Author name cluster

Rola Farah

Possible papers associated with this exact author name in Arrow. This page groups case-insensitive exact name matches and is not a full identity disambiguation profile.

3 papers

1 author row

YNICL Journal 2020 Journal Article

Greater functional connectivity within the cingulo-opercular and ventral attention networks is related to better fluent reading: A resting-state functional connectivity study

Lidan Freedman
Michal Zivan
Rola Farah
Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus

Executive functions are higher-order cognitive abilities that affect many of our daily actions, including reading. A two-system model for cognitive control comprises a bottom-up system composed of the dorsal and ventral attention networks and a more evolved top-down system involving the frontoparietal and cingulo-opercular networks. We examined both within- and between-network functional connectivity of these four networks in 26 8-12-year-old children with readong difficulties and 30 age-matched typical readers using resting-state functional MRI. Fluency and nonfluency behavioral reading measures were collected, and the scores were analyzed together with the functional data. Children with reading difficulties did not differ in functional connectivity for the four networks compared to typical readers. Grouping the entire cohort into low vs. high fluency-level reading groups, however, revealed significantly higher functional connectivity values within the cingulo-opercular and ventral attention cognitive-control networks for the high fluency group. Higher functional connectivity Trends between the cognitive-control networks were also observed in the high fluency group compared to the low fluency group. A similar analysis using a nonfluency word-reading task grouping did not uncover differences between the two groups. The results emphasize the complexity of the fluency task, as a test that relies on cognitive-control abilities, at both the bottom-up and top-down levels. Therefore, it may be posited that the fluency task may also be a challenge for typical readers despite their intact performance. The results reinforce the relationship between fluent reading and functional connectivity of the cognitive-control networks, emphasizing the various cognitive-control abilities that underlie this complex reading ability.

Details DOI

YNICL Journal 2018 Journal Article

Decreased functional connectivity of the salience network during narrative comprehension in children with reading difficulties: An fMRI study

Emma Twait
Rola Farah
Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus

Dyslexia is a neurobiological learning disability, reflected through deficits in written (i.e. reading) but not in spoken language. Since written and spoken language rely on cognitive control abilities, we aimed to compare functional connectivity of the understudied salience network which is related to cognitive control in children with dyslexia vs. typical readers during a functional MRI narrative comprehension task. Although children with dyslexia showed similar comprehension levels as typical readers, neuroimaging data revealed children with dyslexia showed significantly decreased functional connectivity values of an independent component (IC) related to the salience network. The functional connectivity values in the salience network IC were negatively correlated with behavioral data of working memory in those with dyslexia. These findings further express that dyslexia is manifested through atypical involvement of neural circuits related to EF, specifically the salience network even when attending narratives. Since the salience network is related to switching abilities and error detection, future research should focus on strengthening these abilities early in life for better future reading outcomes.

Details DOI

YNICL Journal 2013 Journal Article

Left ear advantage in speech-related dichotic listening is not specific to auditory processing disorder in children: A machine-learning fMRI and DTI study

Vincent J. Schmithorst
Rola Farah
Robert W. Keith

Dichotic listening (DL) tests are among the most frequently included in batteries for the diagnosis of auditory processing disorders (APD) in children. A finding of atypical left ear advantage (LEA) for speech-related stimuli is often taken by clinical audiologists as an indicator for APD. However, the precise etiology of ear advantage in DL tests has been a source of debate for decades. It is uncertain whether a finding of LEA is truly indicative of a sensory processing deficit such as APD, or whether attentional or other supramodal factors may also influence ear advantage. Multivariate machine learning was used on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional MRI (fMRI) data from a cohort of children ages 7-14 referred for APD testing with LEA, and typical controls with right-ear advantage (REA). LEA was predicted by: increased axial diffusivity in the left internal capsule (sublenticular region), and decreased functional activation in the left frontal eye fields (BA 8) during words presented diotically as compared to words presented dichotically, compared to children with right-ear advantage (REA). These results indicate that both sensory and attentional deficits may be predictive of LEA, and thus a finding of LEA, while possibly due to sensory factors, is not a specific indicator of APD as it may stem from a supramodal etiology.

Details DOI