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Seghier ML, Boudelaa S. Constraining current neuroanatomical models of reading: the view from Arabic. Brain Struct Funct 2024:10.1007/s00429-024-02827-y. [PMID: 38969935 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02827-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
There is a growing interest in imaging understudied orthographies to unravel their neuronal correlates and their implications for existing computational and neuroanatomical models. Here, we review current brain mapping literature about Arabic words. We first offer a succinct description of some unique linguistic features of Arabic that challenge current cognitive models of reading. We then appraise the existing functional neuroimaging studies that investigated written Arabic word processing. Our review revealed that (1) Arabic is still understudied, (2) the most investigated features concerned the effects of vowelling and diglossia in Arabic reading, (3) findings were not always discussed in the light of existing reading models such as the dual route cascaded, the triangle, and the connectionist dual process models, and (4) current evidence is unreliable when it comes to the exact neuronal pathways that sustain Arabic word processing. Overall, despite the fact that Arabic has some unique linguistic features that challenge and ultimately enrich current reading models, the existing functional neuroimaging literature falls short of offering a reliable evidence about brain networks of Arabic reading. We conclude by highlighting the need for more systematic studies of the linguistic features of Arabic to build theoretical and neuroanatomical models that are concurrently specific and general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed L Seghier
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
- Healthcare Engineering Innovation Center (HEIC), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
| | - Sami Boudelaa
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE.
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2
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Kou JW, Fan LY, Chen HC, Chen SY, Hu X, Zhang K, Kovelman I, Chou TL. Neural substrates of L2-L1 transfer effects on phonological awareness in young Chinese-English bilingual children. Neuroimage 2024; 291:120592. [PMID: 38548037 PMCID: PMC11032115 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The growing trend of bilingual education between Chinese and English has contributed to a rise in the number of early bilingual children, who were exposed to L2 prior to formal language instruction of L1. The L2-L1 transfer effect in an L1-dominant environment has been well established. However, the threshold of L2 proficiency at which such transfer manifests remains unclear. This study investigated the behavioral and neural processes involved when manipulating phonemes in an auditory phonological task to uncover the transfer effect in young bilingual children. Sixty-two first graders from elementary schools in Taiwan were recruited in this study (29 Chinese monolinguals, 33 Chinese-English bilinguals). The brain activity was measured using fNIRS (functional near-infrared spectroscopy). Bilingual children showed right lateralization to process Chinese and left lateralization to process English, which supports more on the accommodation effect within the framework of the assimilation-accommodation hypothesis. Also, compared to monolinguals, bilingual children showed more bilateral frontal activation in Chinese, potentially reflecting a mixed influence from L2-L1 transfer effects and increased cognitive load of bilingual exposure. These results elucidate the developmental adjustments in the neural substrates associated with early bilingual exposure in phonological processing, offering valuable insights into the bilingual learning process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Wei Kou
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Li-Ying Fan
- Department of Education, National Taipei University of Education, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Chin Chen
- Department of Psychology, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Shiou-Yuan Chen
- Department of Early Childhood Education, University of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Xiaosu Hu
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Kehui Zhang
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ioulia Kovelman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Tai-Li Chou
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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3
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Dong J, Zhang W, Li A, Lee Y, Cai H, Jiang W, Yan H. Effects of short-term second language learning on the development of individual semantic networks in written and spoken language. Neurosci Lett 2024; 818:137558. [PMID: 38007086 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2023.137558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have primarily focused on the relationship between native language (L1) and second language (L2) in the brain, specifically in one language modality, such as written or spoken language. However, there is limited research on how L2 proficiency impacts both modalities. This study aimed to investigate the functional networks involved in reading and speech comprehension for both L1 and L2, and observe changes in these networks as L2 proficiency improves. The dataset used in this study was obtained from a previous research conducted by Gurunandan et al., which involved Spanish-English bilingual participants undergoing a three-month English training program. Participants underwent fMRI scanning and performed a semantic animacy judgment task in both spoken and written language before and after training. Through analysis, distinct neural networks associated with spoken and written language were found between individuals' L1 and L2, both before and after training. Moreover, as L2 proficiency improved, the spoken and written networks for L2 remained distinct from those of the L1. These findings suggest that short-term L2 learning experiences can modify neural networks, but may not be enough to achieve native-like proficiency, supporting the accommodation hypothesis. These results have important implications for language learning and education, indicating that additional short-term training and exposure alone may not bridge the gap between L1 and L2 processing networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Dong
- Key Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience of Language, Xi'an International Studies University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wenjia Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience of Language, Xi'an International Studies University, Xi'an, China
| | - Aqian Li
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yujun Lee
- Key Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience of Language, Xi'an International Studies University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hao Cai
- Key Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience of Language, Xi'an International Studies University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wenjing Jiang
- Key Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience of Language, Xi'an International Studies University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hao Yan
- Key Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience of Language, Xi'an International Studies University, Xi'an, China; Department of Linguistics, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.
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4
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Zhan M, Pallier C, Agrawal A, Dehaene S, Cohen L. Does the visual word form area split in bilingual readers? A millimeter-scale 7-T fMRI study. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf6140. [PMID: 37018408 PMCID: PMC10075963 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf6140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
In expert readers, a brain region known as the visual word form area (VWFA) is highly sensitive to written words, exhibiting a posterior-to-anterior gradient of increasing sensitivity to orthographic stimuli whose statistics match those of real words. Using high-resolution 7-tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we ask whether, in bilingual readers, distinct cortical patches specialize for different languages. In 21 English-French bilinguals, unsmoothed 1.2-millimeters fMRI revealed that the VWFA is actually composed of several small cortical patches highly selective for reading, with a posterior-to-anterior word-similarity gradient, but with near-complete overlap between the two languages. In 10 English-Chinese bilinguals, however, while most word-specific patches exhibited similar reading specificity and word-similarity gradients for reading in Chinese and English, additional patches responded specifically to Chinese writing and, unexpectedly, to faces. Our results show that the acquisition of multiple writing systems can indeed tune the visual cortex differently in bilinguals, sometimes leading to the emergence of cortical patches specialized for a single language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minye Zhan
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, INSERM, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Christophe Pallier
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, INSERM, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Aakash Agrawal
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, INSERM, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Stanislas Dehaene
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, INSERM, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France
- Collège de France, Université Paris-Sciences-Lettres (PSL), 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Laurent Cohen
- Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau, ICM, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Fédération de Neurologie, Paris, France
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5
