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DOI: 10.1177/08830738030180110701 © 2003 SAGE Publications Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Phonologic Processing in Neurofibromatosis 1Division of Pediatrics, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX bmoore{at}mdanderson.org
Department of Neuro-Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Division of Pediatrics, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Department of Developmental Pediatrics, University of Texas Houston Health Science Center, Houston, TX
Department of Neuro-Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Division of Pediatrics, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX Neurofibromatosis 1 is associated with reading disabilities, but few associations between neuroanatomic abnormalities and reading problems have been found. We examined the neuronal bases for phonologic processing, a core component of learning to read, in 15 individuals with neurofibromatosis 1 and 15 controls using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Our results revealed differential use of inferior and dorsolateral prefrontal cortical areas relative to posterior (temporal, parietal, and occipital) cortices for participants with neurofibromatosis 1 compared with controls during phonologic (rhyme) decisions. In addition, similar to previous brain imaging studies of reading deficits in the general population, poorer performance on one of the phonologic decision tasks was associated with increased signal change in the right superior temporal gyrus for the neurofibromatosis 1 group. Behavioral performance on the functional MRI tasks was related to academic reading measures for the neurofibromatosis 1 group. The differential patterns of functional connectivity observed here lend support to previous morphologic studies that suggested inferior frontal and superior temporal areas to be important mediators of reading and language development in neurofibromatosis 1. (J Child Neurol 2003;18:731740).
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