Lisa Bruckert|Lauren R. Borchers|Cory K. Dodson|Virginia A. Marchman|Katherine E. Travis|Michal Ben?Shachar|Heidi M. Feldman
White Matter Plasticity in Reading-Related Pathways Differs in Children Born Preterm and at Term: A Longitudinal Analysis
Stanford University|Stanford University|Stanford University|Stanford University|Stanford University|Bar-Ilan University|Stanford University
children born preterm pt risk white matter injuries based complications prematurity learn read average perform peers born full term ft studies yet establish whether properties white matter pathways onset learning read associated individual variation later reading development pt children asked whether fractional anisotropy fa age 6 years associated reading outcome age 8 years pt children pathways previously demonstrated sample ft children pt n 34 mean gestational age 295 weeks ft children n 37 completed diffusion mri standardized measures nonverbal iq language phonological awareness age 6 years reading skills assessed age 8 years mean tractfa extracted pathways predicted reading outcome children born ft left arcuate fasciculus arc bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus slf left inferior cerebellar peduncle icp explored associations additional pathways pt children bilateral inferior frontooccipital fasciculus inferior longitudinal fasciculus uncinate fasciculus linear regression models examined whether prediction reading outcome age 8 years based mean tractfa age 6 years moderated birth group children born pt ft differ significantly tractfa age 6 years reading age 8 years sex socioeconomic status nonverbal iq age 6 years associated reading outcome included covariates models birth group status significantly moderated associations reading outcome mean tractfa left arc right slf left icp consideration preliteracy skills microstructural properties cerebral cerebellar pathways predicted later reading outcome ft pt children children born pt may rely alternative pathways achieve fluent reading findings implications plasticity neural organization early white matter injury