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Li H, Cao Y, Chen C, Liu X, Zhang S, Mei L. The depth of semantic processing modulates cross-language pattern similarity in Chinese-English bilinguals. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:2085-2098. [PMID: 36579666 PMCID: PMC9980893 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have investigated factors related to the degree of cross-language overlap in brain activations in bilinguals/multilinguals. However, it is still unclear whether and how the depth of semantic processing (a critical task-related factor) affects the neural pattern similarity between native and second languages. To address this question, 26 Chinese-English bilinguals were scanned with fMRI while performing a word naming task (i.e., a task with shallow semantic processing) and a semantic judgment task (i.e., a task with deep semantic processing) in both native and second languages. Based on three sets of representational similarity analysis (whole brain, ROI-based, and within-language vs. cross-language semantic representation), we found that select regions in the reading brain network showed higher cross-language pattern similarity and higher cross-language semantic representations during deep semantic processing than during shallow semantic processing. These results suggest that compared to shallow semantic processing, deep semantic processing may lead to greater language-independent processing (i.e., cross-language semantic representation) and cross-language pattern similarity, and provide direct quantitative neuroimaging evidence for cognitive models of bilingual lexical memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiling Li
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ying Cao
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chuansheng Chen
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Liu
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuo Zhang
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Leilei Mei
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China
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6
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Iniesta A, Bajo MT, Rivera M, Paolieri D. Transfer effects from language processing to visual attention dynamics: The impact of orthographic transparency. Br J Psychol 2023; 114:86-111. [PMID: 36117407 PMCID: PMC10087185 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The consistency between letters and sounds varies across languages. These differences have been proposed to be associated with different reading mechanisms (lexical vs. phonological), processing grain sizes (coarse vs. fine) and attentional windows (whole words vs. individual letters). This study aimed to extend this idea to writing to dictation. For that purpose, we evaluated whether the use of different types of processing has a differential impact on local windowing attention: phonological (local) processing in a transparent language (Spanish) and lexical (global) processing of an opaque language (English). Spanish and English monolinguals (Experiment 1) and Spanish-English bilinguals (Experiment 2) performed a writing to dictation task followed by a global-local task. The first key performance showed a critical dissociation between languages: the response times (RTs) from the Spanish writing to dictation task was modulated by word length, whereas the RTs from the English writing to dictation task was modulated by word frequency and age of acquisition, as evidence that language transparency biases processing towards phonological or lexical strategies. In addition, after a Spanish task, participants more efficiently processed local information, which resulted in both the benefit of global congruent information and the reduced cost of incongruent global information. Additionally, the results showed that bilinguals adapt their attentional processing depending on the orthographic transparency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Iniesta
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - María Teresa Bajo
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Marta Rivera
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Daniela Paolieri
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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7
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Dong J, Yue Q, Li A, Gu L, Su X, Chen Q, Mei L. Individuals' preference on reading pathways influences the involvement of neural pathways in phonological learning. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1067561. [PMID: 36591053 PMCID: PMC9794771 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1067561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Existing behavioral and neuroimaging studies revealed inter-individual variability in the selection of the two phonological routes in word reading. However, it is not clear how individuals' preferred reading pathways/strategies modulate the involvement of a certain brain region for phonological learning in a new language, and consequently affect their behavioral performance on phonological access. Methods To address this question, the present study recruited a group of native Chinese speakers to learn two sets of artificial language characters, respectively, in addressed-phonology training (i.e., whole-word mapping) and assembled-phonology training conditions (i.e., grapheme-to-phoneme mapping). Results Behavioral results showed that the more lexical pathways participants preferred, the better they performed on newly-acquired addressed characters relative to assembled characters. More importantly, neuroimaging results showed that participants who preferred lexical pathway in phonological access show less involvement of brain regions for addressed phonology (e.g., the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex and right pars triangularis) in the processing of newly-acquired addressed characters. Conclusion These results indicated that phonological access via the preferred pathway required less neural resources to achieve better behavioral performance. These above results provide direct neuroimaging evidence for the influence of reading pathway preference on phonological learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Dong
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qingxin Yue
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Aqian Li
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lala Gu
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinqi Su
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qi Chen
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China
| | - Leilei Mei
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China,*Correspondence: Leilei Mei,
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8
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Brignoni‐Pérez E, Jamal NI, Eden GF. Functional neuroanatomy of English word reading in early bilingual and monolingual adults. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:4310-4325. [PMID: 35607841 PMCID: PMC9435003 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Skilled reading is important in daily life. While the understanding of the neurofunctional organization of this uniquely human skill has advanced significantly, it does not take into consideration the common bilingual experiences around the world. To examine the role of early bilingualism on the neural substrates supporting English word processing, we compared brain activity, as well as functional connectivity, in Spanish-English early bilingual adults (N = 25) and English monolingual adults (N = 33) during single-word processing. Activation analysis revealed no significant differences between the two groups. A seed-to-voxel analysis using eight a priori selected seed-regions (placed in regions known to be involved in reading) revealed relatively stronger functional connectivity in bilinguals between two sets of regions: left superior temporal gyrus seed positively with left lingual gyrus and left middle frontal gyrus seed negatively with left anterior cingulate cortex. Together these results suggest that an early Spanish-English bilingual experience does not modulate local brain activity for English word reading. It does, however, have some influence on the functional intercommunication between brain regions during reading, specifically in two regions associated with reading, which are functionally connected to those inside and outside of the reading network. We conclude that brain regions involved in processing English words are not that different in Spanish-English early bilingual adults relative to monolingual adult users of English.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edith Brignoni‐Pérez
- Center for the Study of Learning, Department of PediatricsGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
- Interdisciplinary Program in NeuroscienceGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Nasheed I. Jamal
- Center for the Study of Learning, Department of PediatricsGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Guinevere F. Eden
- Center for the Study of Learning, Department of PediatricsGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
- Interdisciplinary Program in NeuroscienceGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
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9
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The influence of orthographic depth on multilinguals' neural networks. Neuropsychologia 2022; 164:108095. [PMID: 34843750 PMCID: PMC8754173 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.108095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Orthographic depth, the consistency and complexity of grapheme-phoneme correspondence, influences brain activation in multilinguals’ first (L1) and second language (L2). The intrinsic functional connectivity of cross-language transfer was investigated between two groups of multilinguals, those whose L2 orthography is deeper than their L1 (S-to-D group) and those whose L2 orthography is shallower than their L1 (D-to-S group). Based on previous reports, we focused on two seed regions: the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) and the left posterior supramarginal gyrus (pSMG). Group comparisons revealed stronger connectivity for the D-to-S group between the left pSMG and the right precuneus/cuneal cortex and the right SMG/angular gyrus. Moreover, we found that the greater the linguistic orthographic distance—the less similar in orthographic depth two languages are—the greater the negative connectivity between the left pSMG and the right pSMG, middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and frontal pole, and a cluster that included the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) pars opercularis, frontal operculum, and insular cortex. When linguistic distance was greater, there was also greater negative connectivity between the VWFA and the left precuneus. Furthermore, stronger connectivity was found between the left pSMG and the right precuneus in multilinguals who spoke at least three languages (trilinguals) compared to those who only spoke two languages (bilinguals). Follow-up analyses revealed that this difference was driven by stronger intrinsic connectivity in D-to-S trilinguals compared to the S-to-D trilinguals. Taken together, the findings of this study suggest that multilinguals’ intrinsic functional connectivity is shaped by the orthographic depth of their L2 in relation to L1, as well as differences between bilingualism and trilingualism.
