and ventral attention cognitive-control networks for the high fluency group. Higher functional connectivity Trends between the cognitive-control networks were also observed in the high fluency group compared to the low fluency group. A similar analysis using a nonfluency word-reading task grouping did not uncover differences between the two groups. The results emphasize the complexity of the fluency task, as a test that relies on cognitive-control abilities, at both the bottom-up and top-down levels. Therefore, it may be posited that the fluency task may also be a challenge for typical readers despite their intact performance. The results reinforce the relationship between fluent reading and functional connectivity of the cognitive-control networks, emphasizing the various cognitive-control abilities that underlie this complex reading ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lidan Freedman
- Educational Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, The Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Michal Zivan
- Educational Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, The Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, The Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Center, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, The Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel; Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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Seghier ML, Fahim MA, Habak C. Educational fMRI: From the Lab to the Classroom. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2769. [PMID: 31866920 PMCID: PMC6909003 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional MRI (fMRI) findings hold many potential applications for education, and yet, the translation of fMRI findings to education has not flowed. Here, we address the types of fMRI that could better support applications of neuroscience to the classroom. This 'educational fMRI' comprises eight main challenges: (1) collecting artifact-free fMRI data in school-aged participants and in vulnerable young populations, (2) investigating heterogenous cohorts with wide variability in learning abilities and disabilities, (3) studying the brain under natural and ecological conditions, given that many practical topics of interest for education can be addressed only in ecological contexts, (4) depicting complex age-dependent associations of brain and behaviour with multi-modal imaging, (5) assessing changes in brain function related to developmental trajectories and instructional intervention with longitudinal designs, (6) providing system-level mechanistic explanations of brain function, so that useful individualized predictions about learning can be generated, (7) reporting negative findings, so that resources are not wasted on developing ineffective interventions, and (8) sharing data and creating large-scale longitudinal data repositories to ensure transparency and reproducibility of fMRI findings for education. These issues are of paramount importance to the development of optimal fMRI practices for educational applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed L Seghier
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Mohamed A Fahim
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Claudine Habak
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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