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Published on: August 5, 2017
The brain's structural connectivity and pre-reading abilities in young children with prenatal alcohol exposure
Mohammad Ghasoub1, Meaghan Perdue2, Xiangyu Long2
1Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Canada.
Insights
Children exposed to alcohol before birth (PAE) show lower pre-reading skills and altered brain networks. Prenatal alcohol exposure impacts reading development by affecting structural brain connectivity in young children.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is linked to neurological and behavioral deficits, including reading and language impairments.
- Understanding the neural underpinnings of reading difficulties in children with PAE is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between structural brain connectivity and pre-reading skills in young children with PAE.
- To identify specific brain network alterations associated with reading deficits in PAE.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion MRI scans were collected from 135 children (ages 3-7), including 53 with PAE.
- Structural brain networks were analyzed using graph theory, focusing on 16 regions in reading networks.
- Pre-reading skills (Phonological Processing, Speeded Naming) were assessed using NEPSY-II.
Main Results:
- Children with PAE exhibited significantly lower pre-reading scores and reduced graph theory metrics in reading networks compared to controls.
- PAE moderated the association between Phonological Processing and network efficiency, showing stronger links in the PAE group.
- No significant associations were found for Speeded Naming in relation to brain network properties.
Conclusions:
- Altered structural brain connectivity may underlie early pre-reading difficulties in children with PAE.
- Specific reading network alterations are associated with prenatal alcohol exposure, impacting phonological processing.
- Findings highlight the importance of assessing brain structure in understanding reading impairments in PAE.
Abstract:
Children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) may develop a range of neurological and behavioral deficits, including reading and language disorders. Studying the brain's structural connectivity and its relationship to pre-reading/reading skills in young children with PAE can help understand the roots of reading deficits associated with PAE. 363 diffusion MRI scans from 135 children (114 scans from 53 children with PAE) were collected between ages 3-7 years. Children completed NEPSY-II Phonological Processing and Speeded Naming to assess pre-reading skills at each scan. Structural brain network properties were assessed in 16 regions from both hemispheres using graph theory. Linear mixed models were used to account for repeated measures within participants. Children with PAE had significantly lower pre-reading scores than unexposed children, and significantly lower graph theory metrics across bilateral reading networks. Moreover, PAE significantly moderated the associations between Phonological Processing and global efficiency and nodal degree in the bilateral and left hemisphere reading networks, such that children with PAE had stronger associations than unexposed controls. No significant associations were found for Speeded Naming. Our results suggest that brain alterations may underlie early pre-reading difficulties in children with PAE.
