White matter properties associated with pre-reading skills in 6-year-old children born preterm and at term.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

To assess associations between white matter properties and pre-reading skills (phonological awareness and receptive and expressive language) in children born preterm and at term at the onset of reading acquisition.

Method

Six-year-old children born preterm (n=36; gestational age 22-32wks) and at term (n=43) underwent diffusion magnetic resonance imaging and behavioural assessments. Tracts were selected a priori based on findings from a study of 6-year-old children born at term: the left-hemisphere arcuate fasciculus and superior longitudinal fasciculus, and right-hemisphere uncinate fasciculus. Using linear regression, we assessed associations between fractional anisotropy of tracts and phonological awareness and receptive and expressive language scores. We investigated

SUBMITTER: Dodson CK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5993607 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature