Brain Mechanisms Supporting Distinct Languages     

P. G. Simos  R. L. Billingsley‐Marshall  S. Sarkari  E. Pataraia  A. C. Papanicolaou 《Learning disabilities research & practice》2005,20(1):31-38

This article briefly outlines key issues related to the neurological substrate of basic language and reading functions in native speakers of Indo‐European and Oriental Languages, and in individuals who are competent in more than one language. Modern neuroimaging techniques have been used in order to address conflicting results produced by older, less flexible methods. When issues of validity and reliability of brain activation protocols are systematically addressed, converging results across methods can be obtained. Only then can neuroimaging findings provide useful data and inform education policy regarding formal language learning and reading instruction and remediation. These are steps that can ensure that we can bring the technology and approaches to bear on the problems of learning disabilities in a focused and productive way.  相似文献   

Intensive instruction affects brain magnetic activity associated with oral word reading in children with persistent reading disabilities     

Simos PG  Fletcher JM  Sarkari S  Billingsley-Marshall R  Denton CA  Papanicolaou AC 《Journal of learning disabilities》2007,40(1):37-48

Fifteen children ages 7 to 9 years who had persistent reading difficulties despite adequate instruction were provided with intensive tutorial interventions. The interventions targeted deficient phonological processing and decoding skills for 8 weeks (2 hours per day) followed by an 8-week, 1-hour-per-day intervention that focused on the development of reading fluency skills. Spatiotemporal brain activation profiles were obtained at baseline and after each 8-week intervention program using magnetoencephalography during the performance of an oral sight-word reading task. Changes in brain activity were found in the posterior part of the middle temporal gyrus (Brodmann's Area [BA] 21: increased degree of activity and reduced onset latency), the lateral occipitotemporal region (BA 19/37: decreased onset latency of activation), and the premotor cortex (increased onset latency). Overall changes associated with the intervention were primarily normalizing, as indicated by (a) increased activity in a region that is typically involved in lexical--semantic processing (BA 21) and (b) a shift in the relative timing of regional activity in temporal and frontal cortices to a pattern typically seen in unimpaired readers. These findings extend previous results in demonstrating significant changes in the spatiotemporal profile of activation associated with word reading in response to reading remediation.  相似文献