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Characteristics of White Matter Tracts in Developmental Language Disorder

Yoonhye Na1, Minjae Cho1, Yunhee Kim2, Yu Mi Hwang1 and Sung-Bom Pyun1, 3*
  • 1 Korea University, Republic of Korea
  • 2 Sahmyook Medical Center, Republic of Korea
  • 3 Korea University Anam Hospital, Republic of Korea

Developmental language disorder is a condition where a child does not follow the normal development milestones as peers for learning and speaking language, and it occurs during the developmental stages in children. However, it is difficult to determine the core cause of the disorder due to variability of characteristics of patients. Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is a useful measure to investigate underlying neural mechanisms, especially the relation between brain structure (white matter) and functional outcome. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of relationship between several major white matter tracts and language scores in patients with developmental language disorder. The range of patients' age was from 2.78 to 7.76 years old, and the average was 4.48 years old. Three patients were girls (14%) out of 21 patients. The mean language development index showed 0.51±0.17 for receptive language function and 0.44±0.20 for expressive language function. The result showed marginally significant correlation between expressive language index and fiber number of arcuate AF from left hemisphere (r=.383, p=.08). Inferior longitudinal fasciculus showed marginally significant correlation between FA value of L ILF and receptive language developmental index(Rindex) (r=-.419, p=.052). Twelve patients showed greater fiber numbers in L ILF than in R ILF, and the results of comparison between left and right ILF showed a significant difference in fiber number[F(1,21)=4.744, p<.05]. FA values comparing the two sides' ILF did not show a significant difference[F(1,21)=.329, p=N.S]. The fiber number of AF was marginally correlated with expressive language developmental index in children with developmental disorder of speech and language. Therefore, fiber number of AF may be an important parameter in expressive language development of children. FA values of the L ILF and receptive language developmental index also showed a marginal correlation. A loss of the typical left-right asymmetry was also observed in fiber number of both ILF. The results suggest a possible influence of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus on language development in childhood. It is also possible that the compensatory asymmetry between left and right brain may be an important basis for the disorder.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) grant funded by the Korean government(MSIT)(No. 2019R1A2C2003020).

References

Ashtari, M. (2012). Anatomy and functional role of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus: a search that has just begun. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 54(1), 6-7. Barnea-Goraly, N., Menon, V., Eckert, M., Tamm, L., Bammer, R., Karchemskiy, A., ... & Reiss, A. L. (2005). White matter development during childhood and adolescence: a cross-sectional diffusion tensor imaging study. Cerebral cortex, 15(12), 1848-1854. Catani, M., & Mesulam, M. (2008). The arcuate fasciculus and the disconnection theme in language and aphasia: history and current state. cortex, 44(8), 953-961. Ortibus, E. L. S., Verhoeven, J., Sunaert, S., Casteels, I., De Cock, P., & Lagae, L. (2012). Integrity of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus and impaired object recognition in children: a diffusion tensor imaging study. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 54(1), 38-43.

Keywords: DTI, Developmental Language Disirder, white matter tract, Arcuate Fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus

Conference: Academy of Aphasia 57th Annual Meeting, Macau, Macao, SAR China, 27 Oct - 29 Oct, 2019.

Presentation Type: Poster presentation

Topic: Not eligible for student award

Citation: Na Y, Cho M, Kim Y, Hwang Y and Pyun S (2019). Characteristics of White Matter Tracts in Developmental Language Disorder. Front. Hum. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: Academy of Aphasia 57th Annual Meeting. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2019.01.00097

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Received: 06 May 2019; Published Online: 09 Oct 2019.

* Correspondence: Prof. Sung-Bom Pyun, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea, rmpyun@korea.ac.kr