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10
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Cargnelutti E, Tomasino B, Fabbro F. Effects of Linguistic Distance on Second Language Brain Activations in Bilinguals: An Exploratory Coordinate-Based Meta-Analysis. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 15:744489. [PMID: 35069147 PMCID: PMC8770833 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.744489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In this quantitative meta-analysis, we used the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) approach to address the effects of linguistic distance between first (L1) and second (L2) languages on language-related brain activations. In particular, we investigated how L2-related networks may change in response to linguistic distance from L1. Thus, we examined L2 brain activations in two groups of participants with English as L2 and either (i) a European language (European group, n = 13 studies) or (ii) Chinese (Chinese group, n = 18 studies) as L1. We further explored the modulatory effect of age of appropriation (AoA) and proficiency of L2. We found that, irrespective of L1-L2 distance-and to an extent-irrespective of L2 proficiency, L2 recruits brain areas supporting higher-order cognitive functions (e.g., cognitive control), although with group-specific differences (e.g., the insula region in the European group and the frontal cortex in the Chinese group). The Chinese group also selectively activated the parietal lobe, but this did not occur in the subgroup with high L2 proficiency. These preliminary results highlight the relevance of linguistic distance and call for future research to generalize findings to other language pairs and shed further light on the interaction between linguistic distance, AoA, and proficiency of L2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Cargnelutti
- Dipartimento/Unità Operativa Pasian di Prato, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Udine, Italy
| | - Barbara Tomasino
- Dipartimento/Unità Operativa Pasian di Prato, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Udine, Italy
| | - Franco Fabbro
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Languages, Literature, Communication, Education, and Society, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
- Institute of Mechanical Intelligence, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy
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11
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Radman N, Jost L, Dorood S, Mancini C, Annoni JM. Language distance modulates cognitive control in bilinguals. Sci Rep 2021; 11:24131. [PMID: 34916553 PMCID: PMC8677725 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02973-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Linguistic processes in the bilingual brain are partially shared across languages, and the degree of neural overlap between the languages is influenced by several factors, including the age of acquisition, relative language proficiency, and immersion. There is limited evidence on the role of linguistic distance on the performance of the language control as well as domain-general cognitive control systems. The present study aims at exploring whether being bilingual in close and distant language pairs (CLP and DLP) influences language control and domain-general cognitive processes. We recruited two groups of DLP (Persian-English) and CLP (French-English) bilinguals. Subjects performed language nonswitching and switching picture-naming tasks and a nonlinguistic switching task while EEG data were recorded. Behaviorally, CLP bilinguals showed a lower cognitive cost than DLP bilinguals, reflected in faster reaction times both in language switching (compared to nonswitching) and nonlinguistic switching. ERPs showed differential involvement of cognitive control regions between the CLP and DLP groups during linguistic switching vs. nonswitching at 450 to 515 ms poststimulus presentation. Moreover, there was a difference between CLP and DLP groups from 40 to 150 ms in the nonlinguistic task. Our electrophysiological results confirm a stronger involvement of language control and domain-general cognitive control regions in CLP bilinguals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narges Radman
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM) Opposite the ARAJ, Artesh Highway, Aghdassieh, Tehran, 1956836484, Iran.
- Department of Psychiatry, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Lea Jost
- Neurology Unit, Medicine Section, Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Science, Department of Neuroscience and Movement Science, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Setareh Dorood
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM) Opposite the ARAJ, Artesh Highway, Aghdassieh, Tehran, 1956836484, Iran
| | - Christian Mancini
- Neurology Unit, Medicine Section, Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Science, Department of Neuroscience and Movement Science, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Marie Annoni
- Neurology Unit, Medicine Section, Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Science, Department of Neuroscience and Movement Science, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
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12
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Ferreira RA, Vinson D, Dijkstra T, Vigliocco G. Word learning in two languages: Neural overlap and representational differences. Neuropsychologia 2020; 150:107703. [PMID: 33307100 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the neural basis of newly learned words in Spanish as a mother tongue (L1) and English as a second language (L2). Participants acquired new names for real but unfamiliar concepts in both languages over the course of two days. On day 3, they completed a semantic categorization task during fMRI scanning. The results revealed largely overlapping brain regions for newly learned words in Spanish and English. However, Spanish showed a heightened BOLD response within prefrontal cortex (PFC), due to increased competition of existing lexical representations. In contrast, English displayed higher activity than Spanish within primary auditory cortex, which suggests increased phonological processing due to more irregular phonological-orthographic mappings. Overall, these results suggest that novel words are learned similarly in Spanish L1 and English L2, and that they are represented in largely overlapping brain regions. However, they differ in terms of cognitive control and phonological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto A Ferreira
- Facultad de Educación, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
| | - David Vinson
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ton Dijkstra
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Gabriella Vigliocco
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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13
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Bhattacharjee S, Kashyap R, O'Brien BA, McCloskey M, Oishi K, Desmond JE, Rapp B, Chen SHA. Reading proficiency influences the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation: Evidence from selective modulation of dorsal and ventral pathways of reading in bilinguals. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2020; 210:104850. [PMID: 32890855 PMCID: PMC8103814 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION tDCS can modulate reading which is processed by lexical (ventral) and sub-lexical (dorsal) pathways. Previous research indicates that pathway recruitment in bilinguals depends on a script's orthographic depth and a reader's proficiency with it. The effect of tDCS on each reading pathway has not been investigated in bilinguals. We stimulated the left dorsal and ventral pathways separately in Chinese-English (C-E) bilinguals to understand whether pathway-specific modulation by tDCS is possible and, if so, how it is influenced by orthographic depth and script proficiency. METHODS A double-blind, sham-controlled, within-subject experiment was designed wherein 16 balanced bilinguals received anodal tDCS in dorsal, ventral and sham sessions. Two tDCS montages of electrode sizes 5 × 5 cm2 with 1) anode at CP5 and cathode at CZ, and 2) anode at TP7 and cathode at nape of the neck, were applied for stimulating the dorsal and ventral pathways respectively. Bilinguals were asked to read word lists for each language before and after stimulation. RTs for accurate trials were analysed using linear mixed-effect modelling that included proficiency scores for reading English pseudo-words (PW) and Chinese pinyin. RESULTS For both languages, word reading RTs were faster following dorsal pathway stimulation. The dorsal stimulation effect (change in RT) was negatively correlated with pseudoword reading and pinyin proficiency. Stimulation of the ventral pathway decreased RTs only for Chinese reading. CONCLUSION Dorsal and ventral reading pathways can be selectively modulated by tDCS in bilingual readers with dorsal (sub-lexical) pathway stimulation affecting reading in both scripts and ventral (lexical) pathway stimulation selectively affecting Chinese reading. Dorsal pathway tDCS effects are modulated by sub-lexical reading proficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rajan Kashyap
- Centre for Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE), Singapore
| | - Beth Ann O'Brien
- Centre for Research in Child Development (CRCD), National Institute of Education, Singapore
| | - Michael McCloskey
- Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States
| | - Kenichi Oishi
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - John E Desmond
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Brenda Rapp
- Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States.
