ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To compare the white matter microstructure of dyslexic children with normal children using diffusion tensor imaging. METHODS: Twenty one dyslexic children and 24 normal control children were recruited in the second and third grade of elementary school students. The fractional anisotropy (FA) values of 20 representative white matter tracts were estimated from the diffusion tensor imaging data of each subject using the Johns Hopkins University-white matter tractography atlas to determine the difference in white matter integrity between the dyslexic children and normal children. RESULTS: Compared to the normal control group, the FA values of the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus [F(1,39)=5.908, p<0.05] and temporal part of the right superior longitudinal fasciculus [F(1,39)=7.328, p=0.010] were significantly higher in the dyslexic group and there was no significant difference in the other tracts. CONCLUSION: In dyslexic children, compensatory pathways develop in the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus and in the temporal part of the right superior longitudinal fasciculus.