Neural signature of DCD: a critical review of MRI neuroimaging studies

Maëlle Biotteau (1) , Yves Chaix (2, 3) , Mélody Blais (2) , Jessica Tallet (2) , Patrice Péran (2) , Jean-Michel Albaret (2)

1 Octogone-Lordat - Unité de Recherche Interdisciplinaire Octogone-Lordat
2 ToNIC - Toulouse NeuroImaging Center
3 CHU Toulouse - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse

The most common neurodevelopment disorders (e.g., developmental dyslexia (DD), autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)) have been the subject of numerous neuroimaging studies, leading to certain brain regions being identified as neural correlates of these conditions, referring to a neural signature of disorders. Developmental coordination disorder (DCD), however, remains one of the least understood and studied neurodevelopment disorders. Given the acknowledged link between motor difficulties and brain features, it is surprising that so few research studies have systematically explored the brains of children with DCD. The aim of the present review was to ascertain whether it is currently possible to identify a neural signature for DCD, based on the 14 magnetic resonance imaging neuroimaging studies that have been conducted in DCD to date. Our results indicate that several brain areas are unquestionably linked to DCD: cerebellum, basal ganglia, parietal lobe, and parts of the frontal lobe (medial orbitofrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). However, research has been too sparse and studies have suffered from several limitations that constitute a serious obstacle to address the question of a well-established neural signature for DCD.

Mots clés: Neurodevelopmental disorder; Neuroimaging; Brain; Developmental coordination disorder; Neural correlates

Domaines: Neurosciences

Maëlle Biotteau, Yves Chaix, Mélody Blais, Jessica Tallet, Patrice Péran, et al.. Neural signature of DCD: a critical review of MRI neuroimaging studies. Frontiers in Neurology, 2016, 7 (227), pp.1-17. ⟨10.3389/fneur.2016.00227⟩. ⟨hal-01519730⟩