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Chang YN, Chang TJ, Lin WF, Kuo CE, Shi YT, Lee HW. Modelling individual differences in reading using an optimised MikeNet simulator: the impact of reading instruction. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 18:1356483. [PMID: 38974479 PMCID: PMC11224532 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1356483] [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: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Reading is vital for acquiring knowledge and studies have demonstrated that phonology-focused interventions generally yield greater improvements than meaning-focused interventions in English among children with reading disabilities. However, the effectiveness of reading instruction can vary among individuals. Among the various factors that impact reading skills like reading exposure and oral language skills, reading instruction is critical in facilitating children's development into skilled readers; it can significantly influence reading strategies, and contribute to individual differences in reading. To investigate this assumption, we developed a computational model of reading with an optimised MikeNet simulator. In keeping with educational practices, the model underwent training with three different instructional methods: phonology-focused training, meaning-focused training, and phonology-meaning balanced training. We used semantic reliance (SR), a measure of the relative reliance on print-to-sound and print-to-meaning mappings under the different training conditions in the model, as an indicator of individual differences in reading. The simulation results demonstrated a direct link between SR levels and the type of reading instruction. Additionally, the SR scores were able to predict model performance in reading-aloud tasks: higher SR scores were correlated with increased phonological errors and reduced phonological activation. These findings are consistent with data from both behavioral and neuroimaging studies and offer insights into the impact of instructional methods on reading behaviors, while revealing individual differences in reading and the importance of integrating OP and OS instruction approaches for beginning readers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Ning Chang
- Miin Wu School of Computing, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Jung Chang
- Department of Computer Science, National Yang-Ming Chiao-Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Fen Lin
- Miin Wu School of Computing, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Ching-En Kuo
- Miin Wu School of Computing, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ting Shi
- Miin Wu School of Computing, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Wei Lee
- Miin Wu School of Computing, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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2
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Fahey D, Fridriksson J, Hickok G, Matchin W. Lesion-symptom Mapping of Acceptability Judgments in Chronic Poststroke Aphasia Reveals the Neurobiological Underpinnings of Receptive Syntax. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:1141-1155. [PMID: 38437175 PMCID: PMC11095916 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Disagreements persist regarding the neural basis of syntactic processing, which has been linked both to inferior frontal and posterior temporal regions of the brain. One focal point of the debate concerns the role of inferior frontal areas in receptive syntactic ability, which is mostly assessed using sentence comprehension involving complex syntactic structures, a task that is potentially confounded with working memory. Syntactic acceptability judgments may provide a better measure of receptive syntax by reducing the need to use high working memory load and complex sentences and by enabling assessment of various types of syntactic violations. We therefore tested the perception of grammatical violations by people with poststroke aphasia (n = 25), along with matched controls (n = 16), using English sentences involving errors in word order, agreement, or subcategorization. Lesion data were also collected. Control participants performed near ceiling in accuracy with higher discriminability of agreement and subcategorization violations than word order; aphasia participants were less able to discriminate violations, but, on average, paralleled control participants discriminability of types of violations. Lesion-symptom mapping showed a correlation between discriminability and posterior temporal regions, but not inferior frontal regions. We argue that these results diverge from models holding that frontal areas are amodal core regions in syntactic structure building and favor models that posit a core hierarchical system in posterior temporal regions.
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3
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Shain C, Kean H, Casto C, Lipkin B, Affourtit J, Siegelman M, Mollica F, Fedorenko E. Distributed Sensitivity to Syntax and Semantics throughout the Language Network. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:1427-1471. [PMID: 38683732 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Human language is expressive because it is compositional: The meaning of a sentence (semantics) can be inferred from its structure (syntax). It is commonly believed that language syntax and semantics are processed by distinct brain regions. Here, we revisit this claim using precision fMRI methods to capture separation or overlap of function in the brains of individual participants. Contrary to prior claims, we find distributed sensitivity to both syntax and semantics throughout a broad frontotemporal brain network. Our results join a growing body of evidence for an integrated network for language in the human brain within which internal specialization is primarily a matter of degree rather than kind, in contrast with influential proposals that advocate distinct specialization of different brain areas for different types of linguistic functions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hope Kean
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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4
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Matchin W, Mollasaraei ZK, Bonilha L, Rorden C, Hickok G, den Ouden D, Fridriksson J. Verbal working memory and syntactic comprehension segregate into the dorsal and ventral streams. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.05.592577. [PMID: 38746328 PMCID: PMC11092776 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.05.592577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Syntactic processing and verbal working memory are both essential components to sentence comprehension. Nonetheless, the separability of these systems in the brain remains unclear. To address this issue, we performed causal-inference analyses based on lesion and connectome network mapping using MRI and behavioral testing in 103 individuals with chronic post-stroke aphasia. We employed a rhyme judgment task with heavy working memory load without articulatory confounds, controlling for the overall ability to match auditory words to pictures and to perform a metalinguistic rhyme judgment, isolating the effect of working memory load. We assessed noncanonical sentence comprehension, isolating syntactic processing by incorporating residual rhyme judgment performance as a covariate for working memory load. Voxel-based lesion analyses and structural connectome-based lesion symptom mapping controlling for total lesion volume were performed, with permutation testing to correct for multiple comparisons (4,000 permutations). We observed that effects of working memory load localized to dorsal stream damage: posterior temporal-parietal lesions and frontal-parietal white matter disconnections. These effects were differentiated from syntactic comprehension deficits, which were primarily associated with ventral stream damage: lesions to temporal lobe and temporal-parietal white matter disconnections, particularly when incorporating the residual measure of working memory load as a covariate. Our results support the conclusion that working memory and syntactic processing are associated with distinct brain networks, largely loading onto dorsal and ventral streams, respectively.
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5
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Matchin W, Almeida D, Hickok G, Sprouse J. Cortical networks responsive to phrase structure and subject island violations. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.05.592579. [PMID: 38746262 PMCID: PMC11092748 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.05.592579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
In principle, functional neuroimaging provides uniquely informative data in addressing linguistic questions, because it can indicate distinct processes that are not apparent from behavioral data alone. This could involve adjudicating the source of unacceptability via the different patterns of elicited brain responses to different ungrammatical sentence types. However, it is difficult to interpret brain activations to syntactic violations. Such responses could reflect processes that have nothing intrinsically related to linguistic representations, such as domain-general executive function abilities. In order to facilitate the potential use of functional neuroimaging methods to identify the source of different syntactic violations, we conducted an fMRI experiment to identify the brain activation maps associated with two distinct syntactic violation types: phrase structure (created by inverting the order of two adjacent words within a sentence) and subject islands (created by extracting a wh-phrase out of an embedded subject). The comparison of these violations to control sentences surprisingly showed no indication of a generalized violation response, with almost completely divergent activation patterns. Phrase structure violations seemingly activated regions previously implicated in verbal working memory and structural complexity in sentence processing, whereas the subject islands appeared to activate regions previously implicated in conceptual-semantic processing, broadly defined. We review our findings in the context of previous research on syntactic and semantic violations using event-related potentials. We suggest that functional neuroimaging is a potentially fruitful technique in unpacking the distinct sets of cognitive processes elicited by theoretically-relevant syntactic violations, when interpreted with care and paired with appropriate control conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Matchin
- Dept. of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina
| | | | - Gregory Hickok
- Dept. of Cognitive Sciences and Dept. of Language Science, University of California, Irvine
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6
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Naghibi N, Jahangiri N, Khosrowabadi R, Eickhoff CR, Eickhoff SB, Coull JT, Tahmasian M. Embodying Time in the Brain: A Multi-Dimensional Neuroimaging Meta-Analysis of 95 Duration Processing Studies. Neuropsychol Rev 2024; 34:277-298. [PMID: 36857010 PMCID: PMC10920454 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-023-09588-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Time is an omnipresent aspect of almost everything we experience internally or in the external world. The experience of time occurs through such an extensive set of contextual factors that, after decades of research, a unified understanding of its neural substrates is still elusive. In this study, following the recent best-practice guidelines, we conducted a coordinate-based meta-analysis of 95 carefully-selected neuroimaging papers of duration processing. We categorized the included papers into 14 classes of temporal features according to six categorical dimensions. Then, using the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) technique we investigated the convergent activation patterns of each class with a cluster-level family-wise error correction at p < 0.05. The regions most consistently activated across the various timing contexts were the pre-SMA and bilateral insula, consistent with an embodied theory of timing in which abstract representations of duration are rooted in sensorimotor and interoceptive experience, respectively. Moreover, class-specific patterns of activation could be roughly divided according to whether participants were timing auditory sequential stimuli, which additionally activated the dorsal striatum and SMA-proper, or visual single interval stimuli, which additionally activated the right middle frontal and inferior parietal cortices. We conclude that temporal cognition is so entangled with our everyday experience that timing stereotypically common combinations of stimulus characteristics reactivates the sensorimotor systems with which they were first experienced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narges Naghibi
- Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nadia Jahangiri
- Faculty of Psychology & Education, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Khosrowabadi
- Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Claudia R Eickhoff
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine Research, Structural and functional organisation of the brain (INM-1), Jülich Research Center, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine Research, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Jülich Research Center, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, Jülich, Germany
- Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jennifer T Coull
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (UMR 7291), Aix-Marseille Université & CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - Masoud Tahmasian
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine Research, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Jülich Research Center, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, Jülich, Germany.
- Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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7
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Barbieri E, Lukic S, Rogalski E, Weintraub S, Mesulam MM, Thompson CK. Neural mechanisms of sentence production: a volumetric study of primary progressive aphasia. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad470. [PMID: 38100360 PMCID: PMC10793577 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad470] [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: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies on the neural bases of sentence production have yielded mixed results, partly due to differences in tasks and participant types. In this study, 101 individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) were evaluated using a test that required spoken production following an auditory prime (Northwestern Assessment of Verbs and Sentences-Sentence Production Priming Test, NAVS-SPPT), and one that required building a sentence by ordering word cards (Northwestern Anagram Test, NAT). Voxel-Based Morphometry revealed that gray matter (GM) volume in left inferior/middle frontal gyri (L IFG/MFG) was associated with sentence production accuracy on both tasks, more so for complex sentences, whereas, GM volume in left posterior temporal regions was exclusively associated with NAVS-SPPT performance and predicted by performance on a Digit Span Forward (DSF) task. Verb retrieval deficits partly mediated the relationship between L IFG/MFG and performance on the NAVS-SPPT. These findings underscore the importance of L IFG/MFG for sentence production and suggest that this relationship is partly accounted for by verb retrieval deficits, but not phonological loop integrity. In contrast, it is possible that the posterior temporal cortex is associated with auditory short-term memory ability, to the extent that DSF performance is a valid measure of this in aphasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Barbieri
- Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, 300 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - Sladjana Lukic
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Adelphi University, 158 Cambridge Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530, United States
| | - Emily Rogalski
- Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, 300 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - Sandra Weintraub
- Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, 300 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, 676 N Saint Clair Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - Marek-Marsel Mesulam
- Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, 300 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, 300 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - Cynthia K Thompson
- Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, 300 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, 300 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
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8
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van der Burght CL, Friederici AD, Maran M, Papitto G, Pyatigorskaya E, Schroën JAM, Trettenbrein PC, Zaccarella E. Cleaning up the Brickyard: How Theory and Methodology Shape Experiments in Cognitive Neuroscience of Language. J Cogn Neurosci 2023; 35:2067-2088. [PMID: 37713672 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
The capacity for language is a defining property of our species, yet despite decades of research, evidence on its neural basis is still mixed and a generalized consensus is difficult to achieve. We suggest that this is partly caused by researchers defining "language" in different ways, with focus on a wide range of phenomena, properties, and levels of investigation. Accordingly, there is very little agreement among cognitive neuroscientists of language on the operationalization of fundamental concepts to be investigated in neuroscientific experiments. Here, we review chains of derivation in the cognitive neuroscience of language, focusing on how the hypothesis under consideration is defined by a combination of theoretical and methodological assumptions. We first attempt to disentangle the complex relationship between linguistics, psychology, and neuroscience in the field. Next, we focus on how conclusions that can be drawn from any experiment are inherently constrained by auxiliary assumptions, both theoretical and methodological, on which the validity of conclusions drawn rests. These issues are discussed in the context of classical experimental manipulations as well as study designs that employ novel approaches such as naturalistic stimuli and computational modeling. We conclude by proposing that a highly interdisciplinary field such as the cognitive neuroscience of language requires researchers to form explicit statements concerning the theoretical definitions, methodological choices, and other constraining factors involved in their work.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matteo Maran
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School on Neuroscience of Communication, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Giorgio Papitto
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School on Neuroscience of Communication, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elena Pyatigorskaya
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School on Neuroscience of Communication, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Joëlle A M Schroën
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School on Neuroscience of Communication, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Patrick C Trettenbrein
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School on Neuroscience of Communication, Leipzig, Germany
- University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Emiliano Zaccarella
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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9
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Zora H, Wester J, Csépe V. Predictions about prosody facilitate lexical access: Evidence from P50/N100 and MMN components. Int J Psychophysiol 2023; 194:112262. [PMID: 37924955 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2023.112262] [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: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
Research into the neural foundation of perception asserts a model where top-down predictions modulate the bottom-up processing of sensory input. Despite becoming increasingly influential in cognitive neuroscience, the precise account of this predictive coding framework remains debated. In this study, we aim to contribute to this debate by investigating how predictions about prosody facilitate speech perception, and to shed light especially on lexical access influenced by simultaneous predictions in different domains, inter alia, prosodic and semantic. Using a passive auditory oddball paradigm, we examined neural responses to prosodic changes, leading to a semantic change as in Dutch nouns canon ['kaːnɔn] 'canon' vs kanon [kaː'nɔn] 'cannon', and used acoustically identical pseudowords as controls. Results from twenty-eight native speakers of Dutch (age range 18-32 years) indicated an enhanced P50/N100 complex to prosodic change in pseudowords as well as an MMN response to both words and pseudowords. The enhanced P50/N100 response to pseudowords is claimed to indicate that all relevant auditory information is still processed by the brain, whereas the reduced response to words might reflect the suppression of information that has already been encoded. The MMN response to pseudowords and words, on the other hand, is best justified by the unification of previously established prosodic representations with sensory and semantic input respectively. This pattern of results is in line with the predictive coding framework acting on multiple levels and is of crucial importance to indicate that predictions about linguistic prosodic information are utilized by the brain as early as 50 ms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hatice Zora
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, P.O. Box 310 6500, AH, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Janniek Wester
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, P.O. Box 310 6500, AH, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Valéria Csépe
- HUN-REN Research Centre of Natural Sciences, Brain Imaging Centre, P.O. Box 286 1519, Budapest, Hungary
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10
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Alho J, Samuelsson JG, Khan S, Mamashli F, Bharadwaj H, Losh A, McGuiggan NM, Graham S, Nayal Z, Perrachione TK, Joseph RM, Stoodley CJ, Hämäläinen MS, Kenet T. Both stronger and weaker cerebro-cerebellar functional connectivity patterns during processing of spoken sentences in autism spectrum disorder. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:5810-5827. [PMID: 37688547 PMCID: PMC10619366 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26478] [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: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Cerebellar differences have long been documented in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet the extent to which such differences might impact language processing in ASD remains unknown. To investigate this, we recorded brain activity with magnetoencephalography (MEG) while ASD and age-matched typically developing (TD) children passively processed spoken meaningful English and meaningless Jabberwocky sentences. Using a novel source localization approach that allows higher resolution MEG source localization of cerebellar activity, we found that, unlike TD children, ASD children showed no difference between evoked responses to meaningful versus meaningless sentences in right cerebellar lobule VI. ASD children also had atypically weak functional connectivity in the meaningful versus meaningless speech condition between right cerebellar lobule VI and several left-hemisphere sensorimotor and language regions in later time windows. In contrast, ASD children had atypically strong functional connectivity for in the meaningful versus meaningless speech condition between right cerebellar lobule VI and primary auditory cortical areas in an earlier time window. The atypical functional connectivity patterns in ASD correlated with ASD severity and the ability to inhibit involuntary attention. These findings align with a model where cerebro-cerebellar speech processing mechanisms in ASD are impacted by aberrant stimulus-driven attention, which could result from atypical temporal information and predictions of auditory sensory events by right cerebellar lobule VI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jussi Alho
- Department of NeurologyMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - John G. Samuelsson
