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Menks WM, Ekerdt C, Lemhöfer K, Kidd E, Fernández G, McQueen JM, Janzen G. Developmental changes in brain activation during novel grammar learning in 8-25-year-olds. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 66:101347. [PMID: 38277712 PMCID: PMC10839867 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101347] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024] Open
Abstract
While it is well established that grammar learning success varies with age, the cause of this developmental change is largely unknown. This study examined functional MRI activation across a broad developmental sample of 165 Dutch-speaking individuals (8-25 years) as they were implicitly learning a new grammatical system. This approach allowed us to assess the direct effects of age on grammar learning ability while exploring its neural correlates. In contrast to the alleged advantage of children language learners over adults, we found that adults outperformed children. Moreover, our behavioral data showed a sharp discontinuity in the relationship between age and grammar learning performance: there was a strong positive linear correlation between 8 and 15.4 years of age, after which age had no further effect. Neurally, our data indicate two important findings: (i) during grammar learning, adults and children activate similar brain regions, suggesting continuity in the neural networks that support initial grammar learning; and (ii) activation level is age-dependent, with children showing less activation than older participants. We suggest that these age-dependent processes may constrain developmental effects in grammar learning. The present study provides new insights into the neural basis of age-related differences in grammar learning in second language acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- W M Menks
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - C Ekerdt
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - K Lemhöfer
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - E Kidd
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; School of Literature, Languages, and Linguistics, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - G Fernández
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - J M McQueen
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - G Janzen
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Nathaniel U, Weiss Y, Barouch B, Katzir T, Bitan T. Start shallow and grow deep: The development of a Hebrew reading brain. Neuropsychologia 2022; 176:108376. [PMID: 36181772 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108376] [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: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Brain plasticity implies that readers of different orthographies can have different reading networks. Theoretical models suggest that reading acquisition in transparent orthographies relies on mapping smaller orthographic units to phonology, than reading opaque orthographies; but what are the neural mechanisms underlying this difference? Hebrew has a transparent (pointed) script used for beginners, and a non-transparent script used for skilled readers. The current study examined the developmental changes in brain regions associated with phonological and orthographic processes during reading pointed and un-pointed words. Our results highlight some changes that are universal in reading development, such as a developmental increase in frontal involvement (in bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) pars opercularis), and increase in left asymmetry (in IFG pars opercularis and superior temporal gyrus, STG) of the reading network. Our results also showed a developmental increase in activation in STG, which stands in contrast to previous studies in other orthographies. We further found an interaction of word length and diacritics in bilateral STG and VWFA across both groups. These findings suggest that children slightly adjust their reading depending on orthographic transparency, relying on smaller units when reading a transparent script and on larger units when reading an opaque script. Our results also showed that phonological abilities across groups correlated with activation in the VWFA, regardless of transparency, supporting the continued role of phonology at all levels of orthographic transparency. Our findings are consistent with multiple route reading models, in which both phonological and orthographic processing of multiple size units continue to play a role in children's reading of transparent and opaque scripts during reading development. The results further demonstrate the importance of taking into account differences between orthographies when constructing neural models of reading acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Upasana Nathaniel
- Psychology Department and Institute for Information Processing and Decision Making, University of Haifa, Israel; Integrated Brain and Behavior Center (IBBRC), University of Haifa, Israel.
| | - Yael Weiss
- Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Bechor Barouch
- Psychology Department and Institute for Information Processing and Decision Making, University of Haifa, Israel
| | - Tami Katzir
- Department of Learning Disabilities, The E.J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Israel
| | - Tali Bitan
- Psychology Department and Institute for Information Processing and Decision Making, University of Haifa, Israel; Integrated Brain and Behavior Center (IBBRC), University of Haifa, Israel; Department of Speech Language Pathology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Menks WM, Ekerdt C, Janzen G, Kidd E, Lemhöfer K, Fernández G, McQueen JM. Study protocol: a comprehensive multi-method neuroimaging approach to disentangle developmental effects and individual differences in second language learning. BMC Psychol 2022; 10:169. [PMID: 35804430 PMCID: PMC9270835 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-022-00873-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND While it is well established that second language (L2) learning success changes with age and across individuals, the underlying neural mechanisms responsible for this developmental shift and these individual differences are largely unknown. We will study the behavioral and neural factors that subserve new grammar and word learning in a large cross-sectional developmental sample. This study falls under the NWO (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek [Dutch Research Council]) Language in Interaction consortium (website: https://www.languageininteraction.nl/ ). METHODS We will sample 360 healthy individuals across a broad age range between 8 and 25 years. In this paper, we describe the study design and protocol, which involves multiple study visits covering a comprehensive behavioral battery and extensive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocols. On the basis of these measures, we will create behavioral and neural fingerprints that capture age-based and individual variability in new language learning. The behavioral fingerprint will be based on first and second language proficiency, memory systems, and executive functioning. We will map the neural fingerprint for each participant using the following MRI modalities: T1-weighted, diffusion-weighted, resting-state functional MRI, and multiple functional-MRI paradigms. With respect to the functional MRI measures, half of the sample will learn grammatical features and half will learn words of a new language. Combining all individual fingerprints allows us to explore the neural maturation effects on grammar and word learning. DISCUSSION This will be one of the largest neuroimaging studies to date that investigates the developmental shift in L2 learning covering preadolescence to adulthood. Our comprehensive approach of combining behavioral and neuroimaging data will contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms influencing this developmental shift and individual differences in new language learning. We aim to answer: (I) do these fingerprints differ according to age and can these explain the age-related differences observed in new language learning? And (II) which aspects of the behavioral and neural fingerprints explain individual differences (across and within ages) in grammar and word learning? The results of this study provide a unique opportunity to understand how the development of brain structure and function influence new language learning success.
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Affiliation(s)
- W M Menks
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, and Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - C Ekerdt
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, and Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - G Janzen
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, and Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - E Kidd
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Canberra, Australia
- Research School of Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - K Lemhöfer
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, and Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - G Fernández
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, and Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - J M McQueen
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, and Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Carey D, McGettigan C. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and vocal tract: Applications to the study of speech production and language learning. Neuropsychologia 2016; 98:201-211. [PMID: 27288115 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2016] [Revised: 06/02/2016] [Accepted: 06/05/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The human vocal system is highly plastic, allowing for the flexible expression of language, mood and intentions. However, this plasticity is not stable throughout the life span, and it is well documented that adult learners encounter greater difficulty than children in acquiring the sounds of foreign languages. Researchers have used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to interrogate the neural substrates of vocal imitation and learning, and the correlates of individual differences in phonetic "talent". In parallel, a growing body of work using MR technology to directly image the vocal tract in real time during speech has offered primarily descriptive accounts of phonetic variation within and across languages. In this paper, we review the contribution of neural MRI to our understanding of vocal learning, and give an overview of vocal tract imaging and its potential to inform the field. We propose methods by which our understanding of speech production and learning could be advanced through the combined measurement of articulation and brain activity using MRI - specifically, we describe a novel paradigm, developed in our laboratory, that uses both MRI techniques to for the first time map directly between neural, articulatory and acoustic data in the investigation of vocalisation. This non-invasive, multimodal imaging method could be used to track central and peripheral correlates of spoken language learning, and speech recovery in clinical settings, as well as provide insights into potential sites for targeted neural interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Carey
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Carolyn McGettigan
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
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Weiss-Croft LJ, Baldeweg T. Maturation of language networks in children: A systematic review of 22years of functional MRI. Neuroimage 2015. [PMID: 26213350 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.07.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding how language networks change during childhood is important for theories of cognitive development and for identifying the neural causes of language impairment. Despite this, there is currently little systematic evidence regarding the typical developmental trajectory for language from the field of neuroimaging. We reviewed functional MRI (fMRI) studies published between 1992 and 2014, and quantified the evidence for age-related changes in localisation and lateralisation of fMRI activation in the language network (excluding the cerebellum and subcortical regions). Although age-related changes differed according to task type and input modality, we identified four consistent findings concerning the typical maturation of the language system. First, activation in core semantic processing regions increases with age. Second, activation in lower-level sensory and motor regions increases with age as activation in higher-level control regions reduces. We suggest that this reflects increased automaticity of language processing as children become more proficient. Third, the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus (regions associated with the default mode network) show increasing attenuation across childhood and adolescence. Finally, language lateralisation is established by approximately 5years of age. Small increases in leftward lateralisation are observed in frontal regions, but these are tightly linked to performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise J Weiss-Croft
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, Developmental Neurosciences Programme, UCL Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
| | - Torsten Baldeweg
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, Developmental Neurosciences Programme, UCL Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
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