ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Reading disorder is the main obstacle in children, but its etiology and pathogenesis are still uncovered.OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between brain blood flow (BBF)and scores for children reading skill detecting test (CRSDT), in order to provide theoretical references for earlier intervention and functional monitoring for children with reading disorder(RD).DESIGN: Comparative observation study with RD children as subjects and normal children as controlSETTING: Nuclear medicine and psychological-health institute of a university.PARTICIPANTS: This study was carried out in Nuclear Medicine and Psychological-health Institute of Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University. Between August 1998 and August 1999, 25 children with RD were screened out from the students from grade 3 to grade 6 in two Changsha civic elementary schools, including 15 males and 10 females aged(10±1)teacher lasted for more than one year and began from the earlier stage of school age(before grade three), with their achievement ranked last or often failed in examinations, even stay in the same grade due to learning disorder;and teacher or investigation of their homework accorded to the ICD-10 didiseases. Meanwhile 20 healthy children with normal intelligence were randomly selected as control group from the same class of RD children,including 12 males and 8 females with age of (10 ± 1 )years.METHODS: Non blood sampling-SPECT images was used for detecting cerebral blood flow(CBF), as well as right and left CBF and regional CBF (rCBF) of both RD children and normal controls. Rough scores for CRSDT were obtained for analyzing the relationship between it and CBF.group .RESULTS: CBF was(388.7 ± 37.7) μL/g per minute in RD group obviously lower than(436.5 ± 26.4) μL/g per minute in control gruop( t = 2. 820, P ＜ 0.01 ) ;The distribution frequency of regions with obviously decreased rCBF ranked as follows: frontal lobe, occipital lobe ＞ parietal-occipital boundary ＞ temporal lobe ＞ parietal lobe ＞ thalamus ＞ other regions(cerebellum,brain stem and basal ganglion) in RD children; moreover rough scores for reading skill was found positively correlated with CBF in RD group( r = 0.651,P ＜0.05).CONCLUSION: CBF was proved decreased in children with RD, and CBF obtained by SPECT image and CRSDT can be used for reflecting the severity of disease and brain function, expecting to improve their long-term life quality of RD children by earlier intervention.