Word learning reveals white matter plasticity in preschool children.

ABSTRACT: Word learning plays a central role in language development and is a key predictor for later academic success. The underlying neural basis of successful word learning in children is still unknown. Here, we took advantage of the opportunity afforded by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging to investigate neural plasticity in the white matter of typically developing preschool children as they learn words. We demonstrate that after 3 weeks of word learning, children showed significantly larger increases of fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left precentral white matter compared to two control groups. Average training accuracy was correlated with FA change in the white matter underlying the left dorsal postcentral gyrus, with children who learned more slowly showing larger FA increases i

SUBMITTER: Ekerdt CEM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7046568 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature