Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, 3145 Porter Drive, MC 5395, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States.
Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, 3145 Porter Drive, MC 5395, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States.
Neuroimage. 2022 Aug 1;256:119240. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119240. Epub 2022 Apr 28.
Many diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) studies document associations between reading skills and fractional anisotropy (FA) within brain white matter, suggesting that efficient transfer of information across the brain contributes to individual differences in reading. Use of complementary imaging methods can determine if these associations relate to myelin content of white matter tracts. Compared to children born at term (FT), children born preterm (PT) are at risk for reading deficits. We used two MRI methods to calculate associations of reading and white matter properties in FT and PT children. Participants (N=79: 36 FT and 43 PT) were administered the Gray's Oral Reading Test at age 8. We segmented three dorsal (left arcuate and bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus) and four ventral (bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus and bilateral uncinate) tracts and quantified (1) FA from dMRI and (2) R1 from quantitative T1 relaxometry. We examined correlations between reading scores and these metrics along the trajectories of the tracts. Reading positively correlated with FA in segments of left arcuate and bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculi in FT children; no FA associations were found in PT children. Reading positively correlated with R1 in segments of the left superior longitudinal, right uncinate, and left inferior longitudinal fasciculi in PT children; no R1 associations were found in FT children. Birth group significantly moderated the associations of reading and white matter metrics. Myelin content of white matter may contribute to individual differences in PT but not FT children.
许多扩散磁共振成像（dMRI）研究记录了阅读技能与大脑白质中分数各向异性（FA）之间的关联，表明大脑之间信息的有效传递有助于阅读个体差异。使用互补的成像方法可以确定这些关联是否与白质束的髓鞘含量有关。与足月（FT）出生的儿童相比，早产儿（PT）有阅读缺陷的风险。我们使用两种 MRI 方法来计算 FT 和 PT 儿童阅读和白质特性之间的关联。参与者（N=79：36 名 FT 和 43 名 PT）在 8 岁时接受了 Gray's 口语阅读测试。我们分割了三个背侧（左弓状束和双侧上纵束）和四个腹侧（双侧下纵束和双侧钩束）束，并量化了（1）来自 dMRI 的 FA 和（2）来自定量 T1 弛豫测量的 R1。我们检查了阅读分数与这些轨迹上轨迹的指标之间的相关性。在 FT 儿童中，阅读与左弓状束和双侧上纵束的 FA 呈正相关；在 PT 儿童中未发现 FA 相关性。在 PT 儿童中，阅读与左上纵束、右钩束和左下纵束的 R1 呈正相关；在 FT 儿童中未发现 R1 相关性。出生组显著调节了阅读和白质指标的关联。白质的髓鞘含量可能有助于 PT 儿童的个体差异，但不能解释 FT 儿童的个体差异。
