Early Language Abilities and the Underlying Neural Functional Reading Network in Preschoolers

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dc.contributor.advisorLebel, Catherine A.
dc.contributor.authorBenischek, Alina Marie
dc.contributor.committeememberDewey, Deborah
dc.contributor.committeememberBray, Signe L.
dc.contributor.committeememberGraham, Susan A.
dc.date2018-11
dc.date.accessioned2018-09-04T15:00:18Z
dc.date.available2018-09-04T15:00:18Z
dc.date.issued2018-06-25
dc.description.abstractEarly childhood is a critical time for language development. Language impairments that go untreated in the early years can result in decreased academic achievement and future mental health concerns. Despite the importance of early language development, very little research has focused on the functional brain systems supporting language in typically developing young children. We investigated relationships between age, language abilities, and the brain’s functional connectivity (FC) patterns seeded from brain areas associated with reading. The study included 50 healthy children aged 2.9-5.6 years (3.8 ± 0.6 years, 21f/29m) who completed a language assessment (NEPSY-II Phonological Processing and Speeded Naming) and underwent functional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanning while watching a movie. Phonological Processing scores positively correlated with FC between the left angular gyrus and contralateral sensorimotor cortices, as well as between the right angular gyrus and the left supramarginal gyrus. Speeded Naming scores positively correlated with FC between the left inferior frontal gyrus, pars triangularis and the left fusiform gyrus, extending to the posterior region of the middle/inferior temporal gyrus and negatively correlated with the precuneus of the default mode network. Despite these variations in the FC patterns associated with speeded naming and phonological processing, both language measures positively correlated with FC between the ROI and the angular gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, and precentral gyrus. Age positively correlated with FC between regions within the ventral language pathway, including the inferior frontal gyrus and middle/inferior temporal gyrus and negatively correlated with FC between ipsilateral language regions and contralateral visual areas within the occipital cortex. The results demonstrate that better language abilities in young children are associated with stronger functional connections between brain regions within the language network identified in older children and adults who can perform more complex language processes.en_US
dc.identifier.citationBenischek, A. M. (2018). Early Language Abilities and the Underlying Neural Functional Reading Network in Preschoolers (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/32869en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/32869
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/107691
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.facultyScience
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject.classificationEducation--Early Childhooden_US
dc.subject.classificationEducation--Readingen_US
dc.subject.classificationEducation--Sciencesen_US
dc.subject.classificationNeuroscienceen_US
dc.subject.classificationPsychology--Clinicalen_US
dc.subject.classificationPsychology--Cognitiveen_US
dc.subject.classificationPsychology--Developmentalen_US
dc.titleEarly Language Abilities and the Underlying Neural Functional Reading Network in Preschoolers
dc.typemaster thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineMedical Science
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (MSc)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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