Developmental trajectories of reading and neural substrates: a lifespan perspective on Chinese reading.

Cortical thinning in bilateral middle frontal gyrus and inferior and superior parietal areas correlated with better reading fluency in children and young adults.

• Study included 145 healthy participants aged 7-77 years who were native Chinese speakers
• Structural MRI data were collected alongside word- and sentence-level reading assessments
• The negative associations between cortical thickness and reading performance were interpreted as reflecting neural pruning processes
• Regions implicated included bilateral middle frontal gyrus and inferior and superior parietal areas

Positive associations between cortical thickness and reading fluency emerged in older adults, indicating a shift from neural pruning to compensatory mechanisms.

• The direction of brain-reading relationships reversed in older adults compared to children and young adults
• This pattern was observed in bilateral middle frontal gyrus and inferior and superior parietal areas
• The shift was interpreted as consistent with age-dependent neural plasticity interacting with reading experience
• Results suggest dynamic reorganization of reading-related neural architecture across the lifespan

Morphometric similarity network analyses revealed that reading fluency was associated with increased network integration in left superior frontal, rostral middle frontal gyrus, and precuneus.

• Morphometric similarity networks capture coordinated variations across multiple cortical features between brain regions
• Increased network integration in these regions was associated with better reading fluency
• Greater specialization was found in the left caudal middle frontal gyrus in association with reading fluency
• These findings went beyond single morphometric features to capture multi-feature structural covariation

The study used morphometric similarity network analyses to capture coordinated variations across multiple cortical features between brain regions in relation to reading.

• Morphometric similarity networks were used as a method beyond single morphometric features
• The approach examined coordinated variations across multiple cortical features between brain regions
• This method identified network-level properties including integration and specialization in reading-related regions
• The analyses complemented cortical thickness analyses to provide a more comprehensive picture of structural brain organization

The study investigated brain-reading associations across a broad lifespan sample of native Chinese speakers using a logographic writing system.

• Sample consisted of 145 healthy participants spanning ages 7 to 77 years
• All participants were native Chinese speakers reading a logographic writing system
• Both word-level and sentence-level reading assessments were administered
• Structural MRI data were used to examine cortical morphometry