Is Developmental Coordination Disorder a Dysconnection Syndrome?

AbstractPurpose of ReviewClassical view of disconnection refers to damage in white matter connections leading to behavioral deficits on sensorimotor and cognitive tasks in brain-injured patients. A more recent conception refers to dysconnection, that means abnormal connectivity between brain regions, as found in psychiatric, neurodegenerative, and neurodevelopmental disorders. The present paper aims to explore the hypothesis that Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) presents a set of neural, behavioral, and cognitive signs that suggest a dysconnection syndrome.Recent FindingsCurrent literature on DCD using behavioral and neuroimaging measures suggests several dysconnections (1) between hemispheres, (2) within hemispheres, (3) within the cortico-subcortical loops, and (4) in the cortico-spinal tract.SummaryBrain dysconnections could explain the diversity of behavioral and cognitive deficits in DCD such as deficits in motor control during inter-limb rhythmic coordination and unimanual movements, deficits in motor imagery, planning and execution, and learning difficulties. Future studies using behavioral and neuroimaging measures should endeavor to map the relationship between putative dysconnections and behavioral and cognitive deficits in DCD. It will also be necessary to identify DCD-specific dysconnections compared with other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Source: Current Developmental Disorders Reports - Category: Child Development Source Type: research