FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Donna Krupa
703.527.7357 (direct
dial)
703.967.2751 (cell) or
djkrupa1@aol.com
GENDER AND DIFFERING RATES OF BRAIN ACTIVITY INFLUENCE
THE LEVEL OF READING AND LANGUAGE SKILLS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
Pittsburgh, Pa. --
Coherence of the EEG (electroencephalogram)
or electrical waves generated by the brain is a derived measure of
wave similarity at two spatially separated brain sites. This measure serves
as an indirect measure of functional connections throughout the brain. When
examined over three-month time periods, coherence oscillations (peaks and
valleys) reflect changes in functional connects between paired brain sites,
independent of whether the changes are caused by genetic or environmental
conditions.
The current study has investigated the emerging
connectivity of neural networks associated with phonological processing,
verbal fluency, higher-level thinking and word retrieval, all skills needed
for beginning reading in boys and girls over a specified period of time.
The author of the current, ongoing study, “Gender
Differences Observed in Preschoolers’ Emerging Neural Networks” is Harriet
Hanlon, Ph.D., associated with Virginia Polytechnic and State University,
located in Falls Church, Va. Their findings are being presented at
Genomes and Hormones: An Integrative Approach to Gender Differences in
Physiology, an American Physiological Society (APS) conference being
held October 17-20, 2001, at the Westin Convention Center, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Dr. Hanlon’s research adds to her previous research
study, “Gender Differences in the Development of EEG Coherence in Normal
Children,” co-authored with Robert W. Thatcher Ph.D., and Marvin J. Cline
Ph.D. The research findings in that cross-sectional study concluded that
males and females develop anatomical brain regions for known functional
tasks on different time schedules. Since these changes appear in many brain
regions around age seven and 11 years, the authors assumed that boys and
girls each have specific functional goals that must be met in each period.
That study appeared in Developmental Neuropsychology, 16(3), 479-506.
Methodology
Gender differences in functional connections among
large-scale brain networks involved in language processing were assessed for
six language tasks in 15 preschoolers over a 12-month period.
Language tasks were: rapid autonomic naming (verbal
fluency measure); digit processing (central auditory processing measure);
orthographic patterns and letters (higher level thinking measure); word
retrieval (expressive vocabulary measure); phonological processing
(short-term auditory memory and expressive auditory measure); and vocabulary
knowledge (memory storage measure). Data were collected five times, within
two weeks of control EEG acquisition.
Results
In both boys and girls the language ability improved
during a phase of increased connections (EEG coherence growth phase).
Language ability decreased or remained at a plateau during a phase of
decreased connections (EEG coherence pruning stage). Rates and times for
growth and pruning cycles for the same brain networks were different in boys
and girls.
The author suggests that parents should be aware that
each sex has an advantage in preschool and kindergarten that they bring to
learning to read. Boys favor vocabulary sub-skills needed for comprehension
while girls favor fluency and phonic sub-skills needed for the mechanics of
reading. A balanced language program should include phonics instruction and
more challenging materials read by adults. Brain growth rates for specific
sub-skills may differ, but the sexes by grade 3 have neural networks that
support each mastering reading.
-end-
The
American Physiological Society (APS) was founded in 1887 to foster basic and
applied science, much of it relating to human health. The Bethesda,
MD-based Society has more than 10,000 members and publishes 3,800 articles
in its 14 peer-reviewed journals every year.
***
Editor’s Note: To receive a copy of the abstracts, to interview speakers or
for more information, contact Donna Krupa at 703.527.7357(direct dial),
703.967.2751 (cell) or djkrupa1@aol.com.
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