Thalamus is a common locus of reading, arithmetic, and IQ: Analysis of local intrinsic functional properties.

Thalamus is a common locus of reading, arithmetic, and IQ: Analysis of local intrinsic functional properties.
Brain Lang. 2020 Jul 29;209:104835
Authors: Koyama MS, Molfese PJ, Milham MP, Mencl WE, Pugh KR
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies of basic achievement skills - reading and arithmetic - often control for the effect of IQ to identify unique neural correlates of each skill. This may underestimate possible effects of common factors between achievement and IQ measures on neuroimaging results. Here, we simultaneously examined achievement (reading and arithmetic) and IQ measures in young adults, aiming to identify MRI correlates of their common factors. Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) data were analyzed using two metrics assessing local intrinsic functional properties; regional homogeneity (ReHo) and fractional amplitude low frequency fluctuation (fALFF), measuring local intrinsic functional connectivity and intrinsic functional activity, respectively. ReHo highlighted the thalamus/pulvinar (a subcortical region implied for selective attention) as a common locus for both achievement skills and IQ. More specifically, the higher the ReHo values, the lower the achievement and IQ scores. For fALFF, the left superior parietal lobule, part of the dorsal attention network, was positively associated with reading and IQ. Collectively, our results highlight attention-related regions, particularly the thalamus/pulvinar as a key region related to indi...

Source: Brain and Language - July 28, 2020 Category: Neurology Authors: Koyama MS, Molfese PJ, Milham MP, Mencl WE, Pugh KR Tags: Brain Lang Source Type: research