Open Collections

Malik, Myrah Anum

University of British Columbia

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a child's ability to learn and perform motor skills which significantly interferes with their activities of daily living. Currently only one study has identified volume-based brain differences in children with DCD compared to typically developing (TD) children. Furthermore, no study has yet determined if occupational therapy intervention induces a change in grey matter volume in this population. The objectives for this study were to: (1) compare grey matter volume in children with DCD and TD children; (2) examine the relationship of grey matter volume to motor function and attentional performance; and (3) examine neuroplastic changes in grey matter volume in children with DCD following Cognitive Orientation to Occupational Performance intervention. Objectives 1 and 2 were addressed using 30 DCD and 12 TD MRI scans for cross-sectional voxel-based morphometry with a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) design. Objective 3 was addressed using 20 MRI scans for pre-post longitudinal voxel-based morphometry with a Repeated Measures ANOVA design. Regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between grey matter volume, motor function, and attentional performance. The baseline results revealed that children with DCD had greater grey matter volume in the left superior frontal gyrus (working memory). Poorer motor function was associated with greater grey matter volume in the right middle frontal gyrus, left frontal pole, and superior frontal gyrus. Greater grey matter volume in parietal regions (left precuneus, left superior parietal lobe) was associated with poorer attentional performance. After intervention, grey matter volume decreased in right-sided regions associated with self-regulation (posterior cingulate gyrus), voluntary thinking, cognitive and motor connections (middle cingulate) and executive functioning (superior frontal gyrus). This study suggests that children with DCD may have altered brain development and that CO-OP intervention may facilitate brain maturation in targeted regions.

Text

2022-08-31

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/79287

Rehabilitation Sciences

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/