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Harvard‐MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Sheraz Khan
- Department of NeurologyMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of RadiologyMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Fahimeh Mamashli
- Department of NeurologyMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of RadiologyMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Hari Bharadwaj
- Department of NeurologyMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, and Weldon School of Biomedical EngineeringPurdue UniversityWest LafayetteIndianaUSA
| | - Ainsley Losh
- Department of NeurologyMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Nicole M. McGuiggan
- Department of NeurologyMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Steven Graham
- Department of NeurologyMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Zein Nayal
- Department of NeurologyMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Tyler K. Perrachione
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing SciencesBoston UniversityBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Robert M. Joseph
- Department of Anatomy and NeurobiologyBoston University School of MedicineBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Catherine J. Stoodley
- Department of PsychologyCollege of Arts and Sciences, American UniversityWashingtonDCUSA
| | - Matti S. Hämäläinen
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of RadiologyMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Tal Kenet
- Department of NeurologyMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
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11
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Schroën JAM, Gunter TC, Numssen O, Kroczek LOH, Hartwigsen G, Friederici AD. Causal evidence for a coordinated temporal interplay within the language network. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2306279120. [PMID: 37963247 PMCID: PMC10666120 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306279120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent neurobiological models on language suggest that auditory sentence comprehension is supported by a coordinated temporal interplay within a left-dominant brain network, including the posterior inferior frontal gyrus (pIFG), posterior superior temporal gyrus and sulcus (pSTG/STS), and angular gyrus (AG). Here, we probed the timing and causal relevance of the interplay between these regions by means of concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG). Our TMS-EEG experiments reveal region- and time-specific causal evidence for a bidirectional information flow from left pSTG/STS to left pIFG and back during auditory sentence processing. Adapting a condition-and-perturb approach, our findings further suggest that the left pSTG/STS can be supported by the left AG in a state-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joëlle A. M. Schroën
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Thomas C. Gunter
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Ole Numssen
- Methods and Development Group Brain Networks, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig04103, Germany
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Leon O. H. Kroczek
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg93053, Germany
| | - Gesa Hartwigsen
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig04103, Germany
- Cognitive and Biological Psychology, Wilhelm Wundt Institute for Psychology, Leipzig04109, Germany
| | - Angela D. Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig04103, Germany
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12
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Ivanova MV, Pappas I, Inglis B, Pracar AL, Herron TJ, Baldo JV, Kayser AS, D’Esposito M, Dronkers NF. Cerebral perfusion in post-stroke aphasia and its relationship to residual language abilities. Brain Commun 2023; 6:fcad252. [PMID: 38162898 PMCID: PMC10757451 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Stroke alters blood flow to the brain resulting in damaged tissue and cell death. Moreover, the disruption of cerebral blood flow (perfusion) can be observed in areas surrounding and distal to the lesion. These structurally preserved but suboptimally perfused regions may also affect recovery. Thus, to better understand aphasia recovery, the relationship between cerebral perfusion and language needs to be systematically examined. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate (i) how stroke affects perfusion outside of lesioned areas in chronic aphasia and (ii) how perfusion in specific cortical areas and perilesional tissue relates to language outcomes in aphasia. We analysed perfusion data from a large sample of participants with chronic aphasia due to left hemisphere stroke (n = 43) and age-matched healthy controls (n = 25). We used anatomically defined regions of interest that covered the frontal, parietal, and temporal areas of the perisylvian cortex in both hemispheres, areas typically known to support language, along with several control regions not implicated in language processing. For the aphasia group, we also looked at three regions of interest in the perilesional tissue. We compared perfusion levels between the two groups and investigated the relationship between perfusion levels and language subtest scores while controlling for demographic and lesion variables. First, we observed that perfusion levels outside the lesioned areas were significantly reduced in frontal and parietal regions in the left hemisphere in people with aphasia compared to the control group, while no differences were observed for the right hemisphere regions. Second, we found that perfusion in the left temporal lobe (and most strongly in the posterior part of both superior and middle temporal gyri) and inferior parietal areas (supramarginal gyrus) was significantly related to residual expressive and receptive language abilities. In contrast, perfusion in the frontal regions did not show such a relationship; no relationship with language was also observed for perfusion levels in control areas and all right hemisphere regions. Third, perilesional perfusion was only marginally related to language production abilities. Cumulatively, the current findings demonstrate that blood flow is reduced beyond the lesion site in chronic aphasia and that hypoperfused neural tissue in critical temporoparietal language areas has a negative impact on behavioural outcomes. These results, using perfusion imaging, underscore the critical and general role that left hemisphere posterior temporal regions play in various expressive and receptive language abilities. Overall, the study highlights the importance of exploring perfusion measures in stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria V Ivanova
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Research Service, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA 94553, USA
| | - Ioannis Pappas
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Ben Inglis
- Henry H. Wheeler, Jr. Brain Imaging Center, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Alexis L Pracar
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Timothy J Herron
- Research Service, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA 94553, USA
| | - Juliana V Baldo
- Research Service, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA 94553, USA
| | - Andrew S Kayser
- Division of Neurology, San Francisco VA Health Care System, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Mark D’Esposito
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Neurology Service, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA 94553, USA
| | - Nina F Dronkers
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Depertment of Neurology, University of California, Davis, CA 95817, USA
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13
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Yu Q, Jiang Y, Sun Y, Ju X, Ye T, Liu N, Qian S, Liu K. Effects of Damage to the Integrity of the Left Dual-Stream Frontotemporal Network Mediated by the Arcuate Fasciculus and Uncinate Fasciculus on Acute/Subacute Post-Stroke Aphasia. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1324. [PMID: 37759925 PMCID: PMC10526853 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13091324] [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: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: To investigate the correlation between the integrity of the left dual-stream frontotemporal network mediated by the arcuate fasciculus (AF) and uncinate fasciculus (UF), and acute/subacute post-stroke aphasia (PSA). (2) Methods: Thirty-six patients were recruited and received both a language assessment and a diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scan. Correlations between diffusion indices in the bilateral LSAF/UF and language performance assessment were analyzed with correlation analyses. Multiple linear regression analysis was also implemented to investigate the effects of the integrity of the left LSAF/UF on language performance. (3) Results: Correlation analyses showed that the diffusion indices, including mean fractional anisotropy (FA) values and the fiber number of the left LSAF rather than the left UF was significantly positively associated with language domain scores (p < 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed an independent and positive association between the mean FA value of the left LSAF and the percentage score of language subsets. In addition, no interaction effect of the integrity of the left LSAF and UF on language performance was found (p > 0.05). (4) Conclusions: The integrity of the left LSAF, but not the UF, might play important roles in supporting residual language ability in individuals with acute/subacute PSA; simultaneous disruption of the dual-stream frontotemporal network mediated by the left LSAF and UF would not result in more severe aphasia than damage to either pathway alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiwei Yu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215008, China; (Q.Y.); (Y.J.); (X.J.); (T.Y.); (N.L.); (S.Q.)
| | - Yuer Jiang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215008, China; (Q.Y.); (Y.J.); (X.J.); (T.Y.); (N.L.); (S.Q.)
| | - Yan Sun
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215008, China;
| | - Xiaowen Ju
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215008, China; (Q.Y.); (Y.J.); (X.J.); (T.Y.); (N.L.); (S.Q.)
| | - Tianfen Ye
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215008, China; (Q.Y.); (Y.J.); (X.J.); (T.Y.); (N.L.); (S.Q.)
| | - Na Liu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215008, China; (Q.Y.); (Y.J.); (X.J.); (T.Y.); (N.L.); (S.Q.)
| | - Surong Qian
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215008, China; (Q.Y.); (Y.J.); (X.J.); (T.Y.); (N.L.); (S.Q.)
