Sluggish engagement and disengagement of non-spatial attention in dyslexic children

from Cortex

Although the dominant view posits that developmental dyslexia arises from a deficit in phonological processing and memory, efficient phonological decoding requires precise visual selection of graphemes. Therefore, visual engagement and disengagement of non-spatial attention were studied in 13 dyslexic children and 13 chronological age and intelligence quotient (IQ) matched normally reading children by measuring “attentional masking” (AM) and “attentional blink” (AB) effects. AM refers to an impaired identification of the first (T1) of two rapidly sequential targets (i.e., attentional engagement). In contrast, AB refers to an impaired identification of the second target in the sequence (T2; i.e., attentional disengagement). The results revealed a specific temporal deficit of AM as well as of AB in dyslexic children. Our results showed that the abnormality in AM and AB is rather widespread, since 77% and 54% of dyslexic children deviated at least 1 standard deviation (SD) from the mean of the controls, respectively, for the two deficits. We further showed that individual differences in non-spatial attention were specifically related to nonword reading ability. These results suggest that non-spatial attention deficits (possibly related to a parietal cortex dysfunction) may selectively impair the reading development via sub-lexical mechanisms.

The impact of dementia, age and sex on category fluency: Greater deficits in women with Alzheimer’s disease

from Cortex

A category specific effect in naming tasks has been reported in patients with Alzheimer’s dementia. Nonetheless, naming tasks are frequently affected by methodological problems, e.g., ceiling effects for controls and “nuisance variables” that may confound results. Semantic fluency tasks could help to address some of these methodological difficulties, because they are not prone to producing ceiling effects and are less influenced by nuisance variables. One hundred and thirty-three participants (61 patients with probable AD; and 72 controls: 36 young and 36 elderly) were evaluated with semantic fluency tasks in 14 semantic categories. Category fluency was affected both by dementia and by age: while in nonliving-thing categories there were differences among the three groups, in living thing categories larger lexical categories produced bigger differences among groups. Sex differences in fluency emerged, but these were moderated both by age and by pathology. In particular, fluency was smaller in female than male Alzheimer patients for almost every subcategory.

An error-detection mechanism in reading among dyslexic and regular readers – An ERP study

from Clinical Neurophysiology

Objective
As a continuation of a previous study which demonstrated the existence of the error-monitoring mechanism among regular readers, the current study attempts to characterize the error detection negativity (ERN/Ne) and the correct-related negativity (CRN) among dyslexics. More specifically, given the lexical and semantic processes involved in reading, the study attempts to reveal the reasons for differences between regular and dyslexic readers with respect to the ERN/Ne and N400 amplitudes and latencies.

Methods
A visual lexical decision paradigm and event-related potential (ERP) analysis were used.

Results
Dyslexics exhibited lower ERN/Ne amplitudes and later latencies in error responses as compared to correct responses. A smaller difference between the ERN/Ne and CRN amplitudes among dyslexics was observed. In addition, a later N400 component was elicited for error responses in both groups of readers.

Conclusion
A different error-detection activity level among dyslexic readers was found in reading.

Significance
These results emphasize the differences in brain activity among regular and dyslexic readers. Our results point at a possible model of brain processing of incorrect reading among dyslexics. This model can be used to explain the reasons for repeated reading errors among adult compensated dyslexics despite extensive exposure to print over the years.

Intensive dynamic temporal and tactile cueing appears effective for treating some children with severe childhood apraxia of speech

from Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention

No abstract available.

Stimmbezogene Lebensqualität: Struktur, Gültigkeit und Bedingungsfaktoren des deutschen Fragebogens

from Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica

In this study, structure and validity of the German version of the Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL) questionnaire and its correlation to age, gender, and type of dysphonia (organic vs. functional) were assessed. Correlations of the V-RQOL result on the one hand and emotional and physical complaints on the other hand were investigated. Data were collected in 62 adult patients with dysphonia of benign origin and the following results were found: the German version of the V-RQOL questionnaire describes voice-related quality of life in one single value. Age, gender and type of dysphonia do not influence its result. Dysphonic patients present with an increased number of emotional and physical complaints when compared with normative values derived from the literature. However, not all of these complaints correlate with voice-related quality of life at a significant level.