| | - S H Annabel Chen
- Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Centre for Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE), Singapore; Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKC Medicine), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
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14
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Kim SY, Liu L, Liu L, Cao F. Neural representational similarity between L1 and L2 in spoken and written language processing. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:4935-4951. [PMID: 32820847 PMCID: PMC7643388 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite substantial research on the brain mechanisms of L1 and L2 processing in bilinguals, it is still unknown whether language modality (i.e., visual vs. auditory) plays a role in determining whether L1 and L2 are processed similarly. Therefore, we examined the neural representational similarity in neural networks between L1 and L2 in spoken and written word processing in Korean-English-Chinese trilinguals. Participants performed both visual and auditory rhyming judgments in the three languages: Korean, English, and Chinese. The results showed greater similarity among the three languages in the auditory modality than in the visual modality, suggesting more differentiated networks for written word processing in the three languages than spoken word processing. In addition, there was less similarity between spoken and written word processing in L1 than the L2s, suggesting a more specialized network for each modality in L1 than L2s. Finally, the similarity between the two L2s (i.e., Chinese and English) was greater than that between each L2 and L1 after task performance was regressed out, especially in the visual modality, suggesting that L2s are processed similarly. These findings provide important insights about spoken and written language processing in the bilingual brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Say Young Kim
- Department of English Language and Literature, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.,Hanyang Institute for Phonetics and Cognitive Sciences of Language, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Lanfang Liu
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.,Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Li Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.,Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Fan Cao
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
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15
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Ma J, Wu Y, Sun T, Cai L, Fan X, Li X. Neural substrates of bilingual processing in a logographic writing system: An fMRI study in Chinese Cantonese-Mandarin bilinguals. Brain Res 2020; 1738:146794. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.146794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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16
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Brignoni-Perez E, Jamal NI, Eden GF. An fMRI study of English and Spanish word reading in bilingual adults. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2020; 202:104725. [PMID: 31978619 PMCID: PMC7461633 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2019.104725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Reading relies on a left-lateralized brain system, including occipito-temporal (OTC), temporo-parietal, and inferior frontal (IFC) cortices. Neuroimaging studies have investigated whether activation in these cortices is modulated by a language's orthographic depth (consistency of grapheme-to-phoneme conversion). In Spanish-English bilinguals, some but not all studies have reported activation differences between the two languages during reading. Here, we studied Spanish-English early bilingual adults living in the United States (N = 25; 17 females, 8 males). We examined local activity, functional connectivity, and spatially distributed activity patterns during English and Spanish word reading. We found overlap in local activity for the two languages in the left IFC, but no differences in activation between them and few differences in functional connectivity (none of which were in pairs of regions known to be involved in reading); yet, there were spatially distributed patterns of brain activity that differentiate English and Spanish in regions of bilateral cerebellum/left OTC, the left superior occipital gyrus, the left IFC, and the left medial frontal gyrus. Overall, we found no evidence for differences in local activation or functional connectivity during English versus Spanish word processing in regions known to be involved in reading, yet we found brain-based evidence that Spanish-English bilinguals distinguish between the two languages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edith Brignoni-Perez
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, 4000 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20057, United States; Center for the Study of Learning, Georgetown University Medical Center, 4000 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20057, United States
| | - Nasheed I Jamal
- Center for the Study of Learning, Georgetown University Medical Center, 4000 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20057, United States
| | - Guinevere F Eden
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, 4000 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20057, United States; Center for the Study of Learning, Georgetown University Medical Center, 4000 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20057, United States.
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17
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Bilingual language processing: A meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108:834-853. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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18
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XIN X, LAN T, ZHANG Q. Assimilation mechanisms of phonological encoding in second language spoken production for English-Chinese bilinguals. ACTA PSYCHOLOGICA SINICA 2020. [DOI: 10.3724/sp.j.1041.2020.01377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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19
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Egan C, Oppenheim GM, Saville C, Moll K, Jones MW. Bilinguals apply language-specific grain sizes during sentence reading. Cognition 2019; 193:104018. [PMID: 31336311 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.104018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Languages differ in the consistency with which they map orthography to phonology, and a large body of work now shows that orthographic consistency determines the style of word decoding in monolinguals. Here, we characterise word decoding in bilinguals whose two languages differ in orthographic consistency, assessing whether they maintain two distinct reading styles or settle on a single 'compromise' reading style. In Experiment 1, Welsh-English bilinguals read cognates and pseudowords embedded in Welsh and English sentences. Eye-movements revealed that bilinguals dynamically alter their decoding strategy according to the language context, including more fixations during lexical access for cognates in the more consistent orthography (Welsh) than in the less consistent orthography (English), and these effects were specific to word (as opposed to pseudoword) processing. In Experiment 2, we compared the same bilinguals' eye movements in the English sentence reading context to those of monolinguals'. Bilinguals' eye-movement behaviour was very similar to monolinguals' when reading English, suggesting that their knowledge of the more consistent orthography (Welsh) did not alter their decoding style when reading in English. This study presents the first characterisation of bilingual decoding style in sentence reading. We discuss our findings in relation to connectionist reading models and models of bilingual visual word recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciara Egan
- School of Psychology, Bangor University, UK
| | - Gary M Oppenheim
- School of Psychology, Bangor University, UK; Department of Psychology, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
| | | | - Kristina Moll
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
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20
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Cargnelutti E, Tomasino B, Fabbro F. Language Brain Representation in Bilinguals With Different Age of Appropriation and Proficiency of the Second Language: A Meta-Analysis of Functional Imaging Studies. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:154. [PMID: 31178707 PMCID: PMC6537025 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Language representation in the bilingual brain is the result of many factors, of which age of appropriation (AoA) and proficiency of the second language (L2) are probably the most studied. Many studies indeed compare early and late bilinguals, although it is not yet clear what the role of the so-called critical period in L2 appropriation is. In this study, we carried out coordinate-based meta-analyses to address this issue and to inspect the role of proficiency in addition to that of AoA. After the preliminary inspection of the early (also very early) and late bilinguals' language networks, we explored the specific activations associated with each language and compared them within and between the groups. Results confirmed that the L2 language brain representation was wider than that associated with L1. This was observed regardless of AoA, although differences were more relevant in the late bilinguals' group. In particular, L2 entailed a greater enrollment of the brain areas devoted to the executive functions, and this was also observed in proficient bilinguals. The early bilinguals displayed many activation clusters as well, which also included the areas involved in cognitive control. Interestingly, these regions activated even in L1 of both early and late bilingual groups, although less consistently. Overall, these findings suggest that bilinguals in general are constantly subjected to cognitive effort to monitor and regulate the language use, although early AoA and high proficiency are likely to reduce this.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Cargnelutti
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Dipartimento/Unità Operativa Pasian di Prato, Udine, Italy
| | - Barbara Tomasino
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Dipartimento/Unità Operativa Pasian di Prato, Udine, Italy
| | - Franco Fabbro
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, DILL, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
- PERCRO Perceptual Robotics Laboratory, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy
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21
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D'Mello AM, Gabrieli JDE. Cognitive Neuroscience of Dyslexia. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2019; 49:798-809. [PMID: 30458541 DOI: 10.1044/2018_lshss-dyslc-18-0020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose This review summarizes what is known about the structural and functional brain bases of dyslexia. Method We review the current literature on structural and functional brain differences in dyslexia. This includes evidence about differences in gray matter anatomy, white matter connectivity, and functional activations in response to print and language. We also summarize findings concerning brain plasticity in response to interventions. Results We highlight evidence relating brain function and structure to instructional issues such as diagnosis and prognosis. We also highlight evidence about brain differences in early childhood, before formal reading instruction in school, which supports the importance of early identification and intervention. Conclusion Neuroimaging studies of dyslexia reveal how the disorder is related to differences in structure and function in multiple neural circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anila M D'Mello
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.,McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
| | - John D E Gabrieli
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.,McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
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22
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Cross-linguistic transfer in bilinguals reading in two alphabetic orthographies: The grain size accommodation hypothesis. Psychon Bull Rev 2018; 25:386-401. [PMID: 28405906 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-017-1273-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Reading acquisition is one of the most complex and demanding learning processes faced by children in their first years of schooling. If reading acquisition is challenging in one language, how is it when reading is acquired simultaneously in two languages? What is the impact of bilingualism on the development of literacy? We review behavioral and neuroimaging evidence from alphabetic writing systems suggesting that early bilingualism modulates reading development. Particularly, we show that cross-linguistic variations and cross-linguistic transfer affect bilingual reading strategies as well as their cognitive underpinnings. We stress the fact that the impact of bilingualism on literacy acquisition depends on the specific combination of languages learned and does not manifest itself similarly across bilingual populations. We argue that these differences can be explained by variations due to orthographic depth in the grain sizes used to perform reading and reading-related tasks. Overall, we propose novel hypotheses to shed light on the behavioral and neural variability observed in reading skills among bilinguals.
