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Citation
Tags
HERO ID
7139427
Reference Type
Journal Article
Title
White Matter Alterations in Infants at Risk for Developmental Dyslexia
Author(s)
Langer, N; Peysakhovich, B; Zuk, J; Drottar, M; Sliva, DD; Smith, S; Becker, BLC; Grant, PE; Gaab, N; ,
Year
2017
Is Peer Reviewed?
Yes
Journal
Cerebral Cortex
ISSN:
1047-3211
EISSN:
1460-2199
Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
Location
CARY
Page Numbers
1027-1036
PMID
26643353
DOI
10.1093/cercor/bhv281
Web of Science Id
WOS:000397257600011
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia (DD) is a heritable condition characterized by persistent difficulties in learning to read. White matter alterations in left-lateralized language areas, particularly in the arcuate fasciculus (AF), have been observed in DD, and diffusion properties within the AF correlate with (pre-) reading skills as early as kindergarten. However, it is unclear how early these alterations can be observed. We investigated white matter structure in 14 infants with (FHD+; ages 6.6-17.6 months) and 18 without (FHD-; ages 5.1-17.6 months) familial risk for DD. Diffusion scans were acquired during natural sleep, and early language skills were assessed. Tractography for bilateral AF was reconstructed using manual and automated methods, allowing for independent validation of results. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was calculated at multiple nodes along the tracts for more precise localization of group differences. The analyses revealed significantly lower FA in the left AF for FHD+ compared with FHD- infants, particularly in the central portion of the tract. Moreover, expressive language positively correlated with FA across groups. Our results demonstrate that atypical brain development associated with DD is already present within the first 18 months of life, suggesting that the deficits associated with DD may result from altered structural connectivity in left-hemispheric regions.
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