| | - Kefu Liu
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215008, China;
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14
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Czypionka A, Kharaman M, Eulitz C. Wolf-hound vs. sled-dog: neurolinguistic evidence for semantic decomposition in the recognition of German noun-noun compounds. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1173352. [PMID: 37663335 PMCID: PMC10470010 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1173352] [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: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Animacy is an intrinsic semantic property of words referring to living things. A long line of evidence shows that words with animate referents require lower processing costs during word recognition than words with inanimate referents, leading among others to a decreased N400 amplitude in reaction to animate relative to inanimate objects. In the current study, we use this animacy effect to provide evidence for access to the semantic properties of constituents in German noun-noun compounds. While morphological decomposition of noun-noun compounds is well-researched and illustrated by the robust influence of lexical constituent properties like constituent length and frequency, findings for semantic decomposition are less clear in the current literature. By manipulating the animacy of compound modifiers and heads, we are able to manipulate the relative ease of lexical access strictly due to intrinsic semantic properties of the constituents. Our results show additive effects of constituent animacy, with a higher number of animate constituents leading to gradually attenuated N400 amplitudes. We discuss the implications of our findings for current models of complex word recognition, as well as stimulus construction practices in psycho-and neurolinguistic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Czypionka
- Department of Linguistics, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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15
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Pitkäniemi A, Särkämö T, Siponkoski ST, Brownsett SLE, Copland DA, Sairanen V, Sihvonen AJ. Hodological organization of spoken language production and singing in the human brain. Commun Biol 2023; 6:779. [PMID: 37495670 PMCID: PMC10371982 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05152-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Theories expounding the neural relationship between speech and singing range from sharing neural circuitry, to relying on opposite hemispheres. Yet, hodological studies exploring their shared and distinct neural networks remain scarce. In this study, we combine a white matter connectometry approach together with comprehensive and naturalistic appraisal of verbal expression during spoken language production and singing in a sample of individuals with post-stroke aphasia. Our results reveal that both spoken language production and singing are mainly supported by the left hemisphere language network and projection pathways. However, while spoken language production mostly engaged dorsal and ventral streams of speech processing, singing was associated primarily with the left ventral stream. These findings provide evidence that speech and singing share core neuronal circuitry within the left hemisphere, while distinct ventral stream contributions explain frequently observed dissociations in aphasia. Moreover, the results suggest prerequisite biomarkers for successful singing-based therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anni Pitkäniemi
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Teppo Särkämö
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sini-Tuuli Siponkoski
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sonia L E Brownsett
- Queensland Aphasia Research Centre, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Centre of Research Excellence in Aphasia Recovery and Rehabilitation, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - David A Copland
- Queensland Aphasia Research Centre, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Centre of Research Excellence in Aphasia Recovery and Rehabilitation, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Viljami Sairanen
- BABA Center, Pediatric Research Center, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Aleksi J Sihvonen
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Queensland Aphasia Research Centre, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Centre of Research Excellence in Aphasia Recovery and Rehabilitation, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Hospital and Department of Neurosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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16
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Rogenmoser L, Mouthon M, Etter F, Kamber J, Annoni JM, Schwab S. The processing of stress in a foreign language modulates functional antagonism between default mode and attention network regions. Neuropsychologia 2023; 185:108572. [PMID: 37119986 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108572] [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: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
Lexical stress is an essential element of prosody. Mastering this prosodic feature is challenging, especially in a free-stress foreign language for individuals native to a fixed-stress language, a phenomenon referred to as stress deafness. By using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we elucidated the neuronal underpinnings of stress processing in a free-stress foreign language, and determined the underlying mechanism of stress deafness. Here, we contrasted behavioral and hemodynamic responses revealed by native speakers of a free-stress (German; N = 38) and a fixed-stress (French; N = 47) language while discriminating pairs of words in a free-stress foreign language (Spanish). Consistent with the stress deafness phenomenon, French speakers performed worse than German speakers in discriminating Spanish words based on cues of stress but not of vowel. Whole-brain analyses revealed widespread bilateral networks (cerebral regions including frontal, temporal and parietal areas as well as insular, subcortical and cerebellar structures), overlapping with the ones previously associated with stress processing within native languages. Moreover, our results provide evidence that the structures pertaining to a right-lateralized attention system (i.e., middle frontal gyrus, anterior insula) and the Default Mode Network modulate stress processing as a function of the performance level. In comparison to the German speakers, the French speakers activated the attention system and deactivated the Default Mode Network to a stronger degree, reflecting attentive engagement, likely a compensatory mechanism underlying the "stress-deaf" brain. The mechanism modulating stress processing argues for a rightward lateralization, indeed overlapping with the location covered by the dorsal stream but remaining unspecific to speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Rogenmoser
- Department of French, Université de Fribourg, Beauregard 11-13, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Michael Mouthon
- Neurology-Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Sciences, University of Fribourg, Chemin Du Musée, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Faustine Etter
- Department of French, Université de Fribourg, Beauregard 11-13, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Julie Kamber
- Department of French, Université de Fribourg, Beauregard 11-13, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Jean-Marie Annoni
- Neurology-Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Sciences, University of Fribourg, Chemin Du Musée, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Sandra Schwab
- Department of French, Université de Fribourg, Beauregard 11-13, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland; Institute of French, University of Bern, Längassstrasse 49, 3012, Bern, Switzerland; Computational Linguistics / Phonetics and Speech Sciences, University of Zurich, Andreastrasse 15, 8050, Zurich, Switzerland.
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17
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Alho J, Khan S, Mamashli F, Perrachione TK, Losh A, McGuiggan NM, Graham S, Nayal Z, Joseph RM, Hämäläinen MS, Bharadwaj H, Kenet T. Atypical cortical processing of bottom-up speech binding cues in children with autism spectrum disorders. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 37:103336. [PMID: 36724734 PMCID: PMC9898310 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103336] [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: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) commonly display speech processing abnormalities. Binding of acoustic features of speech distributed across different frequencies into coherent speech objects is fundamental in speech perception. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the cortical processing of bottom-up acoustic cues for speech binding may be anomalous in ASD. We recorded magnetoencephalography while ASD children (ages 7-17) and typically developing peers heard sentences of sine-wave speech (SWS) and modulated SWS (MSS) where binding cues were restored through increased temporal coherence of the acoustic components and the introduction of harmonicity. The ASD group showed increased long-range feedforward functional connectivity from left auditory to parietal cortex with concurrent decreased local functional connectivity within the parietal region during MSS relative to SWS. As the parietal region has been implicated in auditory object binding, our findings support our hypothesis of atypical bottom-up speech binding in ASD. Furthermore, the long-range functional connectivity correlated with behaviorally measured auditory processing abnormalities, confirming the relevance of these atypical cortical signatures to the ASD phenotype. Lastly, the group difference in the local functional connectivity was driven by the youngest participants, suggesting that impaired speech binding in ASD might be ameliorated upon entering adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jussi Alho
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA.
| | - Sheraz Khan
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Fahimeh Mamashli
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Tyler K Perrachione
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Ainsley Losh
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Nicole M McGuiggan
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Steven Graham
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Zein Nayal
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Robert M Joseph
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, 72 East Concord St, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Matti S Hämäläinen
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Hari Bharadwaj
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, and Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, 715 Clinic Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Tal Kenet
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Boston, MA 02129, USA.
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18
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Garrido Rodriguez G, Norcliffe E, Brown P, Huettig F, Levinson SC. Anticipatory Processing in a Verb-Initial Mayan Language: Eye-Tracking Evidence During Sentence Comprehension in Tseltal. Cogn Sci 2023; 47:e13292. [PMID: 36652288 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.13219] [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: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
We present a visual world eye-tracking study on Tseltal (a Mayan language) and investigate whether verbal information can be used to anticipate an upcoming referent. Basic word order in transitive sentences in Tseltal is Verb-Object-Subject (VOS). The verb is usually encountered first, making argument structure and syntactic information available at the outset, which should facilitate anticipation of the post-verbal arguments. Tseltal speakers listened to verb-initial sentences with either an object-predictive verb (e.g., "eat") or a general verb (e.g., "look for") (e.g., "Ya slo'/sle ta stukel on te kereme," Is eating/is looking (for) by himself the avocado the boy/ "The boy is eating/is looking (for) an avocado by himself") while seeing a visual display showing one potential referent (e.g., avocado) and three distractors (e.g., bag, toy car, coffee grinder). We manipulated verb type (predictive vs. general) and recorded participants' eye movements while they listened and inspected the visual scene. Participants' fixations to the target referent were analyzed using multilevel logistic regression models. Shortly after hearing the predictive verb, participants fixated the target object before it was mentioned. In contrast, when the verb was general, fixations to the target only started to increase once the object was heard. Our results suggest that Tseltal hearers pre-activate semantic features of the grammatical object prior to its linguistic expression. This provides evidence from a verb-initial language for online incremental semantic interpretation and anticipatory processing during language comprehension. These processes are comparable to the ones identified in subject-initial languages, which is consistent with the notion that different languages follow similar universal processing principles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Garrido Rodriguez
- Language and Cognition Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics.,Language Development Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics.,School of Languages and Linguistics, The University of Melbourne.,ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, The University of Melbourne
| | | | - Penelope Brown
- Language Development Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
| | - Falk Huettig
- Psychology of Language Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics.,Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen.,Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University Nijmegen
| | - Stephen C Levinson
- Language and Cognition Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics.,Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen
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19
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Humphreys GF, Tibon R. Dual-axes of functional organisation across lateral parietal cortex: the angular gyrus forms part of a multi-modal buffering system. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:341-352. [PMID: 35670844 PMCID: PMC9813060 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02510-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Decades of neuropsychological and neuroimaging evidence have implicated the lateral parietal cortex (LPC) in a myriad of cognitive domains, generating numerous influential theoretical models. However, these theories fail to explain why distinct cognitive activities appear to implicate common neural regions. Here we discuss a unifying model in which the angular gyrus forms part of a wider LPC system with a core underlying neurocomputational function; the multi-sensory buffering of spatio-temporally extended representations. We review the principles derived from computational modelling with neuroimaging task data and functional and structural connectivity measures that underpin the unified neurocomputational framework. We propose that although a variety of cognitive activities might draw on shared underlying machinery, variations in task preference across angular gyrus, and wider LPC, arise from graded changes in the underlying structural connectivity of the region to different input/output information sources. More specifically, we propose two primary axes of organisation: a dorsal-ventral axis and an anterior-posterior axis, with variations in task preference arising from underlying connectivity to different core cognitive networks (e.g. the executive, language, visual, or episodic memory networks).
