Is cognitive dysfunction in learning disabilities correlated to their brain dysfunction?

本研究旨在探讨学习障碍（LD）中认知功能障碍与脑功能障碍的关系。他们的认知能力通过各种心理测试和/或认知任务来测量，大脑功能失调状态通过各种神经和生理测试来测量。结果如下。(1)多通道脑电图、SPECT记录的脑血流、尿液分析记录的激素分泌等生理数据显示，大鼠额叶皮质、下丘脑和/或基底神经节区异常。(2)许多认知任务的行为数据；在字母消除、串行记忆任务、字母识别、人脸识别等方面，ld组的正确率较正常组低，虚警错误较多。这些结果表明了注意过程的功能障碍。(3)低年级学生的事件相关电位的注意和认知成分的振幅均低于正常水平，也低于他们自身的表现水平。这些结果表明，在ld中会发现任何脑功能障碍，但与认知功能障碍的类型没有直接关系。(4) lld的这些行为和生理特征并不是恒定的，而是通过兴奋剂和重复相同任务的学习效应而提高的。这些结果提示了对学习障碍进行治疗和教育的可能性。

This research project intended to investigate the relationship of cognitive dysfunction and brain dysfunction in the learning, disabilities (LD). Their cognitive abilities were meadured by various psychological tests and/or cognitive tasks and brain dysfunctional states were measured by various neurological and physiological tests. The resuluts are follows.(1) Physiological data from muti-channel electroencephalogram, brain blood-flow recorded by SPECT and hormonic secretion recorded by urinalysis showed abonormal in the frontal cortex, hypothalamus, and/or basal ganglion area in the LDs.(2) Behavioral data from many cognitive tasks ; e.g.letter-cancelation, serial memory task, letter discrimination, and face recognition etc., showed less correct socres and more false-alarm errors in the LDs than in the normals. These resuluts suggested dysfunction of the attentional processes.(3) The amplitude of attentional or cognitive components of event-related potentials were less in the LDs than the normals, and moreover, than their own performance levles. These resuluts suggested that any brain dysfunction would be found in the LDs, but would not directly correlate to the type of the cognitive dysfunction.(4) These behabioral and physiological characteristics in the LDs were not constant, and elevated by stimulant drugs and by learning effects through the repetition of the same tasks. These resuluts suggested the posibility of treatment and education in learning disabilities.