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Cognitive tutoring induces widespread neuroplasticity and remediates brain function in children with mathematical learning disabilities.

ABSTRACT: Competency with numbers is essential in today's society; yet, up to 20% of children exhibit moderate to severe mathematical learning disabilities (MLD). Behavioural intervention can be effective, but the neurobiological mechanisms underlying successful intervention are unknown. Here we demonstrate that eight weeks of 1:1 cognitive tutoring not only remediates poor performance in children with MLD, but also induces widespread changes in brain activity. Neuroplasticity manifests as normalization of aberrant functional responses in a distributed network of parietal, prefrontal and ventral temporal-occipital areas that support successful numerical problem solving, and is correlated with performance gains. Remarkably, machine learning algorithms show that brain activity patterns in children with MLD are significantly discriminable from neurotypical peers before, but not after, tutoring, suggesting that behavioural gains are not due to compensatory mechanisms. Our study identifies functional brain mechanisms underlying effective intervention in children with MLD and provides novel metrics for assessing response to intervention.

SUBMITTER: Iuculano T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4598717 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Cognitive tutoring induces widespread neuroplasticity and remediates brain function in children with mathematical learning disabilities.

Iuculano Teresa T Rosenberg-Lee Miriam M Richardson Jennifer J Tenison Caitlin C Fuchs Lynn L Supekar Kaustubh K Menon Vinod V

Nature communications 20150930

Competency with numbers is essential in today's society; yet, up to 20% of children exhibit moderate to severe mathematical learning disabilities (MLD). Behavioural intervention can be effective, but the neurobiological mechanisms underlying successful intervention are unknown. Here we demonstrate that eight weeks of 1:1 cognitive tutoring not only remediates poor performance in children with MLD, but also induces widespread changes in brain activity. Neuroplasticity manifests as normalization o ...[more]

PMID: 26419418

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Project description:BackgroundChildren with learning disabilities (CLD) have worse health outcomes than children with no learning disabilities (CNLD). This systematic review compared caries experience and met dental care need for CLD to CNLD using Decayed, Missing, Filled Permanent Teeth (DMFT) and decayed, missing/extracted, filled primary teeth (dmft/deft), care index (CI), and restorative index (RI) values.MethodsWithout date or language restrictions four databases were searched for; cross-sectional studies comparing caries experience and CI/ RI in CLD matched to groups of CNLD. Screening and data extraction were carried out independently and in duplicate. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Meta-analyses were carried out (random effects model).ResultsThere were 25 articles with 3976 children (1 to 18?years old), from 18 countries, fitting the inclusion criteria. Children with; Down syndrome were investigated in 11 studies, autism in 8 and mixed learning disabilities in 6. The overall mean DMFT for CLD was 2.31 (standard deviation±1.97; range 0.22 to 7.2) and for CNLD was 2.51 (±2.14; 0.37 to 4.76). Using standardised mean difference (SMD), meta-analysis showed no evidence of a difference between CLD and CNLD (n =?16 studies) for caries experience (SMD?=?-0.43; 95%CI?=?-0.91 to 0.05). This was similar for sub-groups of children with autism (SMD?=?-0.28; 95%CI?=?1.31 to 0.75) and mixed disabilities (SMD?=?0.26; 95%CI?=?-0.94 to 1.47). However, for children with Down syndrome, caries experience was lower for CLD than CNLD (SMD?=?-0.73; 95%CI?=?-1.28 to -?0.18). For primary teeth, mean dmft/deft was 2.24 for CLD and 2.48 for CNLD (n =?8 studies). Meta-analyses showed no evidence of a difference between CLD and CNLD for caries experience across all disability groups (SMD?=?0.41; 95% CI?=?-0.14 to 0.96), or in sub-groups: Down syndrome (SMD?=?0.55; 95%CI-?=?-?0.40 to 1.52), autism (SMD?=?0.43; 95%CI?=?-0.53 to 2.39) and mixed disabilities (SMD?=?-0.10; 95%CI?=?-0.34 to 0.14). The studies' risk of bias were medium to high.ConclusionThere was no evidence of a difference in caries levels in primary or permanent dentitions for CLD and CNLD. This was similar for learning disability sub-groups, except for Down syndrome where dental caries levels in permanent teeth was lower. Data on met need for dental caries was inconclusive.Trial registrationThe protocol was published in PROSPERO: CRD42017068964 (June 8th, 2017).

Dataset Information

Cognitive tutoring induces widespread neuroplasticity and remediates brain function in children with mathematical learning disabilities.

Publications

Cognitive tutoring induces widespread neuroplasticity and remediates brain function in children with mathematical learning disabilities.

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