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina F Humphreys
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK.
| | - Roni Tibon
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK.
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
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20
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Caucheteux C, Gramfort A, King JR. Deep language algorithms predict semantic comprehension from brain activity. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16327. [PMID: 36175483 PMCID: PMC9522791 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20460-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep language algorithms, like GPT-2, have demonstrated remarkable abilities to process text, and now constitute the backbone of automatic translation, summarization and dialogue. However, whether these models encode information that relates to human comprehension still remains controversial. Here, we show that the representations of GPT-2 not only map onto the brain responses to spoken stories, but they also predict the extent to which subjects understand the corresponding narratives. To this end, we analyze 101 subjects recorded with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging while listening to 70 min of short stories. We then fit a linear mapping model to predict brain activity from GPT-2's activations. Finally, we show that this mapping reliably correlates ([Formula: see text]) with subjects' comprehension scores as assessed for each story. This effect peaks in the angular, medial temporal and supra-marginal gyri, and is best accounted for by the long-distance dependencies generated in the deep layers of GPT-2. Overall, this study shows how deep language models help clarify the brain computations underlying language comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Caucheteux
- Meta AI Research, Paris, France.
- Université Paris-Saclay, Inria, CEA, Palaiseau, France.
| | | | - Jean-Rémi King
- Meta AI Research, Paris, France
- École normale supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, Paris, France
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21
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Yu M, Song Y, Liu J. The posterior middle temporal gyrus serves as a hub in syntactic comprehension: A model on the syntactic neural network. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2022; 232:105162. [PMID: 35908340 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2022.105162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies have revealed a distributed neural network involving multiple fronto-temporal regions that are active during syntactic processing. Here, we investigated how these regions work collaboratively to support syntactic comprehension by examining the behavioral relevance of the global functional integration of the syntax network (SN). We found that individuals with a stronger resting-state within-network integration in the left posterior middle temporal gyrus (lpMTG) were better at syntactic comprehension. Furthermore, the pair-wise functional connectivity between the lpMTG and the Broca's area, the middle frontal gyrus, and the angular and supramarginal gyri was positively correlated with participants' syntactic processing ability. In short, our study reveals the behavioral significance of intrinsic functional integration of the SN in syntactic comprehension, and provides empirical evidence for the hub-like role of the lpMTG. We proposed a neural model for syntactic comprehension highlighting the hub of the SN and its interactions with other regions in the network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengxia Yu
- Bilingual Cognition and Development Lab, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou 510420, China
| | - Yiying Song
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Jia Liu
- Department of Psychology & Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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22
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Bornkessel-Schlesewsky I, Sharrad I, Howlett CA, Alday PM, Corcoran AW, Bellan V, Wilkinson E, Kliegl R, Lewis RL, Small SL, Schlesewsky M. Rapid adaptation of predictive models during language comprehension: Aperiodic EEG slope, individual alpha frequency and idea density modulate individual differences in real-time model updating. Front Psychol 2022; 13:817516. [PMID: 36092106 PMCID: PMC9461998 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.817516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Predictive coding provides a compelling, unified theory of neural information processing, including for language. However, there is insufficient understanding of how predictive models adapt to changing contextual and environmental demands and the extent to which such adaptive processes differ between individuals. Here, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to track prediction error responses during a naturalistic language processing paradigm. In Experiment 1, 45 native speakers of English listened to a series of short passages. Via a speaker manipulation, we introduced changing intra-experimental adjective order probabilities for two-adjective noun phrases embedded within the passages and investigated whether prediction error responses adapt to reflect these intra-experimental predictive contingencies. To this end, we calculated a novel measure of speaker-based, intra-experimental surprisal (“speaker-based surprisal”) as defined on a trial-by-trial basis and by clustering together adjectives with a similar meaning. N400 amplitude at the position of the critical second adjective was used as an outcome measure of prediction error. Results showed that N400 responses attuned to speaker-based surprisal over the course of the experiment, thus indicating that listeners rapidly adapt their predictive models to reflect local environmental contingencies (here: the probability of one type of adjective following another when uttered by a particular speaker). Strikingly, this occurs in spite of the wealth of prior linguistic experience that participants bring to the laboratory. Model adaptation effects were strongest for participants with a steep aperiodic (1/f) slope in resting EEG and low individual alpha frequency (IAF), with idea density (ID) showing a more complex pattern. These results were replicated in a separate sample of 40 participants in Experiment 2, which employed a highly similar design to Experiment 1. Overall, our results suggest that individuals with a steep aperiodic slope adapt their predictive models most strongly to context-specific probabilistic information. Steep aperiodic slope is thought to reflect low neural noise, which in turn may be associated with higher neural gain control and better cognitive control. Individuals with a steep aperiodic slope may thus be able to more effectively and dynamically reconfigure their prediction-related neural networks to meet current task demands. We conclude that predictive mechanisms in language are highly malleable and dynamic, reflecting both the affordances of the present environment as well as intrinsic information processing capabilities of the individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ina Bornkessel-Schlesewsky
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- *Correspondence: Ina Bornkessel-Schlesewsky
| | - Isabella Sharrad
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Caitlin A. Howlett
- Innovation, Implementation and Clinical Translation (IIMPACT) in Health, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | | | - Andrew W. Corcoran
- Cognition and Philosophy Laboratory, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Valeria Bellan
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- Innovation, Implementation and Clinical Translation (IIMPACT) in Health, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Erica Wilkinson
- Innovation, Implementation and Clinical Translation (IIMPACT) in Health, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Reinhold Kliegl
- Division of Training and Movement Science, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Richard L. Lewis
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Weinberg Institute for Cognitive Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Steven L. Small
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Matthias Schlesewsky
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
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Comparing human and chimpanzee temporal lobe neuroanatomy reveals modifications to human language hubs beyond the frontotemporal arcuate fasciculus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2118295119. [PMID: 35787056 PMCID: PMC9282369 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2118295119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The biological foundation for the language-ready brain in the human lineage remains a debated subject. In humans, the arcuate fasciculus (AF) white matter and the posterior portions of the middle temporal gyrus are crucial for language. Compared with other primates, the human AF has been shown to dramatically extend into the posterior temporal lobe, which forms the basis of a number of models of the structural connectivity basis of language. Recent advances in both language research and comparative neuroimaging invite a reassessment of the anatomical differences in language streams between humans and our closest relatives. Here, we show that posterior temporal connectivity via the AF in humans compared with chimpanzees is expanded in terms of its connectivity not just to the ventral frontal cortex but also to the parietal cortex. At the same time, posterior temporal regions connect more strongly to the ventral white matter in chimpanzees as opposed to humans. This pattern is present in both brain hemispheres. Additionally, we show that the anterior temporal lobe harbors a combination of connections present in both species through the inferior fronto-occipital fascicle and human-unique expansions through the uncinate and middle and inferior longitudinal fascicles. These findings elucidate structural changes that are unique to humans and may underlie the anatomical foundations for full-fledged language capacity.