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23
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Li H, Qu J, Chen C, Chen Y, Xue G, Zhang L, Lu C, Mei L. Lexical learning in a new language leads to neural pattern similarity with word reading in native language. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 40:98-109. [PMID: 30136328 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Revised: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous neuroimaging studies have suggested similar neural activations for word reading in native and second languages. However, such similarities were qualitatively determined (i.e., overlapping activation based on traditional univariate activation analysis). In this study, using representational similarity analysis and an artificial language training paradigm, we quantitatively computed cross-language neural pattern similarity to examine the modulatory effect of proficiency in the new language. Twenty-four native Chinese speakers were trained to learn 30 words in a logographic artificial language for 12 days and scanned while performing a semantic decision task after 4-day training and after 12-day training. Results showed that higher proficiency in the new language was associated with higher cross-language pattern similarity in select regions of the reading network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiling Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing Qu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chuansheng Chen
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, California
| | - Yanjun Chen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Gui Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chengrou Lu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Leilei Mei
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
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24
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Oliver M, Carreiras M, Paz-Alonso PM. Functional Dynamics of Dorsal and Ventral Reading Networks in Bilinguals. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:5431-5443. [PMID: 28122808 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Accepted: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In today's world, bilingualism is increasingly common. However, it is still unclear how left-lateralized dorsal and ventral reading networks are tuned to reading in proficient second-language learners. Here, we investigated differences in functional regional activation and connectivity as a function of L1 and L2 reading, L2 orthographic depth, and task demands. Thirty-seven late bilinguals with the same L1 and either an opaque or transparent L2 performed perceptual and semantic reading tasks in L1 and L2 during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning. Results revealed stronger regional recruitment for L2 versus L1 reading and stronger connectivity within the dorsal stream during L1 versus L2 reading. Differences in orthographic depth were associated with a segregated profile of left ventral occipitotemporal (vOT) coactivation with dorsal regions for the transparent L2 group and with ventral regions for the opaque L2 group. Finally, semantic versus perceptual demands modulated left vOT engagement, supporting the interactive account of the contribution of vOT to reading, and were associated with stronger coactivation within the ventral network. Our findings support a division of labor between ventral and dorsal reading networks, elucidating the critical role of the language used to read, L2 orthographic depth, and task demands on the functional dynamics of bilingual reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam Oliver
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language, Donostia-San Sebastian, 2009 Gipuzkoa, Spain
| | - Manuel Carreiras
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language, Donostia-San Sebastian, 2009 Gipuzkoa, Spain.,IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, 48013 Bizkaia, Spain.,Department of Basque Language and Communication, EHU/UPV, Bilbao, 48940 Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Pedro M Paz-Alonso
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language, Donostia-San Sebastian, 2009 Gipuzkoa, Spain
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25
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Ip KI, Hsu LSJ, Arredondo MM, Tardif T, Kovelman I. Brain bases of morphological processing in Chinese-English bilingual children. Dev Sci 2017; 20:10.1111/desc.12449. [PMID: 27523024 PMCID: PMC5309206 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2015] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Can bilingual exposure impact children's neural circuitry for learning to read? To answer this question, we investigated the brain bases of morphological awareness, one of the key spoken language abilities for learning to read in English and Chinese. Bilingual Chinese-English and monolingual English children (N = 22, ages 7-12) completed morphological tasks that best characterize each of their languages: compound morphology in Chinese (e.g. basket + ball = basketball) and derivational morphology in English (e.g. re + do = redo). In contrast to monolinguals, bilinguals showed greater activation in the left middle temporal region, suggesting that bilingual exposure to Chinese impacts the functionality of brain regions supporting semantic abilities. Similar to monolinguals, bilinguals showed greater activation in the left inferior frontal region [BA 45] in English than Chinese, suggesting that young bilinguals form language-specific neural representations. The findings offer new insights to inform bilingual and cross-linguistic models of language and literacy acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ka I Ip
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor MI, 48109
| | - Lucy Shih-Ju Hsu
- Department of Psychology, University of Hong Kong, Centennial Campus, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong
| | - Maria M. Arredondo
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor MI, 48109
| | - Twila Tardif
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor MI, 48109
- Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, 300 North Ingalls, Ann Arbor MI, 48109
| | - Ioulia Kovelman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor MI, 48109
- Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, 300 North Ingalls, Ann Arbor MI, 48109
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26
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Kim SY, Liu L, Cao F. How does first language (L1) influence second language (L2) reading in the brain? Evidence from Korean-English and Chinese-English bilinguals. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2017; 171:1-13. [PMID: 28437658 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2017.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Revised: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
To examine how L1 influences L2 reading in the brain, two late bilingual groups, Korean-English (KE) and Chinese-English (CE), performed a visual word rhyming judgment task in their L2 (English) and were compared to L1 control groups (i.e., KK and CC). The results indicated that the L2 activation is similar to the L1 activation for both KE and CE language groups. In addition, conjunction analyses revealed that the right inferior frontal gyrus and medial frontal gyrus were more activated in KK and KE than CC and CE, suggesting that these regions are more involved in Korean speakers than Chinese speakers for both L1 and L2. Finally, an ROI analysis at the left middle frontal gyrus revealed greater activation for CE than for KE and a positive correlation with accuracy in CE, but a negative correlation in KE. Taken together, we found evidence that important brain regions for L1 are carried over to L2 reading, maybe more so in highly proficient bilinguals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Say Young Kim
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of English Language and Literature, Sejong University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Li Liu
- State Key Lab of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, PR China
| | - Fan Cao
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
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27
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Cao F, Sussman BL, Rios V, Yan X, Wang Z, Spray GJ, Mack RM. Different mechanisms in learning different second languages: Evidence from English speakers learning Chinese and Spanish. Neuroimage 2017; 148:284-295. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.01.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Revised: 01/08/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
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28
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Cao F, Yan X, Wang Z, Liu Y, Wang J, Spray GJ, Deng Y. Neural signatures of phonological deficits in Chinese developmental dyslexia. Neuroimage 2017; 146:301-311. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.11.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Revised: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
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29
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Cao F, Perfetti CA. Neural Signatures of the Reading-Writing Connection: Greater Involvement of Writing in Chinese Reading than English Reading. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0168414. [PMID: 27992505 PMCID: PMC5161366 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on cross-linguistic comparisons of the neural correlates of reading has consistently found that the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG) is more involved in Chinese than in English. However, there is a lack of consensus on the interpretation of the language difference. Because this region has been found to be involved in writing, we hypothesize that reading Chinese characters involves this writing region to a greater degree because Chinese speakers learn to read by repeatedly writing the characters. To test this hypothesis, we recruited English L1 learners of Chinese, who performed a reading task and a writing task in each language. The English L1 sample had learned some Chinese characters through character-writing and others through phonological learning, allowing a test of writing-on-reading effect. We found that the left MFG was more activated in Chinese than English regardless of task, and more activated in writing than in reading regardless of language. Furthermore, we found that this region was more activated for reading Chinese characters learned by character-writing than those learned by phonological learning. A major conclusion is that writing regions are also activated in reading, and that this reading-writing connection is modulated by the learning experience. We replicated the main findings in a group of native Chinese speakers, which excluded the possibility that the language differences observed in the English L1 participants were due to different language proficiency level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Cao
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America
| | - Charles A Perfetti
- Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
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Jasińska KK, Berens MS, Kovelman I, Petitto LA. Bilingualism yields language-specific plasticity in left hemisphere's circuitry for learning to read in young children. Neuropsychologia 2016; 98:34-45. [PMID: 27894901 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Revised: 11/17/2016] [Accepted: 11/24/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
How does bilingual exposure impact children's neural circuitry for learning to read? Theories of bilingualism suggests that exposure to two languages may yield a functional and neuroanatomical adaptation to support the learning of two languages (Klein et al., 2014). To test the hypothesis that this neural adaptation may vary as a function of structural and orthographic characteristics of bilinguals' two languages, we compared Spanish-English and French-English bilingual children, and English monolingual children, using functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy neuroimaging (fNIRS, ages 6-10, N =26). Spanish offers consistent sound-to-print correspondences ("phonologically transparent" or "shallow"); such correspondences are more opaque in French and even more opaque in English (which has both transparent and "phonologically opaque" or "deep" correspondences). Consistent with our hypothesis, both French- and Spanish-English bilinguals showed hyperactivation in left posterior temporal regions associated with direct sound-to-print phonological analyses and hypoactivation in left frontal regions associated with assembled phonology analyses. Spanish, but not French, bilinguals showed a similar effect when reading Irregular words. The findings inform theories of bilingual and cross-linguistic literacy acquisition by suggesting that structural characteristics of bilinguals' two languages and their orthographies have a significant impact on children's neuro-cognitive architecture for learning to read.
