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Functional near-infrared spectroscopy measures of neural activity in children with and without developmental language disorder during a working memory task.
Hancock, Allison S; Warren, Christopher M; Barrett, Tyson S; Bolton, David A E; Gillam, Ronald B.
Affiliation
  • Hancock AS; Department of Psychology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA.
  • Warren CM; Department of Psychology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA.
  • Barrett TS; Department of Psychology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA.
  • Bolton DAE; Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA.
  • Gillam RB; Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA.
Brain Behav ; 13(2): e2895, 2023 02.
Article in En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36706040
ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION:

Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) exhibit cognitive deficits that interfere with their ability to learn language. Little is known about the functional neuroanatomical differences between children developing typically (TD) and children with DLD.

METHODS:

Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, we recorded oxygenated hemoglobin (O2 hb) concentration values associated with neural activity in children with and without DLD during an auditory N-back task that included 0-back, 1-back, and 2-back conditions. Analyses focused on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and left inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Multilevel models were constructed with accuracy, response time, and O2 hb as outcome measures, with 0-back outcomes as fixed effects to control for sustained attention.

RESULTS:

Children with DLD were significantly less accurate than their TD peers at both the 1-back and 2-back tasks, and they demonstrated slower response times during 2-back. In addition, children in the TD group demonstrated significantly greater sensitivity to increased task difficulty, showing increased O2 hb to the IPL during 1-back and to the DLPFC during the 2-back, whereas the DLD group did not. A secondary analysis revealed that higher O2 hb in the DLPFC predicted better task accuracy across groups.

CONCLUSION:

When task difficulty increased, children with DLD failed to recruit the DLPFC for monitoring information and the IPL for processing information. Reduced memory capacity and reduced engagement likely contribute to the language learning difficulties of children with DLD.
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Full text: 1 Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Language Development Disorders / Memory, Short-Term Type of study: Prognostic_studies Limits: Child / Humans Language: En Journal: Brain Behav Year: 2023 Type: Article Affiliation country: United States

Full text: 1 Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Language Development Disorders / Memory, Short-Term Type of study: Prognostic_studies Limits: Child / Humans Language: En Journal: Brain Behav Year: 2023 Type: Article Affiliation country: United States