Putative sex differences in verbal abilities and language cortex: A critical review

from Brain and Language

This review brings together evidence from a diverse field of methods for investigating sex differences in language processing. Differences are found in certain language-related deficits, such as stuttering, dyslexia, autism and schizophrenia. Common to these is that language problems may follow from, rather than cause the deficit. Large studies have been conducted on sex differences in verbal abilities within the normal population, and a careful reading of the results suggests that differences in language proficiency do not exist. Early differences in language acquisition show a slight advantage for girls, but this gradually disappears. A difference in language lateralization of brain structure and function in adults has also been suggested, perhaps following size differences in the corpus callosum. Neither of these claims is substantiated by evidence. In addition, overall results from studies on regional grey matter distribution using voxel-based morphometry, indicate no consistent differences between males and females in language-related cortical regions. Language function in Wada tests, aphasia, and in normal ageing also fails to show sex differentiation.

An evaluation of the preservation of residual hearing with the Nucleus® Contour Advance™ electrode

from Acta Oto-Laryngologica

Abstract
Conclusion. Our study results confirm that it is possible to preserve preoperative hearing levels in the majority of subjects when using the Nucleus 24 Contour Advance provided that there is adherence to the major principles of ’soft surgery’. Our study group demonstrated that 71-86% of subjects showed preservation of preoperative hearing thresholds at 6 months to varying degree. Objectives. The aim of the study was to assess the degree of residual hearing preserved postoperatively in a group of standard cochlear implant (CI) candidates following implantation via soft surgery with a Nucleus® 24 Contour Advance™ CI. Surgical technique variations from the soft surgery guidelines provided were assessed and their potential impact upon the conservation of residual hearing was examined. Subjects and methods. A prospective multicentre study involving a within-subject repeated measures design with each subject acting as their own control was performed. Pure-tone audiometric thresholds were assessed and compared in both implanted and contralateral ears for each subject preoperatively as baseline measures and at 6 months postoperatively. Surgeons were asked to complete a questionnaire to capture various aspects of the surgical technique used for each subject. Variations in the surgical technique performed were examined for potential correlation with conservation of residual hearing. Twenty-eight adult subjects, with a severe to profound hearing impairment, were enrolled in the study across eight implant clinics in four countries. Results. In all, 36% of subjects demonstrated preservation of thresholds to within 10 dB of preoperative thresholds across the frequency range (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 KHz) and for the low frequency range (0.25-1.0 KHz). Approximately two-thirds of subjects demonstrated preservation of preoperative thresholds to within 20 dB. Preservation of low frequency thresholds post-implant was shown to correlate moderately with cochleostomy site, being more likely for subjects with a site anterior-inferior to the round window but also possible with inferior locations; weakly with cochleostomy size, being more likely when smaller than 1.2 mm; and also with the use of Healon® as a sealant and lubricant. Preservation of hearing thresholds across up to 4000 Hz was shown to correlate weakly with the use of suction following opening of the endostium and with bone dust contamination, both having a negative effect upon preservation, while no correlation was observed with the preservation of thresholds for low frequencies alone.

Irradiated macula flava in the human vocal fold mucosa

from the American Journal of Otolaryngology

Purpose
There have been no investigations regarding radiation-induced damage on human maculae flavae (MFs) in the vocal fold mucosa (VFM) and on stellate cells (SC) in the MF. The VFM, especially MF, after irradiation was investigated histologically.

Materials and methods
The lamina propria of the irradiated VFM was investigated in 5 human adult vocal folds by light and electron microscopy.

Results
Fibroblasts in the irradiated Reinke’s space (RS) showed no morphological changes. Irradiated RS was composed of fibrous tissue with increased collagenous fibers. Most of the SC in the irradiated MF had dark cytoplasm. The nucleus-cytoplasm ratio was relatively small, but there were few intracellular organelles in the cytoplasm. Some SC showed degeneration. Fewer vesicles were present at the periphery of the cytoplasm. The MF was rather deficient in fibrous components. Elastic and collagenous fibers immediately surrounding SC in the irradiated MF were lower in number than usual, but elastic fibers and collagenous fibers composed of irregular collagen fibrils could be detected at a distance from SC. It was suggested that precursors of collagenous and elastic fibers synthesized by SC were damaged by irradiation. Radiation sensitivity of SC was higher than that of conventional fibroblasts in RS, and SC appeared to decrease their level of activity.

