Relation of neural structure to persistently low academic achievement: a longitudinal study of children with
Caron A C Clark1, Hua Fang2, Kimberly Andrews Espy1
1Department of Psychology, University of Oregon.
Insights
Brain structure differences in extremely preterm infants are linked to academic struggles. Reduced volumes in key brain areas correlate with lower achievement trajectories in math and reading.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Extremely preterm (VLBW) birth is associated with neurodevelopmental challenges.
- Academic trajectories in VLBW individuals can be heterogeneous, with some experiencing persistent difficulties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between cerebral tissue volumes in VLBW individuals and their academic achievement patterns.
- To determine if specific brain structure reductions predict low academic growth trajectories.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of children born at different birth weights (<750 g, 750–1,499 g, >2,500 g).
- Growth mixture modeling identified academic achievement trajectories (average vs. persistently low).
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessed cerebral tissue volumes in late adolescence to predict cluster membership.
Main Results:
- Reduced caudate volume significantly increased the odds of belonging to a low academic achievement cluster across domains.
- Decreased corpus callosum surface area was associated with higher odds of low academic trajectories.
- Specific reductions in cerebellar and cerebral white matter were linked to lower calculation and decoding growth.
Conclusions:
- Reduced volumes in brain structures critical for connectivity, executive attention, and motor control may underlie varied academic outcomes in VLBW children.
- These findings highlight the neurobiological basis for academic disparities in this population.
Objective:
This study examined the relation of cerebral tissue reductions associated with VLBW to patterns of growth in core academic domains.
Method:
Children born <750 g, 750 to 1,499 g, or >2,500 g completed measures of calculation, mathematical problem solving, and word decoding at time points spanning middle childhood and adolescence. K. A. Espy, H. Fang, D. Charak, N. M. Minich, and H. G. Taylor (2009, Growth mixture modeling of academic achievement in children of varying birth weight risk, Neuropsychology, Vol. 23, pp. 460-474) used growth mixture modeling to identify two growth trajectories (clusters) for each academic domain: an average achievement trajectory and a persistently low trajectory. In this study, 97 of the same participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in late adolescence, and cerebral tissue volumes were used to predict the probability of low growth cluster membership for each domain.
Results:
Adjusting for whole brain volume (wbv), each 1-cm(3) reduction in caudate volume was associated with a 1.7- to 2.1-fold increase in the odds of low cluster membership for each domain. Each 1-mm(2) decrease in corpus callosum surface area increased these odds approximately 1.02-fold. Reduced cerebellar white matter volume was associated specifically with low calculation and decoding growth, and reduced cerebral white matter volume was associated with low calculation growth. Findings were similar when analyses were confined to the VLBW groups.
Conclusions:
Reduced volume of structures involved in connectivity, executive attention, and motor control may contribute to heterogeneous academic trajectories among children with VLBW.
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