Inhibition and Updating, but Not Switching, Predict Developmental Dyslexia and Individual Variation in Reading Ability

Error-monitoring: A predictor of future reading skills? A 3-year longitudinal study in children

Investigation of the factors explaining individual differences in the acquisition of expert reading skills has become of particular interest these last decades. Non-verbal abilities, such as visual attention and executive functions play an important role in reading acquisition. Among those non-verbal factors, error-monitoring, which allows one to detect one's own errors and to avoid repeating them in the future, has been reported to be impaired in dyslexic readers. The present three-year longitudinal study aims at determining whether error-monitoring efficiency evaluated before and during reading instruction could improve the explanation of reading skills. To do so, 85 children will be followed from the last year of kindergarten to the second grade. The classic predictors of reading will be assessed at each grade level. Error-monitoring indices in domain-general and reading-related contexts will be derived from EMG data recorded during a Simon task in kindergarten and during both a Simon and a lexical decision tasks in the first and second grades. Findings concerning the role of error-monitoring on reading skills are expected to have an important impact on reading instruction to prevent reading difficulties in at-risk children and improve remediation to help children with reading difficulties.

How Does Visual Temporal Processing Affect Chinese Character Reading in Children With Dyslexia? From the Perspective of Inhibition

Given that inhibition interacts with visual temporal processing (VTP), the past evidence regarding the influence of VTP on the Chinese character reading of children with dyslexia may not disclose the whole picture without considering inhibition. Thus, the present study is among the first to investigate VTP and cognitive inhibition as well as their relationships to Chinese character reading. We compared the performances of 62 Chinese-speaking children with dyslexia in primary school (n = 62, Mage = 11.36 years) on VTP and inhibition tasks to those in a chronological-age-matched group (CA; n = 62, Mage = 11.57 years) and reading-level-matched group (RL; n = 62, Mage = 8.98 years). The results revealed that children with dyslexia performed worse than both the CA-matched and RL-matched groups in VTP and inhibition after controlling for age, nonverbal intelligence, and attention. Moreover, the relationship between VTP and Chinese character reading was moderated by inhibition in children with dyslexia. VTP is positively related to Chinese character reading, but this relationship is observed only at higher levels of inhibition. Our results suggest that inhibition plays a potential role in VTP and Chinese character reading, especially for those with dyslexia whose proficiency in inhibition is not as intact as that of typically developing children.

The Role of Environmental Chemicals in the Etiology of Learning Difficulties: A Novel Theoretical Framework

Children from economically disadvantaged communities have a disproportionate risk of exposure to chemicals, social stress, and learning difficulties. Although animal models and epidemiologic studies link exposures and neurodevelopment, little focus has been paid to academic outcomes in environmental health studies. Similarly, in the educational literature, environmental chemical exposures are overlooked as potential etiologic factors in learning difficulties. We propose a theoretical framework for the etiology of learning difficulties that focuses on these understudied exogenous factors. We discuss findings from animal models and longitudinal, prospective birth cohort studies that support this theoretical framework. Studies reviewed point to the effects of prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on reading comprehension and math skills via effects on inhibitory control processes. Long term, this work will help close the achievement gap in the United States by identifying behavioral and neural pathways from prenatal exposures to learning difficulties in children from economically disadvantaged families.

The ReadFree tool for the identification of poor readers: a validation study based on a machine learning approach in monolingual and minority-language children

In this study, we validated the "ReadFree tool", a computerised battery of 12 visual and auditory tasks developed to identify poor readers also in minority-language children (MLC). We tested the task-specific discriminant power on 142 Italian-monolingual participants (8-13 years old) divided into monolingual poor readers (N = 37) and good readers (N = 105) according to standardised Italian reading tests. The performances at the discriminant tasks of the "ReadFree tool" were entered into a classification and regression tree (CART) model to identify monolingual poor and good readers. The set of classification rules extracted from the CART model were applied to the MLC's performance and the ensuing classification was compared to the one based on standardised Italian reading tests. According to the CART model, auditory go-no/go (regular), RAN and Entrainment100bpm were the most discriminant tasks. When compared with the clinical classification, the CART model accuracy was 86% for the monolinguals and 76% for the MLC. Executive functions and timing skills turned out to have a relevant role in reading. Results of the CART model on MLC support the idea that ad hoc standardised tasks that go beyond reading are needed.