Conclusions
Radiation sensitivity of SC was different from that of conventional fibroblasts. Radiation induced not only changes in the lamina propria of the VFM but also dysfunction of the SC in the MF, and is one of the causes of voice disorders after irradiation.

Klippel-Feil syndrome and associated ear anomalies

from the American Journal of Otolaryngology

Background and purpose
Klippel-Feil syndrome (KFS) is a congenital segmentation anomaly of the cervical vertebrae that manifests as short neck, low hair line, and limited neck mobility. Various systemic malformations may also accompany the syndrome including wide variety of otopathologies affecting all 3 compartments of the ear (external, middle, and inner ear) as well as internal acoustic canal and vestibular aqueduct. We aimed to investigate these involvements and their clinical correlates in a group of patients with KFS.

Materials, methods, and results
We present 20 KFS cases, of which 12 (% 60) displayed most of the reported ear abnormalities such as microtia, external ear canal stenosis, chronic ear inflammations and their sequels, anomalies of the tympanic cavity and ossicles, inner ear dysplasies, deformed internal acoustic canal, and wide vestibular aqueduct, which are demonstrated using the methods of otoscopy, audiologic testing, and temporal bone computed tomography.

Conclusions
This series represents one of the highest reported rate of ear involvement in KFS. We found no correlation between the identified ear pathologies and the skeletal and extraskeletal malformations. The genetic nature of the syndrome was supported by the existence of affected family members in 4 (20%) of the cases.

Migraine and audiovestibular dysfunction: is there a correlation?

from the American Journal of Otolaryngology

Purpose
To study the audiovestibular functions in cases of migraine with or without vertigo.

Materials and methods
This was a prospective study involving 50 cases of migraine who were divided into 2 groups: patients with vertigo and those without. All patients underwent a detailed otological and neurootological examination followed by full audiological and vestibular investigation including pure tone audiometry, speech reception threshold, speech discrimination score, tone decay, short increment sensitivity index, auditory brainstem-evoked responses, and electronystagmography (ENG).

Results
Thirty-eight (76%) of 50 patients had vertigo on presentation, of which rotatory nonpositional vertigo (22/38) was the most common. Phonophobia was the most common auditory symptom (35/50, 70%) followed by tinnitus (25/50, 50%). Only 17 patients (34%) reported hearing loss, of whom only 7 had documented hearing loss on pure tone audiometry. However, the auditory brainstem-evoked responses of all these patients showed some abnormalities in the form of prolonged absolute latency or prolonged interwave peak latencies or both. Electronystagmography revealed canal paresis in 13 patients (26%), although there was no statistical difference between patients with or without vertigo on various electronystagmographic parameters.

Conclusion
Auditory brainstem-evoked response abnormalities may be the earliest indicator of impending auditory involvement in migraine.

Intraoperative subcortical stimulation mapping of language pathways in a consecutive series of 115 patients with Grade II glioma in the left dominant hemisphere

from the Journal of Neurosurgery

Object
Despite better knowledge of cortical language organization, its subcortical anatomofunctional connectivity remains poorly understood. The authors used intraoperative subcortical stimulation in awake patients undergoing operation for a glioma in the left dominant hemisphere to map the language pathways and to determine the contribution of such a method to surgical results.

Methods
One hundred fifteen patients harboring a World Health Organization Grade II glioma within language areas underwent operation after induction of local anesthesia, using direct electrical stimulation to perform online cortical and subcortical language mapping throughout the resection.

Results
After detection of cortical language sites, the authors identified 1 or several of the following subcortical language pathways in all patients: 1) arcuate fasciculus, eliciting phonemic paraphasia when stimulated; 2) inferior frontooccipital fasciculus, generating semantic paraphasia when stimulated; 3) subcallosal fasciculus, inducing transcortical motor aphasia during stimulation; 4) frontoparietal phonological loop, eliciting speech apraxia during stimulation; and 5) fibers coming from the ventral premotor cortex, inducing anarthria when stimulated. These structures were preserved, representing the limits of the resection. Despite a transient immediate postoperative worsening, all but 2 patients (98%) returned to baseline or better. On control MR imaging, 83% of resections were total or subtotal.

Conclusions
These results represent the largest experience with human subcortical language mapping ever reported. The use of intraoperative cortical and subcortical stimulation gives a unique opportunity to perform an accurate and reliable real-time anatomofunctional study of language connectivity. Such knowledge of the individual organization of language networks enables practitioners to optimize the benefit-to-risk ratio of surgery for Grade II glioma within the left dominant hemisphere.