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Affiliation(s)
- K K Jasińska
- Haskins Laboratories, 300 George Street, Suite 900, New Haven CT06511, USA.
| | - M S Berens
- U.S. Department of Defense, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - I Kovelman
- University of Michigan, Department of Psychology, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor MI 48104, USA.
| | - L A Petitto
- National Science Foundation, Science of Learning Center; and The Petitto Brain and Language Laboratory for Neuroimaging, Gallaudet University, 800 Florida Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA.
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31
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Liu H, Cao F. L1 and L2 processing in the bilingual brain: A meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2016; 159:60-73. [PMID: 27295606 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2016.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Revised: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 05/28/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies investigating bilingual processes have produced controversial results in determining similarities versus differences between L1 and L2 neural networks. The current meta-analytic study was conducted to examine what factors play a role in the similarities and differences between L1 and L2 networks with a focus on age of acquisition (AOA) and whether the orthographic transparency of L2 is more or less transparent than that of L1. Using activation likelihood estimation (ALE), we found L2 processing involved more additional regions than L1 for late bilinguals in comparison to early bilinguals, suggesting L2 processing is more demanding in late bilinguals. We also provide direct evidence that AOA of L2 influences L1 processing through the findings that early bilinguals had greater activation in the left fusiform gyrus than late bilinguals during L1 processing even when L1 languages were the same in the two groups, presumably due to greater co-activation of orthography in L1 and L2 in early bilinguals. In addition, we found that the same L2 languages evoked different brain activation patterns depending on whether it was more or less transparent than L1 in orthographic transparency. The bilateral auditory cortex and right precentral gyrus were more involved in shallower-than-L1 L2s, suggesting a "sound-out" strategy for a more regular language by involving the phonological regions and sensorimotor regions to a greater degree. In contrast, the left frontal cortex was more involved in the processing of deeper-than-L1 L2s, presumably due to the increased arbitrariness of mapping between orthography and phonology in L2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hengshuang Liu
- Division of Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 14 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637332, Singapore.
| | - Fan Cao
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University, 1026 Red Cedar Rd, Rm 104, East Lansing, MI 48823, United States.
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de León Rodríguez D, Buetler KA, Eggenberger N, Laganaro M, Nyffeler T, Annoni JM, Müri RM. The Impact of Language Opacity and Proficiency on Reading Strategies in Bilinguals: An Eye Movement Study. Front Psychol 2016; 7:649. [PMID: 27199870 PMCID: PMC4858600 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2015] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Reading strategies vary across languages according to orthographic depth – the complexity of the grapheme in relation to phoneme conversion rules – notably at the level of eye movement patterns. We recently demonstrated that a group of early bilinguals, who learned both languages equally under the age of seven, presented a first fixation location (FFL) closer to the beginning of words when reading in German as compared with French. Since German is known to be orthographically more transparent than French, this suggested that different strategies were being engaged depending on the orthographic depth of the used language. Opaque languages induce a global reading strategy, and transparent languages force a local/serial strategy. Thus, pseudo-words were processed using a local strategy in both languages, suggesting that the link between word forms and their lexical representation may also play a role in selecting a specific strategy. In order to test whether corresponding effects appear in late bilinguals with low proficiency in their second language (L2), we present a new study in which we recorded eye movements while two groups of late German–French and French–German bilinguals read aloud isolated French and German words and pseudo-words. Since, a transparent reading strategy is local and serial, with a high number of fixations per stimuli, and the level of the bilingual participants’ L2 is low, the impact of language opacity should be observed in L1. We therefore predicted a global reading strategy if the bilinguals’ L1 was French (FFL close to the middle of the stimuli with fewer fixations per stimuli) and a local and serial reading strategy if it was German. Thus, the L2 of each group, as well as pseudo-words, should also require a local and serial reading strategy. Our results confirmed these hypotheses, suggesting that global word processing is only achieved by bilinguals with an opaque L1 when reading in an opaque language; the low level in the L2 gives way to a local and serial reading strategy. These findings stress the fact that reading behavior is influenced not only by the linguistic mode but also by top–down factors, such as readers’ proficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego de León Rodríguez
- Neurology Unit, Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Sciences, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Science, University of Fribourg Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Karin A Buetler
- Neurology Unit, Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Sciences, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Science, University of Fribourg Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Noëmi Eggenberger
- Perception and Eye Movement Laboratory, Department of Neurology and Clinical Research, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marina Laganaro
- Neuropsycholinguistic Team, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Nyffeler
- Perception and Eye Movement Laboratory, Department of Neurology and Clinical Research, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Marie Annoni
- Neurology Unit, Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Sciences, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Science, University of Fribourg Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - René M Müri
- Perception and Eye Movement Laboratory, Department of Neurology and Clinical Research, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
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How does language distance between L1 and L2 affect the L2 brain network? An fMRI study of Korean–Chinese–English trilinguals. Neuroimage 2016; 129:25-39. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.11.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Revised: 11/02/2015] [Accepted: 11/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Olulade OA, Jamal NI, Koo DS, Perfetti CA, LaSasso C, Eden GF. Neuroanatomical Evidence in Support of the Bilingual Advantage Theory. Cereb Cortex 2015; 26:3196-204. [PMID: 26184647 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhv152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The "bilingual advantage" theory stipulates that constant selection and suppression between 2 languages results in enhanced executive control (EC). Behavioral studies of EC in bilinguals have employed wide-ranging tasks and report some conflicting results. To avoid concerns about tasks, we employed a different approach, measuring gray matter volume (GMV) in adult bilinguals, reasoning that any EC-associated benefits should manifest as relatively greater frontal GMV. Indeed, Spanish-English-speaking bilinguals exhibited greater bilateral frontal GMV compared with English-speaking monolinguals. Was this observation attributable to the constant selection and inhibition of 2 spoken languages? To answer this question, we drew on bimodal bilinguals of American Sign Language (ASL) and English who, unlike unimodal bilinguals, can simultaneously use both languages and have been shown not to possess the EC advantage. In this group, there was no greater GMV when compared with monolinguals. Together these results provide neuroanatomical evidence in support of the bilingual advantage theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- O A Olulade
- Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA Gallaudet University, Washington, DC 20002, USA
| | - N I Jamal
- Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - D S Koo
- Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA Gallaudet University, Washington, DC 20002, USA
| | - C A Perfetti
- University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - C LaSasso
- Gallaudet University, Washington, DC 20002, USA
| | - G F Eden
- Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA Gallaudet University, Washington, DC 20002, USA
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Cherodath S, Singh NC. The influence of orthographic depth on reading networks in simultaneous biliterate children. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2015; 143:42-51. [PMID: 25747965 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2015.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2014] [Revised: 01/01/2015] [Accepted: 02/08/2015] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Children in bilingual societies often simultaneously acquire reading skills in distinct writing systems that vary in consistency of sound-letter mapping or orthographic depth. To investigate its effect on cortical reading networks in children, we performed functional imaging on 34 simultaneous Hindi-English biliterate children as they read word and nonword stimuli. In contrast to Hindi which is consistent and relies on phonological assembly for both stimuli, English is inconsistent which necessitates lexical retrieval for words, but phonological assembly for nonwords. While children recruited a shared reading network for both languages, factorial analysis revealed stimulus effects (word/nonword) in bilateral frontal, parietal and left angular regions. Subsequent analyses showed that the stimulus effect was significant in English, which has a deep orthography, in comparison to Hindi, which is transparent. Our results provide novel evidence that orthographic depth shapes cortical reading processes during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Cherodath
- National Brain Research Centre, NH-8, Nainwal Mode, Manesar 122051, India.
| | - N C Singh
- National Brain Research Centre, NH-8, Nainwal Mode, Manesar 122051, India.
