Investigating Reading Processes Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging

• Author / Creator

  Dai, Wenjun

• Recent evidence from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies reported that the structural integrity [fractional anisotropy (FA)] of white matter (WM) tracts in the ventral and dorsal regions of the brain is correlated with reading ability. It has thus been hypothesized that WM pathways in these regions may support reading tasks that rely on corresponding cortical regions. This project investigated the relationship between behavioural measurements of reading and FA of WM tracts obtained using tractography, region of interest (ROI) analysis, and a hybrid tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) – voxelwise approach. Reaction times (RTs) for overt reading of exception words (ventral), regular words (ventral and dorsal), pseudohomophones (dorsal), and non-words (dorsal) by healthy participants were correlated with the FA of WM tracts thought to underlie the dorsal and ventral processing streams. This study found mixed support for the hypothesis of a relationship between dorsal and ventral processing streams and the underlying WM tracts.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Reading processes
  • Voxel based analysis
  • Diffusion tensor imaging
  • White matter pathways
  • Tractography
  • Tract-based spatial statistics
  • Region of interest analysis

• Graduation date

  Spring 2013

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3VQ5R

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.