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Duplicated Heschl's gyrus associations with phonological decoding.
1Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA. eckert@musc.edu.
Brain Structure & Function
|July 16, 2024
Summary
Individuals with a duplicated left Heschl
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Genetics
Background:
- A complete duplication of the left hemisphere Heschl's gyrus (HG) is observed in individuals with reading disabilities.
- The underlying reasons for this association and its specificity remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To replicate and investigate the association between Heschl's gyrus (HG) morphology and phonological decoding.
- To test hypotheses regarding the localization of this association within the HG or its relation to other brain regions involved in reading and language.
Main Methods:
- A multi-site study compared individuals with duplicated left HG (N=96) and single HG (N=96), matched for age, sex, and site.
- HG morphology templates were used to assess HG size and its relation to phonological decoding within each group.
Main Results:
- The duplicated HG group exhibited significantly lower phonological decoding compared to the single HG group.
- Larger HG size, particularly the lateral HG, was associated with lower phonological decoding in the duplicated HG group.
- Structural covariance with other brain regions did not explain the HG-phonological decoding association.
Conclusions:
- The presence of a duplicated HG may indicate a risk for lower phonological decoding ability, independent of verbal IQ.
- The precise mechanisms driving this association require further investigation.
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