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Relationship between receptive vocabulary and the neural substrates for story processing in preschoolers

M. Claire Sroka, Jennifer Vannest, Thomas C. Maloney, Tzipi Horowitz-kraus, Anna W. Byars, Scott K. Holland

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A left-lateralized fronto-temporo-parietal language network has been well-characterized in adults; however, the neural basis of this fundamental network has hardly been explored in the preschool years, despite this being a time for rapid language development and vocabulary growth. We examined the functional imaging correlates associated with vocabulary ability and narrative comprehension in 30 preschool children ages 3 to 5. Bilateral auditory cortex and superior temporal activation as well as left angular and supramarginal gyrus activation were observed during a passive listening-to-stories task. Boys showed greater activation than girls in the right anterior cingulate and right superior frontal gyrus (SFG). Finally, children with higher vocabulary scores showed increased grey matter left-lateralization and greater activation in bilateral thalamus, hippocampus, and left angular gyrus. This study is novel in its approach to relate left-hemisphere language regions and vocabulary scores in preschool-aged children using fMRI.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)43-55
Number of pages13
JournalBrain Imaging and Behavior
Volume9
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 11 Mar 2015

Keywords

  • Functional MRI
  • Language development
  • Preschool language function
  • Vocabulary

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Clinical Neurology
  • Neurology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
  • Behavioral Neuroscience

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