Victorian Infant Brain Studies, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Developmental Imaging, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Victorian Infant Brain Studies, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Neuroimage Clin. 2019;24:101944. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101944. Epub 2019 Jul 22.
Individuals born very preterm (VPT; <32 weeks' gestational age) are at increased risk of impaired mathematics and word reading performance, as well as widespread white matter microstructural alterations compared with individuals born full term (FT; ≥37 weeks' gestational age). To date, the link between academic performance and white matter microstructure is not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the associations between mathematics and reading performance with white matter microstructure in 114 VPT and 36 FT 13-year-old children. Additionally, we aimed to investigate whether the association of mathematics and reading performance with white matter microstructure in VPT children varied as a function of impairment. To do this, we used diffusion tensor imaging and advanced diffusion modelling techniques (Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging and the Spherical Mean Technique), combined with a whole-brain analysis approach (Tract-Based Spatial Statistics). Mathematics performance across VPT and FT groups was positively associated with white matter microstructural measurements of fractional anisotropy and neurite density, and negatively associated with radial and mean diffusivities in widespread, bilateral regions. Furthermore, VPT children with a mathematics impairment (>1 standard deviation below FT mean) had significantly reduced neurite density compared with VPT children without an impairment. Reading performance was not significantly associated with any of the white matter microstructure parameters. Additionally, the associations between white matter microstructure and mathematics and reading performance did not differ significantly between VPT and FT groups. Our findings suggest that alterations in white matter microstructure, and more specifically lower neurite density, are associated with poorer mathematics performance in 13-year-old VPT and FT children. More research is required to understand the association between reading performance and white matter microstructure in 13-year-old children.
个体出生非常早产（VPT；<32 周胎龄）与足月出生（FT；≥37 周胎龄）的个体相比，存在数学和单词阅读表现受损，以及广泛的白质微观结构改变的风险增加。迄今为止，学业成绩与白质微观结构之间的联系尚未得到很好的理解。本研究旨在调查 114 名 VPT 和 36 名 FT 13 岁儿童的数学和阅读表现与白质微观结构之间的关联。此外，我们还旨在调查 VPT 儿童的数学和阅读表现与白质微观结构之间的关联是否因损伤而有所不同。为此，我们使用了扩散张量成像和先进的扩散建模技术（神经丝取向分散和密度成像和球平均技术），结合全脑分析方法（基于束流的空间统计学）。VPT 和 FT 组的数学表现与白质微观结构测量的各向异性分数和神经丝密度呈正相关，与径向和平均扩散率呈负相关，广泛分布于双侧区域。此外，VPT 有数学障碍（>FT 平均值 1 个标准差以下）的儿童的神经丝密度明显低于 VPT 无损伤的儿童。阅读表现与任何白质微观结构参数均无显著相关性。此外，VPT 和 FT 组之间，白质微观结构与数学和阅读表现之间的关联也没有显著差异。我们的研究结果表明，在 13 岁的 VPT 和 FT 儿童中，白质微观结构的改变，特别是神经丝密度的降低，与较差的数学表现有关。需要进一步研究来了解 13 岁儿童阅读表现与白质微观结构之间的关系。