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Hernandez AE, Woods EA, Bradley KAL. Neural correlates of single word reading in bilingual children and adults. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2015; 143:11-19. [PMID: 25728012 PMCID: PMC5944362 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2015.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2013] [Revised: 12/23/2014] [Accepted: 01/17/2015] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The present study compared the neural correlates of language processing in children and adult Spanish-English bilinguals. Participants were asked to perform a visual lexical processing task in both Spanish and English while being scanned with fMRI. Both children and adults recruited a similar network of left hemisphere "language" areas and showed similar proficiency profiles in Spanish. In terms of behavior, adults showed better language proficiency in English relative to children. Furthermore, neural activity in adults was observed in the bilateral MTG. Age-related differences were observed in Spanish in the right MTG. The current results confirm the presence of neural activity in a set of left hemisphere areas in both adult and child bilinguals when reading words in each language. They also reveal that differences in neural activity are not entirely driven by changes in language proficiency during visual word processing. This indicates that both skill development and age can play a role in brain activity seen across development.
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37
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Effect of orthography over neural regions in bilinguals: A view from neuroimaging. Neurosci Lett 2014; 580:94-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2014.07.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2014] [Revised: 06/10/2014] [Accepted: 07/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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38
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Boukrina O, Hanson SJ, Hanson C. Modeling activation and effective connectivity of VWFA in same script bilinguals. Hum Brain Mapp 2014; 35:2543-60. [PMID: 24038636 PMCID: PMC6869767 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2012] [Revised: 04/08/2013] [Accepted: 05/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous neuroimaging research revealed a small area in the inferior occipito-temporal cortex (VWFA), which seems to be involved in recognition of written words. The specialized response of the VWFA to words could result from repeated exposure to print in the course of functional fine-tuning of the brain. Research with bilingual speakers holds promise in helping to reveal response properties of the VWFA by assessing its sensitivity to language proficiency, word-form similarity, and meaning overlap across two languages. Using fMRI, we compared VWFA activity for cognate and homograph prime-target pairs in a group of fluent Spanish-English speakers. Cognates share form and meaning in two languages, while homographs only share form. Relative to baseline, the VWFA showed repetition suppression to pairs of homographs, but not to pairs of cognates, suggesting that this area is sensitive to word meaning. The different response to cognates and homographs was only observed when English was the prime language and Spanish was the target language. To help explain this result we compared patterns of effective connectivity between the VWFA and other parts of the reading network implicated in semantic and phonological processing. Our neural models showed that English targets engaged a direct ventral route from the VWFA to the frontal lobe and Spanish targets engaged an indirect dorsal route. Considering that frontal cortex has been implicated in semantic processing, a direct connection to this area could signal a fast and automatic access to meaning and would facilitate early semantic influences in visual word recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Boukrina
- Psychology Department, RutgersThe State University of New JerseyNewarkNew Jersey
| | - Stephen Jose Hanson
- Psychology Department, RutgersThe State University of New JerseyNewarkNew Jersey
| | - Catherine Hanson
- Psychology Department, RutgersThe State University of New JerseyNewarkNew Jersey
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Lallier M, Valdois S, Lassus-Sangosse D, Prado C, Kandel S. Impact of orthographic transparency on typical and atypical reading development: evidence in French-Spanish bilingual children. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2014; 35:1177-1190. [PMID: 24559885 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2014.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2013] [Revised: 01/17/2014] [Accepted: 01/23/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The present study aimed to quantify cross-linguistic modulations of the contribution of phonemic awareness skills and visual attention span (VA Span) skills (number of visual elements that can be processed simultaneously) to reading speed and accuracy in 18 Spanish-French balanced bilingual children with and without developmental dyslexia. The children were administered two similar reading batteries in French and Spanish. The deficits of the dyslexic children in reading accuracy were mainly visible in their opaque orthography (French) whereas difficulties indexed by reading speed were observed in both their opaque and transparent orthographies. Dyslexic children did not exhibit any phonemic awareness problems in French or in Spanish, but showed poor VA Span skills compared to their control peers. VA span skills correlated with reading accuracy and speed measures in both Spanish and French, whereas phonemic awareness correlated with reading accuracy only. Overall, the present results show that the VA Span is tightly related to reading speed regardless of orthographic transparency, and that it accounts for differences in reading performance between good and poor readers across languages. The present findings further suggest that VA Span skills may play a particularly important role in building-up specific word knowledge which is critical for lexical reading strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Lallier
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, San Sebastian, Spain.
