Resting-state functional connectivity and reading abilities in first and second languages

Abstract

An intriguing discovery in recent years is that resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) is associated with cognitive performance. The current study investigated whether RSFC within the reading network was correlated with Chinese adults’ reading abilities in their native language (L1, Chinese) and second language (L2, English). Results showed that RSFC within the reading network was positively correlated to reading abilities in L1 and L2, and RSFC between reading areas and the default network was negatively correlated to reading abilities in L1 and L2. Further conjunction and contrast analyses revealed that L1 and L2 shared similar RSFC correlates including connectivities between the areas for visual analysis (e.g., bilateral posterior fusiform gyrus, lateral occipital cortices, and right superior parietal lobules) and those for phonological processing (e.g., bilateral precentral gyri and postcentral gyrus, Wernicke’s area). These results indicate that RSFC is a potential neural marker for reading abilities in both L1 and L2, with important theoretical implications for reading in L1 and L2.

Similarities and differences in brain activation and functional connectivity in first and second language reading: Evidence from Chinese learners of English

“…Our finding that the connectivity between the right MOG and the left STG was associated with faster reaction time in the CE group is consistent with one previous study, which found that greater connectivity between the left superior temporal gyrus and the right inferior occipital gyrus in a resting-state was correlated with faster word reading speed, measured by the Sight Word Efficiency subtest in the Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE-SWE) (Torgeson, Wagner, & Rashotte, 1999) in a group of native Chinese speakers who learned English (Zhang et al, 2014). It appears that the connectivity between the visuo-orthographic representation region (i.e.…”

“…Additionally, the connection strength between the visual word form area and the angular gyrus is correlated with proficiency in Spanish (Boukrina, Hanson, & Hanson, 2014). Another study of late Chinese-English bilinguals found that the relationship between resting-state functional connectivity and reading ability does not differ in L1 and L2 (Zhang et al, 2014). This study found that, in both L1 and L2, highly efficient word reading is associated with greater connectivity between the left fusiform gyrus and bilateral motor areas (e.g.…”

Intrinsic Functional Connectivity in the Adult Brain and Success in Second-Language Learning

“…Reading abilities have been associated previously with variability in resting-state connectivity (Koyama et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2014). Zhang et al (2014) reported that higher connectivity between visual and phonological processing regions corresponded with faster singleword reading. Anatomically, the VWFA is connected preferentially to the left perisylvian STG and left IFG.…”

“…To assess reading skill improvement, we adapted a measure (words per minute) that has been used previously to relate brain measures to reading abilities Thiebaut de Schotten et al, 2014;Zhang et al, 2014). Dehaene et al (2010) showed that activations in the VWFA were correlated positively with words read per minute in word and sentence reading.…”

“…The VWFA is activated consistently during reading across different languages (Nakamura et al, 2012), and lesions near this region lead to slower reading speed (Gaillard et al, 2006). Functional connectivity between visual orthographic processing and other language regions has been associated with reading abilities, suggesting that the coordination of brain regions supporting visual and phonological processing is crucial for successful reading in both L1 and L2 (Zhang et al, 2014).…”