Alterations in white matter pathways underlying phonological and morphological processing in Chinese developmental dyslexia
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. 2018-06-01; 31: 11-19
DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2018.04.002
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Su M(1), Zhao J(2), Thiebaut de Schotten M(3), Zhou W(4), Gong G(5), Ramus F(6), Shu H(7).
Author information:
(1)State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern
Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China;
Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique (ENS, CNRS, EHESS),
Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France; College of
Elementary Education, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.
(2)School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University and Key Laboratory for
Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an, China.
(3)Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Group, Brain and Spine Institute (ICM), CNRS
UMR 7225, INSERM-UPMC UMRS 1127, Paris, France.
(4)Beijing Key Lab of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital
Normal University, Beijing, China.
(5)State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern
Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
(6)Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique (ENS, CNRS, EHESS),
Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France. Electronic
address: .
(7)State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern
Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Electronic address: .
Chinese is a logographic language that is different from alphabetic languages in
visual and semantic complexity. Thus far, it is still unclear whether Chinese
children with dyslexia show similar disruption of white matter pathways as in
alphabetic languages. The present study focused on the alteration of white matter
pathways in Chinese children with dyslexia. Using diffusion tensor imaging
tractography, the bilateral arcuate fasciculus (AF-anterior, AF-posterior and
AF-direct segments), inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) and inferior
longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) were delineated in each individual’s native space.
Compared with age-matched controls, Chinese children with dyslexia showed reduced
fractional anisotropy in the left AF-direct and the left ILF. Further regression
analyses revealed a functional dissociation between the left AF-direct and the
left ILF. The AF-direct tract integrity was associated with phonological
processing skill, an ability important for reading in all writing systems, while
the ILF integrity was associated with morphological processing skill, an ability
more strongly recruited for Chinese reading. In conclusion, the double disruption
locus in Chinese children with dyslexia, and the functional dissociation between
dorsal and ventral pathways reflect both universal and specific properties of
reading in Chinese.
Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.