Clinic of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland; Center for MR-Research, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Center for MR-Research, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2018 Apr;30:291-303. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.03.005. Epub 2017 Mar 21.
Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a developmental learning disability associated with deficits in processing numerical and mathematical information. Although behavioural training can reduce these deficits, it is unclear which neuronal resources show a functional reorganization due to training. We examined typically developing (TD) children (N=16, mean age: 9.5 years) and age-, gender-, and handedness-matched children with DD (N=15, mean age: 9.5 years) during the performance of a numerical order task with fMRI and functional connectivity before and after 5-weeks of number line training. Using the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) as seed region, DD showed hyperconnectivity in parietal, frontal, visual, and temporal regions before the training controlling for age and IQ. Hyperconnectivity disappeared after training, whereas math abilities improved. Multivariate classification analysis of task-related fMRI data corroborated the connectivity results as the same group of TD could be discriminated from DD before but not after number line training (86.4 vs. 38.9%, respectively). Our results indicate that abnormally high functional connectivity in DD can be normalized on the neuronal level by intensive number line training. As functional connectivity in DD was indistinguishable to TD's connectivity after training, we conclude that training lead to a re-organization of inter-regional task engagement.
发展性计算障碍（DD）是一种与数字和数学信息处理缺陷相关的发育性学习障碍。虽然行为训练可以减少这些缺陷，但不清楚哪些神经元资源由于训练而表现出功能重组。我们在 fMRI 检查中检查了典型发育（TD）儿童（N=16，平均年龄：9.5 岁）和年龄、性别和惯用手匹配的 DD 儿童（N=15，平均年龄：9.5 岁），这些儿童在进行数字排序任务前后都进行了训练，共 5 周。使用顶内沟（IPS）作为种子区域，在控制年龄和智商的情况下，DD 在训练前显示出顶叶、额叶、视觉和颞叶区域的超连接性。训练后超连接性消失，而数学能力提高。任务相关 fMRI 数据的多元分类分析证实了连接结果，即同一组 TD 可以在进行数字线训练之前但不能在之后与 DD 区分开来（分别为 86.4%和 38.9%）。我们的研究结果表明，密集的数字线训练可以在神经元水平上使 DD 中异常高的功能连接正常化。由于训练后 DD 的功能连接与 TD 的连接无法区分，我们得出结论，训练导致了区域间任务参与的重新组织。
