Neurocognitive Development in Typically Developing, At-Risk, and ESL Children

描述(由申请人提供)：项目摘要：我们的广泛目标是表征神经系统和子系统的特性、发育时间进程和相对可塑性(可修饰性/脆弱性)，这些系统和子系统在语言处理以及对语言至关重要的注意力和感觉技能方面非常重要。在3-17岁的儿童中，我们将获取行为数据、事件相关脑电位(ERPs)，在6-17岁的儿童中，我们将获取大脑的结构和功能磁共振图像(FMRI)，以表征参与者执行旨在操纵感觉、注意力和语言处理的特定方面的任务时神经活动的时间和位置。我们将检验假设：(1)在语义加工中重要的系统比在语法和语音加工中重要的系统更早成熟；(2)与SES较高的儿童相比，较长发展中的系统在较低的SES儿童中不那么成熟。鉴于听觉注意和快速听觉加工在语言技能中的核心作用，我们还将评估以下假设：(3)集中听觉注意的神经机制的某些方面至少要到10岁才成熟；(4)这些系统在SES较低的儿童中不太成熟。我们还将评估以下假设：(5)对快速听觉处理至关重要的系统发育缓慢，(6)在SES较低的儿童中可能不太成熟。我们将检验假设：(1)英语作为第二语言的接触时间相同，导致3-5年的语言及相关大脑系统比6-8年的更典型，(2)低SES ESL儿童的注意系统比高SES ESL儿童更不成熟，(3)SES ESL低的儿童英语语言技能较低，相关的大脑系统也不太成熟。在第三系列实验中，我们将通过比较3-5岁单语儿童在8周小组干预前后的大脑组织和行为来评估这些系统的相对适应性。小组干预的重点是训练语言或注意力技能。我们将检验这一假设，即增加语言和认知输入将导致语义、语法、语音和注意力技能以及相关神经系统的提高。相关性：由于拟议的研究将提供哪些认知和语言技能以及相关的大脑系统最受环境影响的证据，这些研究将为发展、评估和完善典型的发展中、高危和ESL儿童的教育和干预计划提供具有实际意义的信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project Summary: Our broad goals are to characterize the identity, developmental timecourse, and relative plasticity (modifiability/vulnerability) of neural systems and subsystems important in language processing and in attentional and sensory skills that are central to language. In children ages 3-17, we will acquire behavioral data, event-related brain potentials (ERPs), and, in the 6-17 year olds, structural and functional magnetic resonance images (fMRI) of the brain to characterize both the timing and the location of neural activity as participants perform tasks designed to manipulate specific aspects of sensory, attentional, and language processing. We will test the hypotheses that (1) systems important in semantic processing mature earlier than those important in grammatical and phonological processing, and that (2) longer developing systems are less mature in lower compared to higher SES children. In view of the central role of auditory attention and rapid auditory processing in language skills, we will also assess the hypotheses that (3) some aspects of the neural mechanisms underlying focused auditory attention are not mature until at least 10 years of age and (4) these systems are less mature in lower than higher SES children. We will also assess the hypotheses that (5) the systems important for rapid auditory processing develop slowly and (6) may be less mature in lower than higher SES children. We will test the hypotheses that (1) the same duration of exposure to English as a second language results in more typical language and related, brain systems at 3-5 years than at 6-8 years, (2) lower SES ESL children have less mature attentional systems than higher SES ESL children, and (3) lower SES ESL children have lower proficiency English language skills, and the related brain systems are less mature. In a third series of experiments we will assess the relative modifiability of these systems by comparing brain organization and behavior of monolingual children aged 3-5 years before and after 8 weeks of a small group intervention focusing on training language or attentional skills. We will test the hypothesis that increased language and cognitive input will lead to increases in semantic, grammatical, phonological, and attentional skills and related neural systems. Relevance: Since the proposed research will provide evidence about which cognitive and language skills and related brain systems are most altered by environmental input, these studies will contribute information of practical significance for the development, evaluation, and refinement of educational and intervention programs for typically developing, at-risk, and ESL children.