Functional connectivity of sensory and executive function networks during a story listening task is related to parent/child interaction during joint reading: a functional MRI diffusion map study.

The quality of parent-child interaction during shared reading ("shared reading quality") is strongly linked to cognitive and relational benefits. However, the relationship between shared reading quality and activation and synchronization of reading-related brain networks has not yet been characterized. The current study involved 22 4-year-old girls who completed functional MRI including a validated stories listening task, and a primary parent. Prior to MRI, video observation of the parent and child reading together was conducted and later coded using a standardized scoring form quantifying parent-child verbal and nonverbal interaction. Behavioral measures included demographics and a maternal depression scale. To achieve this goal, fMRI stories-listening data was utilized to create a diffusion maps algorithm and then to classify the level of parent-child interaction during the shared reading observation. The algorithm clustered children with higher parent-child engagement scores with fMRI diffusion patterns in regions of the brain known to support reading. This study establishes proof-of-concept that applying this diffusion maps algorithm to brain functional connectivity data can reliably predict parent-child interaction during shared book reading. It also suggests that an algorithmic approach may be a novel, data-driven means to quantify parent-child interaction in different contexts (e.g., reading, play) and populations.