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

总结 算术和阅读是在小学期间获得的最基本的技能，对于 成功的学术成就，就业前景和心理健康。尽管重要的是 算术和阅读技能，发达社会的许多儿童和成人表现出缺乏阅读能力， 算术能力越来越多的证据表明，阅读与大脑的神经认知和遗传有着密切的联系。 和算术，阅读和算术学习困难的共同出现率很高。但 典型和非典型算术和阅读技能的发展轨迹已被主要研究 典型和非典型阅读和算术发展的分离和潜在共享机制是未知的。 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 从幼儿园到三年级的阅读和算术的轨迹，（B）表征相似性，差异， 和分类能力的神经和认知措施，以剖析共享的机制， 算术和阅读，以及（c）确定幼儿园中预测算术和阅读的一组预测因子 经过四年的正规教育。 本研究采用纵向研究设计，旨在探讨儿童与青少年的发展关系， 阅读和算术的典型和非典型的发展算术技能从一开始就 在180名有算术困难（AD）家族风险的儿童中， 对于阅读困难（RD），或没有任何阅读或算术困难的家族风险，使用功能和 大脑结构测量和行为相关性。算术、阅读和相关亚神经系统的相关性 技能，以及全面的心理测量电池测量阅读和算术的发展， 一般领域和特定领域的技能，将在四年内的关键阶段进行四次考试， 学习识字和数字概念。通过针对有AD和RD家族史的儿童， 这两种情况的遗传特征重叠，儿童表现出非典型阅读的概率， 算术发展增加，这将使我们能够研究和比较的发展轨迹， 典型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， 潜在的机制，以及它们的共同出现。目前的重点是被动的，赤字驱动的，而不是一个 学习障碍领域的预防模式对学生有害，因为干预措施已被证明是有害的。 在大脑可塑性增强的较早年龄最有效，因为这对心理健康的影响， 健康在挣扎的学生作为一个“等待失败”的方法的结果。理解共享的和不同的 典型和非典型算术和阅读技能之间的潜在认知和神经机制及其 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.