The influence of cognitive ability in Chinese reading comprehension: can working memory updating change Chinese primary school students' reading comprehension performance?

With the development of educational cognitive neuroscience, language instruction is no longer perceived as mechanical teaching and learning. Individual cognitive proficiency has been found to play a crucial role in language acquisition, particularly in the realm of reading comprehension. The primary objective of this study was to investigate two key aspects: firstly, to assess the predictive effects of the central executive (CE) on the Chinese reading comprehension scores of Chinese primary school students, and secondly, to explore the influence of CE training on the Chinese reading comprehension performance of Chinese primary school students. Chinese primary school students were recruited as participants. Experiment 1 used a Chinese N-back task, a Chinese Stroop task, and a number-pinyin conversion task to investigate the predictive effect of the CE components on Chinese reading comprehension. Experiment 2, based on the results of Experiment 1, used the Chinese character N-back training to explore the influence of updating training on Chinese reading comprehension. The findings from Experiment 1 underscored that CE had a predictive effect on Chinese reading comprehension scores. And updating had a prominent role in it. Experiment 2 revealed that the experimental group exhibited an enhancement in their updating performance following N-back training. Although the reading comprehension performance of the two groups after training did not produce significant differences in total scores, the experimental group showed maintained and higher microscopic reading comprehension scores than the control group in the more difficult post-test. In summary, this study yields two primary conclusions: (1) CE was able to predict Chinese reading comprehension scores. Updating has an important role in prediction. (2) Updating training enhances students' updating performance and positively influences students' Chinese microscopic reading comprehension performance.

Improving validity of the trail making test with alphabet support

Objective

The Trail Making Test (TMT) is commonly used worldwide to evaluate cognitive decline and car driving ability. However, it has received critique for its dependence on the Latin alphabet and thus, the risk of misclassifying some participants. Alphabet support potentially increases test validity by avoiding misclassification of executive dysfunction in participants with dyslexia and those with insufficient automatization of the Latin alphabet. However, Alphabet support might render the test less sensitive to set-shifting, thus compromising the validity of the test. This study compares two versions of the TMT: with and without alphabet support.

Methods

We compared the TMT-A, TMT-B, and TMT-B:A ratios in two independent normative samples with (n = 220) and without (n = 64) alphabet support using multiple regression analysis adjusted for age and education. The sample comprised Scandinavians aged 70-84 years. Alphabet support was included by adding the Latin alphabet A-L on top of the page on the TMT-B. We hypothesized that alphabet support would not change the TMT-B:A ratio.

Results

After adjusting for age and years of education, there were no significant differences between the two samples in the TMT-A, TMT-B, or the ratio score (TMT-B:A).

Conclusion

Our results suggest that the inclusion of alphabet support does not alter TMT's ability to measure set-shifting in a sample of older Scandinavian adults.

Neural Correlates of Visual Attention and Short-Term Memory in Children with Reading Difficulty

Visual attention and memory of 20 children with reading difficulty (M_age = 134 months), 24 chronological (M_age = 138 months) and 19 reading-age controls (M_age = 92 months) were examined using object substitution masking; mask offset delay increases visual attention and visual short-term memory demands. ERP amplitude differences in the N1 (alerting), N2pc (N2-posterior-contralateral; selective attention), and SPCN (sustained posterior contralateral negativity; memory load) were expected between groups. Chronological controls performed best, but ERP results were mixed. No group differences were found for N1 or N2pc. SPCN showed enhanced negativity in reading difficulty, indicating greater memory load and anomalous inhibition.

