Self-government of complex reading and writing brains informed by cingulo-opercular network for adaptive control and working memory components for language learning.

Todd L Richards,Virginia W Berninger,Wendy Raskind,Dan Peterson,Robert D Abbott,Kevin Yagle

doi:10.15761/jsin.1000173

Abstract

To understand mental self-government of the developing reading and writing brain, correlations of clustering coefficients on fMRI reading or writing tasks with BASC 2 Adaptivity ratings (time 1 only) or working memory components (time 1 before and time 2 after instruction previously shown to improve achievement and change magnitude of fMRI connectivity) were investigated in 39 students in grades 4 to 9 who varied along a continuum of reading and writing skills. A Philips 3T scanner measured connectivity during six leveled fMRI reading tasks (subword-letters and sounds, word-word-specific spellings or affixed words, syntax comprehension-with and without homonym foils or with and without affix foils, and text comprehension) and three fMRI writing tasks-writing next letter in alphabet, adding missing letter in word spelling, and planning for composing. The Brain Connectivity Toolbox generated clustering coefficients based on the cingulo-opercular (CO) network; after controlling for multiple comparisons and movement, significant fMRI connectivity clustering coefficients for CO were identified in 8 brain regions bilaterally (cingulate gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, insula, cingulum-cingulate gyrus, and cingulum-hippocampus). BASC2 Parent Ratings for Adaptivity were correlated with CO clustering coefficients on three reading tasks (letter-sound, word affix judgments and sentence comprehension) and one writing task (writing next letter in alphabet). Before instruction, each behavioral working memory measure (phonology, orthography, morphology, and syntax coding, phonological and orthographic loops for integrating internal language and output codes, and supervisory focused and switching attention) correlated significantly with at least one CO clustering coefficient. After instruction, the patterning of correlations changed with new correlations emerging. Results show that the reading and writing brain's mental government, supported by both CO Adaptive Control and multiple working memory components, had changed in response to instruction during middle childhood/early adolescence.

Highlights

The current study is part of programmatic, interdisciplinary research on the multiple levels of language in the reading brain as well as the transcription and translation processes in the writing brain
The current study drew upon this prior brain research based on (a) Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) functional connectivity across the escalating, cascading levels of language of the reading brain and the transcription and translation processes in and out of the scanner of the writing brain; and (b) fMRI clustering coefficients in the reading brain and the writing brain, informed by graph theory and prior research on the cingulo-opercular (CO) network regarding adaptive control in learning, both before and after instructional intervention
The clustering coefficients informed by graph theory were conducted only for the 16 brain regions in the CO network listed above, the results of these analyses identified graph clustering coefficients in the CO network having connectivity with many of the cortical regions in the 68 brain regions identified in the initial connectome analyses

Summary

Introduction

The current study is part of programmatic, interdisciplinary research on the multiple levels of language in the reading brain as well as the transcription (handwriting and spelling) and translation processes (for conversion of thought into written language) in the writing brain. The current study drew upon assessment studies and family genetics research on developing learners with and without written language learning disabilities that validated behavioral measures of the multiple components of working memory supporting learning to read and write. This grounding in prior research and rationale for extending that research in the current study is explained in the text that follows. An fMRI connectivity study examined connectivity from these four seeds for contrasting levels (units) of language because prior assessment research in developing readers identified intraindividual and interindividual differences in

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