Experience-dependent cortical plasticity in response to formal schooling: Effects on networks for reading and...

Between ages 5-10, children undergo substantial structural brain development. These changes coincide with the transition from preschool to primary school. The extent to which this school transition drives the observed structural brain changes remains unclear. We used a school cut-off design to disentangle the effects of formal schooling and age-related maturation on children's brain development by comparing children who attended formal education in primary school and children of similar age but who remained in preschool. Sixty-four children (36 schooling, Med_age = 68.5 months, 19 girls; 28 non-schooling, Med_age = 66 months, 19 girls) were assessed at two timepoints one year apart. Mixed-effects models were applied to MRI data to examine longitudinal changes in cortical volume, thickness, and surface area in regions implicated in reading and mathematics. Significant schooling effects were observed in bilateral - but predominantly left - temporal, parietal and inferior frontal regions associated with emergent reading and mathematics. More specifically, reading gains were associated with increased volume and thickness in right inferior frontal gyrus, with increased thickness in left superior parietal and increased volume in right inferior temporal cortices. Mathematical gains were correlated with increased thickness in left inferior parietal cortex. Children who exhibited larger increases in volume and thickness also showed stronger improvement in their academic achievement. Our findings demonstrate that the transition to formal education is associated with bilateral changes in cortical gray matter, highlighting the role of formal schooling - beyond maturation - in shaping the developing brain and offering an intriguing example of experience-dependent neuroplasticity.