| | - Sylviane Valdois
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition, Grenoble, France; Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique, France
| | - Delphine Lassus-Sangosse
- Centre de Diagnostic des troubles du langage et des apprentissages, Département de pédiatrie CHU Nord, Grenoble, France
| | - Chloé Prado
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Grenoble, France
| | - Sonia Kandel
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition, Grenoble, France; GIPSA-Lab, CNRS UMR 5216, Grenoble, France; Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
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Koyama MS, Stein JF, Stoodley CJ, Hansen PC. A cross-linguistic evaluation of script-specific effects on fMRI lateralization in late second language readers. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:249. [PMID: 24795604 PMCID: PMC4006067 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2013] [Accepted: 04/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral and neuroimaging studies have provided evidence that reading is strongly left lateralized, and the degree of this pattern of functional lateralization can be indicative of reading competence. However, it remains unclear whether functional lateralization differs between the first (L1) and second (L2) languages in bilingual L2 readers. This question is particularly important when the particular script, or orthography, learned by the L2 readers is markedly different from their L1 script. In this study, we quantified functional lateralization in brain regions involved in visual word recognition for participants' L1 and L2 scripts, with a particular focus on the effects of L1–L2 script differences in the visual complexity and orthographic depth of the script. Two different groups of late L2 learners participated in an fMRI experiment using a visual one-back matching task: L1 readers of Japanese who learnt to read alphabetic English and L1 readers of English who learnt to read both Japanese syllabic Kana and logographic Kanji. The results showed weaker leftward lateralization in the posterior lateral occipital complex (pLOC) for logographic Kanji compared with syllabic and alphabetic scripts in both L1 and L2 readers of Kanji. When both L1 and L2 scripts were non-logographic, where symbols are mapped onto sounds, functional lateralization did not significantly differ between L1 and L2 scripts in any region, in any group. Our findings indicate that weaker leftward lateralization for logographic reading reflects greater requirement of the right hemisphere for processing visually complex logographic Kanji symbols, irrespective of whether Kanji is the readers' L1 or L2, rather than characterizing additional cognitive efforts of L2 readers. Finally, brain-behavior analysis revealed that functional lateralization for L2 visual word processing predicted L2 reading competency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maki S Koyama
- Department of physiology, anatomy, and genetics, University of Oxford Oxford, UK ; Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - John F Stein
- Department of physiology, anatomy, and genetics, University of Oxford Oxford, UK
| | | | - Peter C Hansen
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham Birmingham, UK
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Liu XL, Liang P, Li K, Reder LM. Uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying learning from tests. PLoS One 2014; 9:e92025. [PMID: 24647122 PMCID: PMC3960161 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2013] [Accepted: 02/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
People learn better when re-study opportunities are replaced with tests. While researchers have begun to speculate on why testing is superior to study, few studies have directly examined the neural underpinnings of this effect. In this fMRI study, participants engaged in a study phase to learn arbitrary word pairs, followed by a cued recall test (recall second half of pair when cued with first word of pair), re-study of each pair, and finally another cycle of cued recall tests. Brain activation patterns during the first test (recall) of the studied pairs predicts performance on the second test. Importantly, while subsequent memory analyses of encoding trials also predict later accuracy, the brain regions involved in predicting later memory success are more extensive for activity during retrieval (testing) than during encoding (study). Those additional regions that predict subsequent memory based on their activation at test but not at encoding may be key to understanding the basis of the testing effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaonan L. Liu
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- The Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Peipeng Liang
- Department of Radiology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Lab of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Brain Informatics, Beijing, China
| | - Kuncheng Li
- Department of Radiology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Lab of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Brain Informatics, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (LR); (KL)
| | - Lynne M. Reder
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- The Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail: (LR); (KL)
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She runs, the road runs, my mind runs, bad blood runs between us: Literal and figurative motion verbs: An fMRI study. Neuroimage 2013; 83:361-71. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.06.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2012] [Revised: 05/10/2013] [Accepted: 06/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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Cao F, Tao R, Liu L, Perfetti CA, Booth JR. High proficiency in a second language is characterized by greater involvement of the first language network: evidence from Chinese learners of English. J Cogn Neurosci 2013; 25:1649-63. [PMID: 23654223 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The assimilation hypothesis argues that second language learning recruits the brain network for processing the native language, whereas the accommodation hypothesis argues that learning a second language recruits brain structures not involved in native language processing. This study tested these hypotheses by examining brain activation of a group of native Chinese speakers, who were late bilinguals with varying levels of proficiency in English, when they performed a rhyming judgment to visually presented English word pairs (CE group) during fMRI. Assimilation was examined by comparing the CE group to native Chinese speakers performing the rhyming task in Chinese (CC group), and accommodation was examined by comparing the CE group to native English speakers performing the rhyming task in English (EE group). The CE group was very similar in activation to the CC group, supporting the assimilation hypothesis. Additional support for the assimilation hypothesis was the finding that higher proficiency in the CE group was related to increased activation in the Chinese network (as defined by the CC > EE), including the left middle frontal gyrus, the right inferior parietal lobule, and the right precuneus, and decreased activation in the English network (as defined by the EE > CC), including the left inferior frontal gyrus and the left inferior temporal gyrus. Although most of the results support assimilation, there was some evidence for accommodation as the CE group showed less activation in the Chinese network including the right middle occipital gyrus, which has been argued to be involved in holistic visuospatial processing of Chinese characters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Cao
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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van den Broek GSE, Takashima A, Segers E, Fernández G, Verhoeven L. Neural correlates of testing effects in vocabulary learning. Neuroimage 2013; 78:94-102. [PMID: 23578576 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.03.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2012] [Revised: 01/30/2013] [Accepted: 03/27/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Tests that require memory retrieval strongly improve long-term retention in comparison to continued studying. For example, once learners know the translation of a word, restudy practice, during which they see the word and its translation again, is less effective than testing practice, during which they see only the word and retrieve the translation from memory. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we investigated the neuro-cognitive mechanisms underlying this striking testing effect. Twenty-six young adults without prior knowledge of Swahili learned the translation of 100 Swahili words and then further practiced the words in an fMRI scanner by restudying or by testing. Recall of the translations on a final memory test after one week was significantly better and faster for tested words than for restudied words. Brain regions that were more active during testing than during restudying included the left inferior frontal gyrus, ventral striatum, and midbrain areas. Increased activity in the left inferior parietal and left middle temporal areas during testing but not during restudying predicted better recall on the final memory test. Together, results suggest that testing may be more beneficial than restudying due to processes related to targeted semantic elaboration and selective strengthening of associations between retrieval cues and relevant responses, and may involve increased effortful cognitive control and modulations of memory through striatal motivation and reward circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gesa S E van den Broek
- Radboud University Nijmegen, Behavioural Science Institute, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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Zhao Q, Zhou Z, Xu H, Chen S, Xu F, Fan W, Han L. Dynamic neural network of insight: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study on solving Chinese 'chengyu' riddles. PLoS One 2013; 8:e59351. [PMID: 23555020 PMCID: PMC3598707 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2012] [Accepted: 02/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The key components of insight include breaking mental sets and forming the novel, task-related associations. The majority of researchers have agreed that the anterior cingulate cortex may mediate processes of breaking one’s mental set, while the exact neural correlates of forming novel associations are still debatable. In the present study, we used a paradigm of answer selection to explore brain activations of insight by using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging during solving Chinese ‘chengyu’ (in Chinese pinyin) riddles. Based on the participant’s choice, the trials were classified into the insight and non-insight conditions. Both stimulus-locked and response-locked analyses are conducted to detect the neural activity corresponding to the early and late periods of insight solution, respectively. Our data indicate that the early period of insight solution shows more activation in the middle temporal gyrus, the middle frontal gyrus and the anterior cingulate cortex. These activities might be associated to the extensive semantic processing, as well as detecting and resolving cognitive conflicts. In contrast, the late period of insight solution produced increased activities in the hippocampus and the amygdala, possibly reflecting the forming of novel association and the concomitant “Aha” feeling. Our study supports the key role of hippocampus in forming novel associations, and indicates a dynamic neural network during insight solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingbai Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhijin Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
- * E-mail: (ZZ); (HX)
| | - Haibo Xu
- MRI Center of Union Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
- * E-mail: (ZZ); (HX)
| | - Shi Chen
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Fang Xu
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wenliang Fan
- MRI Center of Union Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lei Han
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, People’s Republic of China
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Abstract
This study examines the processing of prosodic cues to linguistic structure and to affect, drawing on fMRI and behavioral data from 16 high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and 11 typically developing controls. Stimuli were carefully matched on pitch, intensity, and duration, while varying systematically in conditions of affective prosody (angry versus neutral speech) and grammatical prosody (questions versus statement). To avoid conscious attention to prosody, which normalizes responses in young people with ASD, the implicit comprehension task directed attention to semantic aspects of the stimuli. Results showed that when perceiving prosodic cues, both affective and grammatical, activation of neural regions was more generalized in ASD than in typical development, and areas recruited reflect heightened reliance on cognitive control, reading of intentions, attentional management, and visualization. This broader recruitment of executive and "mind-reading" brain areas for a relative simple language-processing task may be interpreted to suggest that speakers with high-functioning autism (HFA) have developed less automaticity in language processing and may also suggest that "mind-reading" or theory of mind deficits are intricately bound up in language processing. Data provide support for both a right-lateralized as well as a bilateral model of prosodic processing in typical individuals, depending upon the function of the prosodic information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inge-Marie Eigsti
- Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06250, USA.
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