This study utilized a neuroimaging task to assess working memory (WM) network recruitment during single word reading. Associations between WM and reading comprehension skills are well documented. Several converging models suggest WM may also contribute to foundational reading skills, but few studies have assessed this contribution directly. Two groups of children (77 developmental dyslexia (DD), 22 controls) completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task to identify activation of defined regions of the WM network. fMRI trials consisted of familiar word, pseudoword, and false font stimuli within a 1-back oddball task to assess how activation in the WM network differs in response to stimuli that can respectively be processed using word recognition, phonological decoding, or non-word strategies. Results showed children with DD recruited WM regions bilaterally in response to all stimulus types, whereas control children recruited left-lateralized WM regions during the pseudoword condition only. Group-level comparisons revealed activation differences in the defined WM network regions for false font and familiar word, but not pseudoword conditions. This effect was driven by increased activity in participants with DD in right hemisphere frontal, parietal, and motor regions despite poorer task performance. Findings suggest the WM network may contribute to inefficient decoding and word recognition strategies in children with DD.

中文翻译：

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阅读与注意力的关系：有或没有阅读障碍的儿童在单个单词解码过程中工作记忆网络活动的变化

这项研究利用神经影像任务来评估单个单词阅读期间的工作记忆（WM）网络招募。WM 和阅读理解技能之间的关联是有据可查的。一些聚合模型表明 WM 也可能有助于基础阅读技能，但很少有研究直接评估这种贡献。两组儿童（77 名发育性阅读障碍 (DD)，22 名对照）完成了功能性磁共振成像 (fMRI) 任务，以识别 WM 网络特定区域的激活。fMRI 试验包括 1-back 奇怪任务中的熟悉单词、伪单词和错误字体刺激，以评估 WM 网络中的激活对刺激的响应有何不同，这些刺激可以分别使用单词识别、语音解码或非单词策略进行处理。结果显示，患有 DD 的儿童在响应所有刺激类型时都会募集双侧 WM 区域，而对照儿童仅在伪词条件下募集左侧 WM 区域。组级比较揭示了定义的 WM 网络区域中错误字体和熟悉单词的激活差异，但不是伪单词条件。这种效应是由于 DD 参与者尽管任务表现较差，但右半球额叶、顶叶和运动区域的活动增加所致。研究结果表明，WM 网络可能会导致 DD 儿童的解码和单词识别策略效率低下。