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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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Vin R, Blauch NM, Plaut DC, Behrmann M. Visual word processing engages a hierarchical, distributed, and bilateral cortical network. iScience 2024; 27:108809. [PMID: 38303718 PMCID: PMC10831251 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.108809] [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: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Although the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) in left temporal cortex is considered the pre-eminent region in visual word processing, other regions are also implicated. We examined the entire text-selective circuit, using functional MRI. Ten regions of interest (ROIs) per hemisphere were defined, which, based on clustering, grouped into early vision, high-level vision, and language clusters. We analyzed the responses of the ROIs and clusters to words, inverted words, and consonant strings using univariate, multivariate, and functional connectivity measures. Bilateral modulation by stimulus condition was evident, with a stronger effect in left hemisphere regions. Last, using graph theory, we observed that the VWFA was equivalently connected with early visual and language clusters in both hemispheres, reflecting its role as a mediator in the circuit. Although the individual ROIs and clusters bilaterally were flexibly altered by the nature of the input, stability held at the level of global circuit connectivity, reflecting the complex hierarchical distributed system serving visual text perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raina Vin
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Nicholas M. Blauch
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Program in Neural Computation, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - David C. Plaut
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Marlene Behrmann
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA
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Li H, Yuan B, Luo YJ, Liu J. Reading anxiety modulates the functional connectivity of the reading-related network during adult reading. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2023; 242:105278. [PMID: 37209490 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2023.105278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Researchers have studied cognitive and linguistic skills in predicting reading abilities, but the impact of affective factors such as anxiety on reading at the neurobiological level is not well understood. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural correlates of reading anxiety in adult readers performing a semantic judgment task. The results showed that reading anxiety was significantly correlated with response time but not with accuracy. Neurobiologically, functional connectivity strength rather than activation level of semantic-related areas significantly predicted reading anxiety. Activation of regions (i.e., the right putamen and right precentral gyrus) external to the semantic-related areas positively correlated with reading anxiety levels. These findings suggest that reading anxiety influences adult reading by modulating functional connections of semantic-related areas and brain activation of semantic-unrelated areas. This study provides insights into the neural mechanisms underlying reading anxiety experienced by adult readers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hehui Li
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Binke Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yue-Jia Luo
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jie Liu
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
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Silva AB, Liu JR, Zhao L, Levy DF, Scott TL, Chang EF. A Neurosurgical Functional Dissection of the Middle Precentral Gyrus during Speech Production. J Neurosci 2022; 42:8416-8426. [PMID: 36351829 PMCID: PMC9665919 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1614-22.2022] [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] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Classical models have traditionally focused on the left posterior inferior frontal gyrus (Broca's area) as a key region for motor planning of speech production. However, converging evidence suggests that it is not critical for either speech motor planning or execution. Alternative cortical areas supporting high-level speech motor planning have yet to be defined. In this review, we focus on the precentral gyrus, whose role in speech production is often thought to be limited to lower-level articulatory muscle control. In particular, we highlight neurosurgical investigations that have shed light on a cortical region anatomically located near the midpoint of the precentral gyrus, hence called the middle precentral gyrus (midPrCG). The midPrCG is functionally located between dorsal hand and ventral orofacial cortical representations and exhibits unique sensorimotor and multisensory functions relevant for speech processing. This includes motor control of the larynx, auditory processing, as well as a role in reading and writing. Furthermore, direct electrical stimulation of midPrCG can evoke complex movements, such as vocalization, and selective injury can cause deficits in verbal fluency, such as pure apraxia of speech. Based on these findings, we propose that midPrCG is essential to phonological-motoric aspects of speech production, especially syllabic-level speech sequencing, a role traditionally ascribed to Broca's area. The midPrCG is a cortical brain area that should be included in contemporary models of speech production with a unique role in speech motor planning and execution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander B Silva
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
- Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, & University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
| | - Jessie R Liu
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
- Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, & University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
| | - Lingyun Zhao
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
| | - Deborah F Levy
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
| | - Terri L Scott
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
| | - Edward F Chang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
- Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, & University of California, San Francisco, California, 94158
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Kim H, Wang K, Cutting LE, Willcutt EG, Petrill SA, Leopold DR, Reineberg AE, Thompson LA, Banich MT. The Angular Gyrus as a Hub for Modulation of Language-related Cortex by Distinct Prefrontal Executive Control Regions. J Cogn Neurosci 2022; 34:2275-2296. [PMID: 36122356 PMCID: PMC10115156 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
It has become clear in recent years that reading, while relying on domain-specific language processing regions, also involves regions that implement executive processes more broadly. Such executive control is generally considered to be implemented by prefrontal regions, which exert control via connectivity that allows them to modulate processing in target brain regions. The present study examined whether three previously identified and distinct executive control regions in the pFC [Wang, K., Banich, M. T., Reineberg, A. E., Leopold, D. R., Willcutt, E. G., Cutting, L. E., et al. Left posterior prefrontal regions support domain-general executive processes needed for both reading and math. Journal of Neuropsychology, 14, 467-495, 2020] show similar patterns of functional connectivity (FC) during a reading comprehension task as compared with a symbol identification condition. Our FC results in a sample of adolescents (n = 120) suggest all three regions commonly show associations with activity in "classic" left hemisphere reading areas, including the angular and supramarginal gyri, yet each exhibits differential connectivity as well. In particular, precentral regions show differential FC to parietal portions of the dorsal language stream, the inferior frontal junction shows differential FC to middle temporal regions of the right hemisphere and other regions involved in semantic processing, and portions of the inferior frontal gyrus show differential FC to an extensive set of right hemisphere prefrontal regions. These results suggest that prefrontal control over language-related regions occurs in a coordinated yet discrete manner.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kai Wang
- South China Normal University, Guangzhou
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