Neuroimaging links chronic insomnia to reversible cognitive deficits without changes in behavior

from News-Medical.net

A neuroimaging study in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Sleep is the first to find that cognitive processes related to verbal fluency are compromised in people with insomnia despite the absence of a behavioral deficit. These specific brain function alterations can be reversed, however, through non-pharmacological treatment with sleep therapy.

Cortical plasticity in the first year after cochlear implantation

from Cochlear Implants Internations

This study aimed to investigate changes in auditory and visual cortical activity over the first year following cochlear implantation using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. Subjects underwent scanning prior to the initial implant activation (control), after one to two months of implant use (early activation) and after one year of implant use (late activation). All subjects had activation of the auditory cortices. Group analysis using Statistical Parametric Mapping package SPM99 showed these became more focused over the first year of implant use. There was no evidence of left hemispheric dominance at any stage post implantation.
Visual cortical activations were highly variable between patients and did not increase significantly between early and late activations. Taken together, our results lead us to suggest that the neural processes that occur during the first year of auditory rehabilitation following cochlear implantation vary between individuals to a greater extent than previously reported. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Early Language Outcomes of Early-Identified Infants With Permanent Hearing Loss at 12 to 16 Months of Age

from Pediatrics

OBJECTIVES. The objectives of this study were to determine the early language outcomes of children with mild to profound hearing loss, compared with hearing control children, at 12 to 16 months of age and to examine the effects of “very early” enrollment (3 months) in early intervention.

METHODS. This was a prospective longitudinal study of the outcomes of a cohort of 30 infants identified in the Rhode Island universal newborn hearing screening program and 96 hearing control subjects. Eligible families with children with all degrees of congenital hearing loss were invited to enroll. Child language skills were assessed by using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory, Words and Gestures, at 12 to 16 months.

RESULTS. Children with moderate/profound hearing loss had significantly lower numbers of phrases understood, words understood, and early, later, and total gestures, compared with children with mild/minimal hearing loss and hearing control subjects. Furthermore, children with hearing loss who were enrolled in early intervention at 3 months had significantly higher percentile scores for number of words understood, words produced, and early, later, and total gestures, compared with those enrolled at >3 months. Regression analyses to test the independent effects on language skills of children with hearing loss identified enrollment in early intervention at 3 months as an independent predictor of percentile scores for word and early gesture production.

CONCLUSIONS. Very early enrollment (3 months) in early intervention has beneficial effects on early language for children with hearing loss. Nevertheless, 12- to 16-month-old children with moderate/profound hearing loss exhibit delayed receptive and expressive language skills in oral and signed English modes, compared with peers with either mild/minimal hearing loss or typical hearing sensitivity.

Infant Growth and Child Cognition at 3 Years of Age

from Pediatrics

BACKGROUND. Infancy is a critical period for brain development. Few studies have examined the extent to which infant weight gain is associated with later neurodevelopmental outcomes in healthy populations.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this work was to examine associations of infant weight gain from birth to 6 months with child cognitive and visual-motor skills at 3 years of age.

PATIENTS AND METHODS. We studied 872 participants in Project Viva, an ongoing prospective, longitudinal, prebirth cohort. We abstracted birth weight from the medical chart and weighed infants at 6 months of age. We used the 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts to derive weight-for-age z scores. Our primary predictor was infant weight gain, defined as the weight-for-age z score at 6 months adjusted for the weight-for-age z score at birth. At 3 years of age, we measured child cognition with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III and visual-motor skills with the Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities.

RESULTS. Mean Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III score was 104.2, and mean Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities test score was 102.8. Mean birth weight z score was 0.21, and mean 6-month weight z score was 0.39. In multiple linear regression adjusted for child age, gender, gestational age, breastfeeding duration, primary language, and race/ethnicity; maternal age, parity, smoking status, and cognition; and parental education and income level, we found no association of infant weight gain with child Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III score (–0.4 points per z score weight gain increment, 95% confidence interval –1.3, 0.6) or total Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities standard score (–0.4 points, 95% confidence interval –1.2, 0.5).

CONCLUSIONS. Slower infant weight gain was not associated with poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes in healthy, term-born 3-year-old children. These results should aid in determining optimal growth patterns in infants to balance risks and benefits of health outcomes through the life course.