healthy participants while learning to read
Conditions
Interventions
Group 1: Prospective, non-interventional longitudinal observational study with 30 German-speaking children aged 5–6 years who are shortly before school entry. Participants will be assessed at three ti
Sponsors
Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
5 Years to 6 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: A total of 30 children aged 5 to 6 years will be recruited. Participants must be native German speakers who have not yet started formal schooling at the time of the first assessment (T1) but are expected to begin school within the following months.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Participants will be excluded if any of the following criteria are met: • First-degree releative with developmental dyslexia • neurological or psychiatric disorders • Preterm birth • specific language impairment • Contraindications for MRI scanning: -Presence of pacemakers or other stimulation devices, implants such as an artificial heart valve, metal prostheses, surgical clips, hearing aids, cochlear implants, or a drug pump/infusion device -Metal parts in or on the body (surgical screws or plates, metal fragments, etc.) -Fear of confined spaces (‘claustrophobia’)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The aim of the study is to investigate the functional and microstructural development of the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA-1 and VWFA-2) during early reading acquisition. To this end, the size of VWFA subregions (operationalized as the number of word-selective voxels), their functional specificity (decodability of words versus pseudowords as well as additional visual contrasts using multivariate pattern analyses), and their microstructural properties (T1w/T2w ratio) will be assessed at three time points (T1: before school entry, T2: after 5–7 months, T3: after 10–12 months of schooling). Data acquisition will be conducted using 3T magnetic resonance imaging (structural and functional sequences) within a child-friendly scanning protocol. Functional analyses will be based on fMRI data to identify word-selective activation patterns in ventral temporal regions, while microstructural development will be derived from T1w/T2w ratios. In addition, behavioural measures will be collected, including reading fluency (Salzburg Reading and Spelling Test, SLRT-II), phonological awareness (TEPHOBE-R), visual attention (Posner paradigm), mirror invariance performance (Same–Different task), letter knowledge, and visual motion discrimination. Handedness will be assessed using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. Furthermore, the study examines whether individual differences in functional and microstructural properties of VWFA subregions are associated with behavioural performance, particularly reading ability. The study endpoint is reached once all planned measurement time points have been completed for the intended sample (n = 30). | — |
Countries
Germany
Contacts
Public ContactMarisa Nordt
Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
Outcome results
None listed