Examining distinct and shared mechanisms underlying arithmetic and reading development through behavioral and neural measures: alongitudinal investigation

摘要 算术和阅读是在小学期间获得的最基本的技能，对 成功的学业成就、就业前景和心理健康。尽管重要的是 在算术和阅读技能方面，发达国家的许多儿童和成年人表现出阅读和阅读能力不足 算术能力。越来越多的证据表明，阅读与阅读之间存在很强的神经认知和遗传联系 和算术，阅读和算术学习困难的同现率很高。然而， 主要研究了典型和非典型算术和阅读技能的发展轨迹 典型和非典型阅读和算术发展的分离和潜在共享机制尚不清楚。 本申请提出了一项纵向调查，旨在(A)比较典型和非典型发展 从幼儿园到三年级阅读和算术的轨迹，(B)描述相似、不同、 以及神经和认知测量的分类能力，以描述潜在的共享机制 算术和阅读，以及(C)确定幼儿园预测算术和阅读的一组预测值 经过四年的正式指导后的结果。 采用纵向研究设计，建议的项目旨在调查发展关系。 关于阅读和算术的典型和非典型发展的算术技能从一开始 从幼儿园到三年级，180名有算术困难(AD)家族风险的儿童 对于阅读困难(RD)，或没有任何阅读或算术困难的家族风险，使用泛函和 大脑结构测量和行为相关。算术、阅读和相关亚组的神经关联 技能，加上一个全面的心理测量电池，测量阅读和算术发展和 领域通用技能和领域特定技能，将在四年的关键阶段进行四次考试 获得识字能力和数字概念。通过以有AD和RD家族史的儿童为目标，并由于 这两种情况的遗传图谱重叠，儿童表现出非典型阅读和 增加了算术发展，这将使我们能够研究和比较 典型的和非典型的阅读和算术技能。 这项研究有可能为理解发展性学习障碍提供一个模型， 潜在机制，以及它们的共同出现。当前的重点是被动的、赤字驱动的，而不是 学习障碍领域的预防模式对学生有害，因为干预措施已经被证明 在大脑可塑性增强的较早年龄最有效，因为这对心理健康有影响 由于采取了“等待失败”的方法，困难学生的健康受到了影响。理解共享的和独特的 典型与非典型算术和阅读技能的认知和神经机制 前兆对于开发早期筛查、诊断和干预工具具有重要意义。

SUMMARY Arithmetic and reading are the most fundamental skills acquired during elementary school and are crucial for successful academic achievement, employment prospects, and mental health. Despite the significance of arithmetical and reading skills, many children and adults in developed societies exhibit deficient reading and arithmetical abilities. Accumulating evidence suggests a strong neurocognitive and genetic link between reading and arithmetic, with high co-occurrence rates of both reading and arithmetical learning difficulties. However, the developmental trajectories of typical and atypical arithmetical and reading skills have been predominantly studied apart and potential shared mechanisms of typical and atypical reading and arithmetic development are unknown. This application proposes a longitudinal investigation that aims to (a) compare typical and atypical developmental trajectories of reading and arithmetic from kindergarten to third grade, (b) characterize similarities, differences, and classification power of neural and cognitive measures to profile the shared mechanisms underlying arithmetic and reading, and (c) determine a set of predictors in kindergarten predicting arithmetic and reading outcome after four years of formal instruction. Employing a longitudinal study design, the proposed project aims to investigate the developmental relationships of reading and arithmetic in the typical and atypical development of arithmetical skills from the beginning of kindergarten to third grade, in 180 children with either a familial risk for arithmetic difficulties (AD), a familial risk for reading difficulties (RD), or without any familial risk for reading or arithmetical difficulties, using functional and structural brain measures and behavioral correlates. Neural correlates of arithmetic, reading, and related sub- skills, together with a comprehensive psychometric battery measuring reading and arithmetical development and domain-general and domain-specific skills, will be examined four times over four years during critical stages of acquiring literacy and numerical concepts. By targeting children with a family history of AD and RD, and due to the genetic profile overlap of these two conditions, the probability of children exhibiting atypical reading and arithmetic development is increased, which will allow us to study and compare the developmental trajectories of both typical and atypical reading and arithmetical skills. This study has the potential to provide a model for understanding developmental learning disabilities, their underlying mechanisms, and their co-occurrence. The current focus on a reactive, deficit-driven instead of a preventive model in the field of learning disabilities is detrimental for students, as interventions have been proven to be most effective at an earlier age of heightened brain plasticity and because of the implications for mental health in struggling students as a result of a “wait-to-fail” approach. Understanding the shared and distinct underlying cognitive and neural mechanisms between typical and atypical arithmetic and reading skills and their precursors are of great significance for the development of early screening, diagnostic, and intervention tools.