Characterizing different cognitive and neurobiological profiles in a community sample of children using a non-parametric approach: An fMRI study

Executive Functions (EF) is an umbrella term for a set of mental processes geared towards goal-directed behavior supporting academic skills such as reading abilities. One of the brain's functional networks implicated in EF is the Default Mode Network (DMN). The current study uses measures of inhibitory control, a main sub-function of EF, to create cognitive and neurobiological "inhibitory control profiles" and relate them to reading abilities in a large sample (N = 5055) of adolescents aged 9-10 from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Using a Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) approach, data related to inhibitory control was divided into four inhibition classes. For each class, functional connectivity within the DMN was calculated from resting-state data, using a non-parametric algorithm for detecting group similarities. These inhibitory control profiles were then related to reading abilities. The four inhibitory control groups showed significantly different reading abilities, with neurobiologically different DMN segregation profiles for each class versus controls. The current study demonstrates that a community sample of children is not entirely homogeneous and is composed of different subgroups that can be differentiated both behaviorally/cognitively and neurobiologically, by focusing on inhibitory control and the DMN. Educational implications relating these results to reading abilities are noted.

Identifying the risk of dyslexia in bilingual children: The potential of language-dependent and language-independent tasks

This study investigates the linguistic processing and non-linguistic cognitive abilities of monolingual and bilingual children with and without reading difficulties and examines the relationship between these skills and reading. There were 72 Italian-speaking children: 18 monolingual good readers (MONO-GR, M_age = 10;4), 19 monolingual poor readers (MONO-PR, M_age = 10;3), 21 bilingual good readers (BI-GR, M_age = 10;6), and 16 bilingual poor readers (BI-PR, M_age = 10;6). All bilingual children spoke Italian as their L2. Children completed a battery of standardized Italian reading tests, language-dependent tasks: nonword repetition (NWR), sentence repetition (SR), and phonological awareness (PA), and language-independent tasks: timing anticipation, beat synchronization, inhibition control, auditory reaction time, and rapid automatized naming (RAN). Poor readers scored below good readers on the language-dependent tasks, including NWR, PA, and SR. Beat synchronization was the only language-independent task sensitive to reading ability, with poor readers showing greater variability than good readers in tapping to fast rhythms. SR was the only task influenced by language experience as bilinguals underperformed monolinguals on the task. Moreover, there were weak to moderate correlations between performance on some language-dependent tasks (NWR, PA), language-independent tasks (inhibition control, RAN), and reading measures. Performance on the experimental tasks (except for RAN) was not associated with the length of exposure to Italian. The results highlight the potential of NWR, PA, SR, and beat synchronization tasks in identifying the risk of dyslexia in bilingual populations. Future research is needed to validate these findings and to establish the tasks' diagnostic accuracy.

Automaticity and Executive Abilities in Developmental Dyslexia: A Theoretical Review

Cognitive difficulties are well documented in developmental dyslexia but they present a challenge to dyslexia theory. In this paper, the Model of the Control of Action is proposed as a theoretical explanation of how and why deficits in both automaticity and executive abilities are apparent in the cognitive profiles of dyslexia and how these deficits might relate to literacy difficulties. This theoretical perspective is used to consider evidence from different cognitive domains. The neuroanatomical underpinnings of automaticity and executive abilities are then discussed in relation to the understanding of dyslexia. Links between reading, writing, and executive function are considered. The reviewed evidence suggests that dyslexia theory should consider an interaction between procedural learned behaviour (automaticity) and higher-order (executive) abilities. The capacity to handle environmental interference, develop and engage adaptive strategies accordingly, and plan actions all require interactions between the cerebellum and the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Difficulties in these areas might explain both impairments in the cumulative development of literacy skills in childhood and general task management in everyday life in adulthood. It is suggested that improved measures are required to assess this cerebellar–PFC interaction and to allow early identification of future literacy difficulties, allowing implementation of timely interventions and reasonable adjustments.

Neuro-Behavioral Correlates of Executive Dysfunctions in Dyslexia Over Development From Childhood to Adulthood

Dyslexia is a neurobiological learning disability in the reading domain that has symptoms in early childhood and persists throughout life. Individuals with dyslexia experience difficulties in academia and cognitive and emotional challenges that can affect wellbeing. Early intervention is critical to minimize the long-term difficulties of these individuals. However, the behavioral and neural correlates which predict dyslexia are challenging to depict before reading is acquired. One of the precursors for language and reading acquisition is executive functions (EF). The present review aims to highlight the current atypicality found in individuals with dyslexia in the domain of EF using behavioral measures, brain mapping, functional connectivity, and diffusion tensor imaging along development. Individuals with dyslexia show EF abnormalities in both behavioral and neurobiological domains, starting in early childhood that persist into adulthood. EF impairment precedes reading disability, therefore adding an EF assessment to the neuropsychological testing is recommended for early intervention. EF training should also be considered for the most comprehensive outcomes.