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Murphy E, Woolnough O, Rollo PS, Roccaforte ZJ, Segaert K, Hagoort P, Tandon N. Minimal Phrase Composition Revealed by Intracranial Recordings. J Neurosci 2022; 42:3216-3227. [PMID: 35232761 PMCID: PMC8994536 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1575-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to comprehend phrases is an essential integrative property of the brain. Here, we evaluate the neural processes that enable the transition from single-word processing to a minimal compositional scheme. Previous research has reported conflicting timing effects of composition, and disagreement persists with respect to inferior frontal and posterior temporal contributions. To address these issues, 19 patients (10 male, 9 female) implanted with penetrating depth or surface subdural intracranial electrodes, heard auditory recordings of adjective-noun, pseudoword-noun, and adjective-pseudoword phrases and judged whether the phrase matched a picture. Stimulus-dependent alterations in broadband gamma activity, low-frequency power, and phase-locking values across the language-dominant left hemisphere were derived. This revealed a mosaic located on the lower bank of the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), in which closely neighboring cortical sites displayed exclusive sensitivity to either lexicality or phrase structure, but not both. Distinct timings were found for effects of phrase composition (210-300 ms) and pseudoword processing (∼300-700 ms), and these were localized to neighboring electrodes in pSTS. The pars triangularis and temporal pole encoded anticipation of composition in broadband low frequencies, and both regions exhibited greater functional connectivity with pSTS during phrase composition. Our results suggest that the pSTS is a highly specialized region composed of sparsely interwoven heterogeneous constituents that encodes both lower and higher level linguistic features. This hub in pSTS for minimal phrase processing may form the neural basis for the human-specific computational capacity for forming hierarchically organized linguistic structures.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Linguists have claimed that the integration of multiple words into a phrase demands a computational procedure distinct from single-word processing. Here, we provide intracranial recordings from a large patient cohort, with high spatiotemporal resolution, to track the cortical dynamics of phrase composition. Epileptic patients volunteered to participate in a task in which they listened to phrases (red boat), word-pseudoword or pseudoword-word pairs (e.g., red fulg). At the onset of the second word in phrases, greater broadband high gamma activity was found in posterior superior temporal sulcus in electrodes that exclusively indexed phrasal meaning and not lexical meaning. These results provide direct, high-resolution signatures of minimal phrase composition in humans, a potentially species-specific computational capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliot Murphy
- Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas 77030
- Texas Institute for Restorative Neurotechnologies, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Oscar Woolnough
- Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas 77030
- Texas Institute for Restorative Neurotechnologies, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Patrick S Rollo
- Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas 77030
- Texas Institute for Restorative Neurotechnologies, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Zachary J Roccaforte
- Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Katrien Segaert
- School of Psychology and Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, 6525 XD Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Hagoort
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, 6525 XD Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, 6525 HR Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Nitin Tandon
- Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas 77030
- Texas Institute for Restorative Neurotechnologies, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas 77030
- Memorial Hermann Hospital, Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas 77030
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25
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Holmer E, Schönström K, Andin J. Associations Between Sign Language Skills and Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Deaf Early Signers. Front Psychol 2022; 13:738866. [PMID: 35369269 PMCID: PMC8975249 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.738866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The processing of a language involves a neural language network including temporal, parietal, and frontal cortical regions. This applies to spoken as well as signed languages. Previous research suggests that spoken language proficiency is associated with resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between language regions and other regions of the brain. Given the similarities in neural activation for spoken and signed languages, rsFC-behavior associations should also exist for sign language tasks. In this study, we explored the associations between rsFC and two types of linguistic skills in sign language: phonological processing skill and accuracy in elicited sentence production. Fifteen adult, deaf early signers were enrolled in a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study. In addition to fMRI data, behavioral tests of sign language phonological processing and sentence reproduction were administered. Using seed-to-voxel connectivity analysis, we investigated associations between behavioral proficiency and rsFC from language-relevant nodes: bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and posterior superior temporal gyrus (STG). Results showed that worse sentence processing skill was associated with stronger positive rsFC between the left IFG and left sensorimotor regions. Further, sign language phonological processing skill was associated with positive rsFC from right IFG to middle frontal gyrus/frontal pole although this association could possibly be explained by domain-general cognitive functions. Our findings suggest a possible connection between rsFC and developmental language outcomes in deaf individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emil Holmer
- Linnaeus Centre HEAD, Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization, Linköping, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Emil Holmer,
| | | | - Josefine Andin
- Linnaeus Centre HEAD, Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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26
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Matchin W, Basilakos A, Ouden DBD, Stark BC, Hickok G, Fridriksson J. Functional differentiation in the language network revealed by lesion-symptom mapping. Neuroimage 2022; 247:118778. [PMID: 34896587 PMCID: PMC8830186 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Theories of language organization in the brain commonly posit that different regions underlie distinct linguistic mechanisms. However, such theories have been criticized on the grounds that many neuroimaging studies of language processing find similar effects across regions. Moreover, condition by region interaction effects, which provide the strongest evidence of functional differentiation between regions, have rarely been offered in support of these theories. Here we address this by using lesion-symptom mapping in three large, partially-overlapping groups of aphasia patients with left hemisphere brain damage due to stroke (N = 121, N = 92, N = 218). We identified multiple measure by region interaction effects, associating damage to the posterior middle temporal gyrus with syntactic comprehension deficits, damage to posterior inferior frontal gyrus with expressive agrammatism, and damage to inferior angular gyrus with semantic category word fluency deficits. Our results are inconsistent with recent hypotheses that regions of the language network are undifferentiated with respect to high-level linguistic processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Matchin
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Discovery 1, Room 202D, 915 Greene St., Columbia, SC 29208, United States.
| | - Alexandra Basilakos
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Discovery 1, Room 202D, 915 Greene St., Columbia, SC 29208, United States
| | - Dirk-Bart den Ouden
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Discovery 1, Room 202D, 915 Greene St., Columbia, SC 29208, United States
| | - Brielle C Stark
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, United States
| | - Gregory Hickok
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, Department of Language Science, University of California, Irvine, California, United States
| | - Julius Fridriksson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Discovery 1, Room 202D, 915 Greene St., Columbia, SC 29208, United States
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27
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Sanchez-Alonso S, Aslin RN. Towards a model of language neurobiology in early development. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2022; 224:105047. [PMID: 34894429 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.105047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Understanding language neurobiology in early childhood is essential for characterizing the developmental structural and functional changes that lead to the mature adult language network. In the last two decades, the field of language neurodevelopment has received increasing attention, particularly given the rapid advances in the implementation of neuroimaging techniques and analytic approaches that allow detailed investigations into the developing brain across a variety of cognitive domains. These methodological and analytical advances hold the promise of developing early markers of language outcomes that allow diagnosis and clinical interventions at the earliest stages of development. Here, we argue that findings in language neurobiology need to be integrated within an approach that captures the dynamic nature and inherent variability that characterizes the developing brain and the interplay between behavior and (structural and functional) neural patterns. Accordingly, we describe a framework for understanding language neurobiology in early development, which minimally requires an explicit characterization of the following core domains: i) computations underlying language learning mechanisms, ii) developmental patterns of change across neural and behavioral measures, iii) environmental variables that reinforce language learning (e.g., the social context), and iv) brain maturational constraints for optimal neural plasticity, which determine the infant's sensitivity to learning from the environment. We discuss each of these domains in the context of recent behavioral and neuroimaging findings and consider the need for quantitatively modeling two main sources of variation: individual differences or trait-like patterns of variation and within-subject differences or state-like patterns of variation. The goal is to enable models that allow prediction of language outcomes from neural measures that take into account these two types of variation. Finally, we examine how future methodological approaches would benefit from the inclusion of more ecologically valid paradigms that complement and allow generalization of traditional controlled laboratory methods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard N Aslin
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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28
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Schmitt LM, Erb J, Tune S, Rysop AU, Hartwigsen G, Obleser J. Predicting speech from a cortical hierarchy of event-based time scales. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021. [PMID: 34860554 DOI: 10.1101/2020.12.19.423616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
How do predictions in the brain incorporate the temporal unfolding of context in our natural environment? We here provide evidence for a neural coding scheme that sparsely updates contextual representations at the boundary of events. This yields a hierarchical, multilayered organization of predictive language comprehension. Training artificial neural networks to predict the next word in a story at five stacked time scales and then using model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging, we observe an event-based “surprisal hierarchy” evolving along a temporoparietal pathway. Along this hierarchy, surprisal at any given time scale gated bottom-up and top-down connectivity to neighboring time scales. In contrast, surprisal derived from continuously updated context influenced temporoparietal activity only at short time scales. Representing context in the form of increasingly coarse events constitutes a network architecture for making predictions that is both computationally efficient and contextually diverse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea-Maria Schmitt
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Julia Erb
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Sarah Tune
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Anna U Rysop
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1 A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gesa Hartwigsen
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1 A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jonas Obleser
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
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29
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Schmitt LM, Erb J, Tune S, Rysop AU, Hartwigsen G, Obleser J. Predicting speech from a cortical hierarchy of event-based time scales. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabi6070. [PMID: 34860554 PMCID: PMC8641937 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abi6070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
How do predictions in the brain incorporate the temporal unfolding of context in our natural environment? We here provide evidence for a neural coding scheme that sparsely updates contextual representations at the boundary of events. This yields a hierarchical, multilayered organization of predictive language comprehension. Training artificial neural networks to predict the next word in a story at five stacked time scales and then using model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging, we observe an event-based “surprisal hierarchy” evolving along a temporoparietal pathway. Along this hierarchy, surprisal at any given time scale gated bottom-up and top-down connectivity to neighboring time scales. In contrast, surprisal derived from continuously updated context influenced temporoparietal activity only at short time scales. Representing context in the form of increasingly coarse events constitutes a network architecture for making predictions that is both computationally efficient and contextually diverse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea-Maria Schmitt
