Neurocognitive development in RD children with/without general cognitive deficits

描述（由申请人提供）：本项目旨在通过描述阅读与一般认知能力不一致或不一致的困难读者的神经认知发展，增强我们对残疾读者中观察到的行为和神经生物学异质性的实质性程度的理解。本研究将采用横截面/纵向混合设计，招募两组一般认知和阅读能力低于平均水平的儿童（使用基于成就的标准进行操作定义；RD-A组）：年轻队列（平均年龄7.5岁）和年长队列（平均年龄9.5岁）。两者都将通过针对语言和非语言认知技能的认知行为和功能神经成像（fMRI）测量进行评估；12个月后，对两组患者的行为进行评估。比较组将从Landi博士作为合作者的最近资助的基金（R01 HD48830； K. R. Pugh， PI）中抽取。在这项资助中，阅读能力相对于一般认知能力（由传统智商差异标准定义；RD- d组）受到抑制的RD儿童和典型发育（TD）儿童的神经认知发展将被纵向跟踪两年，从7.5岁到9.5岁，使用行为和功能神经成像（fMRI）测量（以及磁共振光谱和分子遗传学测量）。通过与现有的R01合作，拟议的项目将直接研究RD中语言特异性认知障碍与一般认知障碍的连续性，收集一个队列（RD- a组）的数据，并与其他两个队列（RD- d和TD）进行关键比较。具体而言，本研究旨在：(1)更好地了解阅读（RD- d）或非（RD- a）与其一般认知能力不一致的RD儿童与典型发育（TD）队列之间的早期神经生物学和认知相似性/差异性；(2)纵向评估早期神经生物学和认知特征对后续阅读发展的预测方式；(3)横断面考察了TD读者从初级读者到流利读者的2年期间RD-A读者的神经生物学和认知发展。重要的是，这项研究将提供关于RD个体子集（也表现出一般认知缺陷的个体）的急需信息，这些个体迄今在认知和教育研究中相对代表性不足。本研究可能发现RD儿童之间的病因学和神经生物学差异；最终，这些发现可以提高我们个性化教学方法的能力，优化对有阅读困难的异质儿童群体的治疗。该项目与NIH的公共卫生使命相关，因为它有助于了解与阅读障碍（RD）相关的病因学和潜在神经生物学。此外，它将提供对两种阅读障碍亚型之间相关差异的理解；研发差异（阅读与一般认知能力不一致）和研发成就（阅读与一般认知能力相称），这将有助于为未来的研发治疗和补救策略提供信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project aims to enhance our understanding of the substantial degree of behavioral and neurobiological heterogeneity observed among disabled readers by characterizing the neurocognitive development of struggling readers whose reading is or is not at odds with their general cognitive abilities. This research will employ a hybrid cross-sectional/longitudinal design, recruiting two cohorts of children whose general cognitive and reading skills are both below average (operationally defined using achievement-based criteria; RD-A group): a younger cohort (mean age 7.5 years) and an older cohort (mean age 9.5 years). Both will be assessed with cognitive-behavioral and functional neuroimaging (fMRI) measures that target language and non-language cognitive skills; both cohorts will also be assessed behaviorally 12 months later. Comparison groups will be drawn from a recently funded grant (R01 HD48830; K. R. Pugh, PI) on which Dr. Landi is a collaborator. In that grant, the neurocognitive development of RD children whose reading skills are suppressed relative to their general cognitive abilities (operationally defined by traditional IQ-discrepancy criterion; RD-D group) and Typically Developing (TD) children will be tracked longitudinally for two years, from 7.5 to 9.5 years of age, using behavioral and functional neuroimaging (fMRI) measures (as well as MR spectroscopy and molecular-genetic measures). By partnering with the existing R01, the proposed project will directly study the continuum of language-specific versus general cognitive impairments in RD, collecting data for one cohort (the RD-A group), and yet making key comparisons to these other two cohorts (RD-D and TD). Specifically, this research aims to: (1) achieve a better understanding of early neurobiological and cognitive similarities/differences between RD children whose reading is (RD-D) or is not (RD-A) at odds with their general cognitive abilities, and Typically-Developing (TD) cohorts; (2) assess, longitudinally, the ways in which early neurobiological and cognitive profiles are predictive of subsequent reading development; and (3) examine, cross-sectionally, the neurobiological and cognitive development of RD-A readers over the 2-year period during which TD readers shift from beginning to fluent readers. Importantly, this research will provide much needed information about a subset of RD individuals (those who also present with general cognitive deficits) who have been relatively underrepresented in cognitive and educational research to date. This research may detect subtle etiological and neurobiological differences among RD children; ultimately such findings could improve our ability to individualize instructional approaches, optimizing treatment for the heterogeneous group of children who experience reading difficulties. This project is relevant to NIH's public health mission because it contributes to the understanding of the etiology and underlying neurobiology associated with reading disability (RD). Further it will provide an understanding of the relevant differences between two subtypes of reading disability; RD-Discrepant (reading is at odds with general cognitive abilities) and RD-Achievement (reading is commensurate with general cognitive ability), which will be useful for informing future treatment and remediation strategies for RD.