Influences of the early family environment and long-term vocabulary development on the structure of white matter pathways: A longitudinal investigation

In the present longitudinal study, we investigated the joint effect of early family factors and long-term vocabulary development on the structure of reading-related white matter pathways in adolescents. Seventy-nine children participated in this study. Family environment was measured via parental questionnaire between age 1 and age 3. From age 4 to age 10, children’s vocabulary skills were tested annually. At age 14, diffusion tensor imaging...