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Julia Erb
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Sarah Tune
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Anna U. Rysop
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1 A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gesa Hartwigsen
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1 A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jonas Obleser
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
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30
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LaCroix AN, James E, Rogalsky C. Neural Resources Supporting Language Production vs. Comprehension in Chronic Post-stroke Aphasia: A Meta-Analysis Using Activation Likelihood Estimates. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:680933. [PMID: 34759804 PMCID: PMC8572938 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.680933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In post-stroke aphasia, language tasks recruit a combination of residual regions within the canonical language network, as well as regions outside of it in the left and right hemispheres. However, there is a lack of consensus as to how the neural resources engaged by language production and comprehension following a left hemisphere stroke differ from one another and from controls. The present meta-analysis used activation likelihood estimates to aggregate across 44 published fMRI and PET studies to characterize the functional reorganization patterns for expressive and receptive language processes in persons with chronic post-stroke aphasia (PWA). Our results in part replicate previous meta-analyses: we find that PWA activate residual regions within the left lateralized language network, regardless of task. Our results extend this work to show differential recruitment of the left and right hemispheres during language production and comprehension in PWA. First, we find that PWA engage left perilesional regions during language comprehension, and that the extent of this activation is likely driven by stimulus type and domain-general cognitive resources needed for task completion. In contrast to comprehension, language production was associated with activation of the right frontal and temporal cortices. Further analyses linked right hemisphere regions involved in motor speech planning for language production with successful naming in PWA, while unsuccessful naming was associated with the engagement of the right inferior frontal gyrus, a region often implicated in domain-general cognitive processes. While the within-group findings indicate that the engagement of the right hemisphere during language tasks in post-stroke aphasia differs for expressive vs. receptive tasks, the overall lack of major between-group differences between PWA and controls implies that PWA rely on similar cognitive-linguistic resources for language as controls. However, more studies are needed that report coordinates for PWA and controls completing the same tasks in order for future meta-analyses to characterize how aphasia affects the neural resources engaged during language, particularly for specific tasks and as a function of behavioral performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna N LaCroix
- College of Health Sciences, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, United States
| | - Eltonnelle James
- College of Health Sciences, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, United States
| | - Corianne Rogalsky
- College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
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31
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Gleichgerrcht E, Roth R, Fridriksson J, den Ouden D, Delgaizo J, Stark B, Hickok G, Rorden C, Wilmskoetter J, Hillis A, Bonilha L. Neural bases of elements of syntax during speech production in patients with aphasia. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 222:105025. [PMID: 34555689 PMCID: PMC8546356 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.105025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The ability to string together words into a structured arrangement capable of conveying nuanced information is key to speech production. The assessment of the neural bases for structuring sentences has been challenged by the need of experts to delineate the aberrant morphosyntactic structures in aphasic speech. Most studies have relied on focused tasks with limited ecological validity. We characterized syntactic complexity during connected speech produced by patients with chronic post-stroke aphasia. We automated this process by employing Natural Language Processing (NLP). We conducted voxel-based and connectome-based lesion-symptom mapping to identify brain regions crucially associated with sentence production and syntactic complexity. Posterior-inferior aspects of left frontal and parietal lobes, as well as white matter tracts connecting these areas, were essential for syntactic complexity, particularly the posterior inferior frontal gyrus. These findings suggest that sentence structuring during word production depends on the integrity of Broca's area and the dorsal stream of language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rebecca Roth
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Julius Fridriksson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Dirk den Ouden
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - John Delgaizo
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Brielle Stark
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Gregory Hickok
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Chris Rorden
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Janina Wilmskoetter
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Argye Hillis
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Leonardo Bonilha
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
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32
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Sugimoto F, Kimura M, Takeda Y. Attenuation of auditory N2 for self-modulated tones during continuous actions. Biol Psychol 2021; 166:108201. [PMID: 34653547 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108201] [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: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Event-related potentials elicited by tones generated by one's own discrete actions (e.g., button presses) are attenuated compared to those elicited by tones generated externally. The present study investigated whether ERP attenuation would occur when the timing or pitch of tones is modulated by continuous actions, as for such actions, a weak association between actions and their auditory consequences is assumed. In a modulation condition, participants modulated the time interval between tones (Experiment 1) or the pitch of tones (Experiment 2) by turning a steering wheel. In a listening condition, participants listened to the same tones as in the modulation condition without any action. The results revealed that the amplitude of N2 elicited by tones decreased in the modulation compared to listening conditions, consistently in the two experiments, suggesting relatively higher-order auditory processing can be mainly influenced by the prediction of action consequences when continuous actions modulate features of auditory stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumie Sugimoto
- Human-Centered Mobility Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan.
| | - Motohiro Kimura
- Human-Centered Mobility Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan
| | - Yuji Takeda
- Human-Centered Mobility Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan
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Li E, Xiao F, Zou T, Guo J. Positive emotion of self-referential contexts could facilitate adult's novel word learning: An fNIRS study. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 221:104994. [PMID: 34303109 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.104994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Learning words through contextual inference is a key way to enlarge one's vocabulary especially for adults. However, few studies focused on the effects of different information contained in contexts on novel word learning. The present study used behavioral and fNIRS techniques to investigate the influences of positive, neutral and negative emotions inherent in self-related or other-related referential contexts. Participants were asked to perform a semantic consistency and a source judgment task after learning the relations between novel words and concepts in different contexts. The results showed that self-reference during lexical encoding could promote word learning generally. More importantly, there existed a self-positivity bias which is manifested in the significant interactions between contextual emotions and referential value. These interactions are related to the neural activities of the DLPFC and IFG. These results revealed the contextual information's integrative contributions to semantic meaning acquisition and episodic source memory related with novel word learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enhui Li
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, PR China
| | - Feng Xiao
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, PR China
| | - Tiantian Zou
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, PR China
| | - Jingjing Guo
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, PR China.
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Lukic S, Borghesani V, Weis E, Welch A, Bogley R, Neuhaus J, Deleon J, Miller ZA, Kramer JH, Miller BL, Dronkers NF, Gorno-Tempini ML. Dissociating nouns and verbs in temporal and perisylvian networks: Evidence from neurodegenerative diseases. Cortex 2021; 142:47-61. [PMID: 34182153 PMCID: PMC8556704 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Naming of nouns and verbs can be selectively impaired in neurological disorders, but the specificity of the neural and cognitive correlates of such dissociation remains unclear. Functional imaging and stroke research sought to identify cortical regions selectively recruited for nouns versus verbs, yet findings are inconsistent. The present study investigated this issue in neurodegenerative diseases known to selectively affect different brain networks, thus providing new critical evidence of network specificity. We examined naming performances on nouns and verbs in 146 patients with different neurodegenerative syndromes (Primary Progressive Aphasia - PPA, Alzheimer's disease - AD, and behavioral variant Frontotemporal Dementia - FTD) and 30 healthy adults. We then correlated naming scores with MRI-derived cortical thickness values as well as with performances in semantic and syntactic tasks, across all subjects. Results indicated that patients with the semantic variant PPA named significantly fewer nouns than verbs. Instead, nonfluent/agrammatic PPA patients named fewer verbs than nouns. Across all subjects, performance on nouns (adjusted for verbs) specifically correlated with cortical atrophy in left anterior temporal regions, and performance on verbs (adjusted for nouns) with atrophy in left inferior and middle frontal, inferior parietal and posterior temporal regions. Furthermore, lower lexical-semantic abilities correlated with deficits in naming both nouns and verbs, while lower syntactic abilities only correlated with naming verbs. Our results show that different neural and cognitive mechanisms underlie naming of specific grammatical categories in neurodegenerative diseases. Importantly, our findings showed that verb processing depends on a widespread perisylvian networks, suggesting that some regions might be involved in processing different types of action knowledge. These findings have important implications for early differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sladjana Lukic
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Valentina Borghesani
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Weis
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ariane Welch
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Rian Bogley
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - John Neuhaus
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jessica Deleon
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Zachary A Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Joel H Kramer
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Bruce L Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nina F Dronkers
- University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA; University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Maria L Gorno-Tempini
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
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35
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Humphreys GF, Lambon Ralph MA, Simons JS. A Unifying Account of Angular Gyrus Contributions to Episodic and Semantic Cognition. Trends Neurosci 2021; 44:452-463. [PMID: 33612312 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2021.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The angular gyrus (AG) region of lateral parietal cortex has been implicated in a wide variety of tasks and functions, generating numerous influential theories. However, these theories largely fail to explain why so many apparently distinct cognitive activities implicate common parietal structures. We propose a unifying model, based on a set of central principles, to account for coalescences of cognitive task activations across AG. To illustrate the proposed framework, we show how these principles account for findings from studies of episodic and semantic memory that have independently implicated the same AG regions but thus far been considered from largely domain-specific perspectives. We conclude that AG computations, as part of a wider lateral parietal system, enable the online dynamic buffering of multisensory spatiotemporally extended representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina F Humphreys
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EF, UK
| | | | - Jon S Simons
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EF, UK.
