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Article analysis:

The article "Microstructure of Temporo-Parietal White Matter as a Basis for Reading Ability: Evidence from Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging" presents an interesting study on the microstructural integrity of white matter in adults with poor or normal reading ability. The authors used diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) to measure the anisotropy of diffusion in white matter, which reflects the microstructure of white matter tracts and may contribute to reading ability by determining the strength of communication between cortical areas involved in visual, auditory, and language processing.

The study found that subjects with reading difficulty exhibited decreased diffusion anisotropy bilaterally in temporo-parietal white matter, which is consistent with previous studies suggesting that dyslexia may represent a disconnection syndrome in which communication is impaired between cortical areas involved in reading. However, the article does not provide enough evidence to support this claim fully. The authors acknowledge that their sample size was small (six adults with poor reading skills and eleven control adults), and it is unclear how to relate their current reading impairment to formal definitions of developmental dyslexia created primarily to classify children.

Moreover, while the study found a statistically significant difference in anisotropy values between poor readers and control subjects, this difference was not apparent by visual inspection of individual anisotropy images. This raises questions about the clinical significance of the findings and whether they are robust enough to be generalized to larger populations.

Another potential bias in this article is its focus on structural differences in white matter tracts connecting anterior and posterior cortical regions as a possible locus for disruption in communication related to dyslexia. While this is a plausible hypothesis, it overlooks other factors that may contribute to reading difficulties, such as deficits in phonological processing or attentional control.

Overall, while this article presents an interesting study on the microstructural integrity of white matter in relation to reading ability, it has several limitations that should be considered when interpreting its findings. Further research with larger sample sizes and more comprehensive assessments of cognitive abilities would be needed to confirm these results fully.