Frost, S. 1 , Landi, N. 1, 2 , Preston, J. 1 , Mencl, W. E. 1 , Fulbright, R. 2 & Pugh, K. R. 1, 2
1 Haskins Laboratories
2 Yale University
Many studies have examined the specific neurobiological signatures of the major predictors of reading dis(ability), including phonological awareness (PA), print decoding, and rapid auditory processing. Rather than focus on their unique signatures, we explored the core common brain regions associated with these reading predictors in a large cohort of emergent readers ranging on a continuum from RD to superior readers. To accomplish this, we correlated behavioral indices of each skill with functional activation for speech and print and then performed a conjunction analysis to examine the intersection of the neurobiological correlates. The conjunction analysis revealed that individual differences in PA, print decoding, and rapid auditory processing were each positively correlated with print-related activation at canonical reading-related LH neo-cortical areas (including LH superior temporal and LH angular gyri) as well as with sub-cortical loci (specifically, posterior aspects of thalamus centered in and around pulvinar). We suggest that the correlation of each of these measures with common brain regions highlights both the importance of these regions for reading the need to more fully consider the role of sub-cortical sites and their interactions with neo-cortex in reading development.