A Study Of The Relationship Between Reading Ability And Binocular Functions At The College Freshman Level

Author : Meaghan Perdue
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (133 download)

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Download or read book Neurobiological Mechanisms of Reading written by Meaghan Perdue and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reading is a complex task that requires integration of information across brain systems that support sensory, language and cognitive processing. Individuals vary widely in reading ability: some read almost effortlessly, while others struggle to make sense of printed text. Factors at multiple levels from genes and brain through environment contribute to these individual differences in reading ability. Research at the neurobiological level has revealed structural and functional neural correlates of reading ability, but the links among multiple brain features and their associations to reading ability have seldom been investigated. This leaves a gap in the understanding of neurobiological mechanisms that drive individual differences in reading ability. In this dissertation, I aim to address that gap by examining relationships among neurobiological factors and reading ability in children in two studies. In Study 1, I examine relationships among cortical structure, reading-related functional activation, and reading ability. Specifically, I investigate whether functional activation accounts for a previously observed relationship between cortical thickness in the left superior temporal gyrus and reading ability (Perdue et al., 2020). In addition, I explore relationships among cortical thickness and functional activation across the whole brain to gain further insight to structure-function relationships in the context of reading. Findings reveal a nuanced, region-dependent relationship among structural and functional brain features related to reading, and alternative hypotheses to explain links between cortical structure and reading ability are considered. In Study 2, I investigate relationships among neurochemistry, white matter structure, and reading ability using state-of-the-art neuroimaging methods. I focus primarily on the neurometabolite, choline, which is involved in the maintenance and metabolism of white matter tissue and has previously been associated with reading ability (Pugh et al., 2014). This study provides preliminary evidence to support a putative mechanism by which choline is related to reading ability via its association with white matter structure. Together, these studies provide insight to neurobiological mechanisms associated with individual differences in reading ability. The findings promote further research in this domain that could contribute to early identification and treatment for children at risk of reading disabilities.