title: Impact of reading habit on white matter structure: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses.
abstract: Psychological studies showed the quantity of reading habit affects the development of their reading skills, various language skills, and knowledge. However, despite a vast amount of literature, the effects of reading habit on the development of white matter (WM) structures critical to language and reading processes have never been investigated. In this study, we used the fractional anisotropy (FA) measure of diffusion tensor imaging to measure WM microstructural properties and examined cross-sectional and longitudinal correlations between reading habit and FA of the WM bundles in a large sample of normal children. In both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, we found that greater strength of reading habit positively affected FA in the left arcuate fasciculus (AF), in the left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), and in the left posterior corona radiata (PCR). Consistent with previous studies, we also confirmed the significance or a tendency for positive correlation between the strength of reading habit and the Verbal Comprehension score in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. These cross-sectional and longitudinal findings indicate that a healthy reading habit may be directly or indirectly associated with the advanced development of WM critical to reading and language processes. Future intervention studies are needed to determine the causal effects of reading habits on WM in normal children.
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. Electronic address: takehi@idac.tohoku.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hikaru
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Division of Medical Neuroimaging Analysis, Department of Community Medical Supports, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Department of Nuclear Medicine & Radiology, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Taki
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hashizume
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sassa
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yokota
authors.affiliation: Smart Ageing International Research Centre, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kotozaki
authors.affiliation: Human and Social Response Research Division, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nouchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Neuroimaging Analysis, Department of Community Medical Supports, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Graduate School Of Education, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kawashima
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D011932:Reading; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D066127:White Matter / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Children; Corona radiate; Daily habit; Diffusion tensor imaging; Reading; Structure; White matter; verbal