Phonological memory updating and developmental dyslexia: The role of long-term knowledge

The relationship between phonological knowledge and reading is consistent both in typically developing children and in children with dyslexia. However, children with dyslexia usually show lower phonological skills. In a group of children with dyslexia 8- to 12-year-old we investigated how different long-term memory phonological associations are updated in memory, that is how are kept in mind and replaced when no longer relevant. Response times (RTs) and accuracy rates were collected. Typically, long-term memory associations are dismantled and updated with greater difficulty (longer RTs). We did not replicate these findings in children with dyslexia thus demonstrating the effects of phonological disruption during updating, a mechanism that is preserved overall. In summary, our work advances literature about how phonological knowledge impacts verbal working memory updating.

A Longitudinal Study on Bidirectional Relations between Executive Functions and English Word-Level Reading in Chinese American Children in Immigrant Families

This two-wave (1.5 years apart) longitudinal study examined the bidirectional relations between measures of executive function (EF; working memory, attention focusing, inhibitory control, and a comprehensive EF measure) and two types of English word-level reading (pseudoword reading and word reading) among 258 school-aged children (52.6% boys, age = 5.8-9.1 years, in 1st to 3rd grades at Wave 1) from Chinese American immigrant families. Cross-lagged panel analyses were conducted to test whether the four EF measures and English word-level reading proficiency predicted one another controlling for prior levels of EF or word reading, as well as demographic characteristics and children's English and Chinese language proficiency. We found a positive bidirectional association between the comprehensive EF measure and pseudoword reading. By contrast, although the comprehensive EF measure positively predicted word reading over time, word reading did not predict comprehensive EF. Additionally, both word reading and pseudoword reading positively predicted working memory over time. The results provided partial evidence that English word-level reading is bidirectionally related to EF among early elementary school-age dual language learners.

The Impact of Reminiscence on Autobiographical Memory, Cognition and Psychological Well-Being in Healthy Older Adults

Reminiscence therapy has improved autobiographical memory in older adults with memory impairment. However, there has been a relative lack of research examining the impact of reminiscence interventions on healthy older adults, despite the fact that healthy ageing has been associated with a reduction in episodic autobiographical memory. The current study examined the effects of a semi-structured reminiscence program, compared to a no-intervention control and an active control group focused on current life, in healthy older adults. Before and after reminiscence or control, we assessed episodic and semantic autobiographical memory, as well as reliving of the memory and re-experiencing the emotion associated with the memory. We also examined new learning and executive function, as well as quality of life, satisfaction with life, anxiety, depression, and mood. The reminiscence intervention did not lead to a differing impact on autobiographical memory, cognition or psychological well-being, compared to the control groups. The current results indicate that simple reminiscence does not lead to enhanced autobiographical memory performance in healthy older adults.

Are "cool" executive function impairments more salient in ADHD symptoms than in reading disability?

Introduction:

Reading disability (RD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms often co-occur in school-age children.

Methods:

The present study evaluated the performance of 216 Brazilian children from 3^rd and 4^th grades on “cool” executive function (EF) abilities and phonological processing. The children were divided into three groups: those with ADHD symptoms only, those with RD only, and controls.

Results:

MANOVA analyses, controlling for age and nonverbal intelligence, showed worse performance for the RD group, compared to the ADHD symptoms group, on measures of phonological processing (phonemic awareness, phonological short-term memory, and lexical access) and “cool” EF components (orthographic verbal fluency and processing speed). The ADHD symptoms group did not differ from the control group on the majority of the “cool” EF tasks. Compared to the control group, the ADHD symptoms group and the RD group both showed significantly more errors in rapid automatized naming of figures, which evaluates the inhibition component of EF; performance on this task was similar for these groups.

Conclusion:

We conclude that children with RD have greater impairment in phonological processing and “cool” EF compared to those with ADHD symptoms. Furthermore, deficits in inhibitory control may be shared among children with both conditions.