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36
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Neural signatures of syntactic variation in speech planning. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001038. [PMID: 33497384 PMCID: PMC7837500 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Planning to speak is a challenge for the brain, and the challenge varies between and within languages. Yet, little is known about how neural processes react to these variable challenges beyond the planning of individual words. Here, we examine how fundamental differences in syntax shape the time course of sentence planning. Most languages treat alike (i.e., align with each other) the 2 uses of a word like “gardener” in “the gardener crouched” and in “the gardener planted trees.” A minority keeps these formally distinct by adding special marking in 1 case, and some languages display both aligned and nonaligned expressions. Exploiting such a contrast in Hindi, we used electroencephalography (EEG) and eye tracking to suggest that this difference is associated with distinct patterns of neural processing and gaze behavior during early planning stages, preceding phonological word form preparation. Planning sentences with aligned expressions induces larger synchronization in the theta frequency band, suggesting higher working memory engagement, and more visual attention to agents than planning nonaligned sentences, suggesting delayed commitment to the relational details of the event. Furthermore, plain, unmarked expressions are associated with larger desynchronization in the alpha band than expressions with special markers, suggesting more engagement in information processing to keep overlapping structures distinct during planning. Our findings contrast with the observation that the form of aligned expressions is simpler, and they suggest that the global preference for alignment is driven not by its neurophysiological effect on sentence planning but by other sources, possibly by aspects of production flexibility and fluency or by sentence comprehension. This challenges current theories on how production and comprehension may affect the evolution and distribution of syntactic variants in the world’s languages. Little is known about the neural processes involved in planning to speak. This study uses eye-tracking and EEG to show that speakers prepare sentence structures in different ways and rely on alpha and theta oscillations differently when planning sentences with and without agent case marking, challenging theories on how production and comprehension affect language evolution.
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37
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Lukic S, Thompson CK, Barbieri E, Chiappetta B, Bonakdarpour B, Kiran S, Rapp B, Parrish TB, Caplan D. Common and distinct neural substrates of sentence production and comprehension. Neuroimage 2021; 224:117374. [PMID: 32949711 PMCID: PMC10134242 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional neuroimaging and lesion-symptom mapping investigations implicate a left frontal-temporal-parietal network for sentence processing. The majority of studies have focused on sentence comprehension, with fewer in the domain of sentence production, which have not fully elucidated overlapping and/or unique brain structures associated with the two domains, particularly for sentences with noncanonical word order. Using voxel-based lesion symptom mapping (VLSM) we examined the relationship between lesions within the left hemisphere language network and both sentence comprehension and production of simple and complex syntactic structures in 76 participants with chronic stroke-induced aphasia. Results revealed shared regions across domains in the anterior and posterior superior temporal gyri (aSTG, pSTG), and the temporal pole (adjusted for verb production/comprehension). Additionally, comprehension was associated with lesions in the anterior and posterior middle temporal gyri (aMTG, pMTG), the MTG temporooccipital regions, SMG/AG, central and parietal operculum, and the insula. Subsequent VLSM analyses (production versus comprehension) revealed critical regions associated with each domain: anterior temporal lesions were associated with production; posterior temporo-parietal lesions were associated with comprehension, implicating important roles for regions within the ventral and dorsal stream processing routes, respectively. Processing of syntactically complex, noncanonical (adjusted for canonical), sentences was associated with damage to the pSTG across domains, with additional damage to the pMTG and IPL associated with impaired sentence comprehension, suggesting that the pSTG is crucial for computing noncanonical sentences across domains and that the pMTG, and IPL are necessary for re-analysis of thematic roles as required for resolution of long-distance dependencies. These findings converge with previous studies and extend our knowledge of the neural mechanisms of sentence comprehension to production, highlighting critical regions associated with both domains, and further address the mechanism engaged for syntactic computation, controlled for the contribution of verb processing.
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38
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Choi HS, Marslen-Wilson WD, Lyu B, Randall B, Tyler LK. Decoding the Real-Time Neurobiological Properties of Incremental Semantic Interpretation. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:233-247. [PMID: 32869058 PMCID: PMC7727355 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Communication through spoken language is a central human capacity, involving a wide range of complex computations that incrementally interpret each word into meaningful sentences. However, surprisingly little is known about the spatiotemporal properties of the complex neurobiological systems that support these dynamic predictive and integrative computations. Here, we focus on prediction, a core incremental processing operation guiding the interpretation of each upcoming word with respect to its preceding context. To investigate the neurobiological basis of how semantic constraints change and evolve as each word in a sentence accumulates over time, in a spoken sentence comprehension study, we analyzed the multivariate patterns of neural activity recorded by source-localized electro/magnetoencephalography (EMEG), using computational models capturing semantic constraints derived from the prior context on each upcoming word. Our results provide insights into predictive operations subserved by different regions within a bi-hemispheric system, which over time generate, refine, and evaluate constraints on each word as it is heard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hun S Choi
- Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0DX, UK
| | - William D Marslen-Wilson
- Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0DX, UK
| | - Bingjiang Lyu
- Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0DX, UK
| | - Billi Randall
- Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0DX, UK
| | - Lorraine K Tyler
- Address correspondence to Lorraine K. Tyler, Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.
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39
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Liu YF, Kim J, Wilson C, Bedny M. Computer code comprehension shares neural resources with formal logical inference in the fronto-parietal network. eLife 2020; 9:e59340. [PMID: 33319745 PMCID: PMC7738180 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the importance of programming to modern society, the cognitive and neural bases of code comprehension are largely unknown. Programming languages might 'recycle' neurocognitive mechanisms originally developed for natural languages. Alternatively, comprehension of code could depend on fronto-parietal networks shared with other culturally-invented symbol systems, such as formal logic and symbolic math such as algebra. Expert programmers (average 11 years of programming experience) performed code comprehension and memory control tasks while undergoing fMRI. The same participants also performed formal logic, symbolic math, executive control, and language localizer tasks. A left-lateralized fronto-parietal network was recruited for code comprehension. Patterns of activity within this network distinguish between 'for' loops and 'if' conditional code functions. In terms of the underlying neural basis, code comprehension overlapped extensively with formal logic and to a lesser degree math. Overlap with executive processes and language was low, but laterality of language and code covaried across individuals. Cultural symbol systems, including code, depend on a distinctive fronto-parietal cortical network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Fei Liu
- Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Judy Kim
- Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
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40
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Conti E, Retico A, Palumbo L, Spera G, Bosco P, Biagi L, Fiori S, Tosetti M, Cipriani P, Cioni G, Muratori F, Chilosi A, Calderoni S. Autism Spectrum Disorder and Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Early Language-Related Hallmarks across Structural MRI Study. J Pers Med 2020; 10:E275. [PMID: 33322765 PMCID: PMC7768516 DOI: 10.3390/jpm10040275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) are developmental disorders with distinct diagnostic criteria and different epidemiology. However, a common genetic background as well as overlapping clinical features between ASD and CAS have been recently reported. To date, brain structural language-related abnormalities have been detected in both the conditions, but no study directly compared young children with ASD, CAS and typical development (TD). In the current work, we aim: (i) to test the hypothesis that ASD and CAS display neurostructural differences in comparison with TD through morphometric Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-based measures (ASD vs. TD and CAS vs. TD); (ii) to investigate early possible disease-specific brain structural patterns in the two clinical groups (ASD vs. CAS); (iii) to evaluate predictive power of machine-learning (ML) techniques in differentiating the three samples (ASD, CAS, TD). We retrospectively analyzed the T1-weighted brain MRI scans of 68 children (age range: 34-74 months) grouped into three cohorts: (1) 26 children with ASD (mean age ± standard deviation: 56 ± 11 months); (2) 24 children with CAS (57 ± 10 months); (3) 18 children with TD (55 ± 13 months). Furthermore, a ML analysis based on a linear-kernel Support Vector Machine (SVM) was performed. All but one brain structures displayed significant higher volumes in both ASD and CAS children than TD peers. Specifically, ASD alterations involved fronto-temporal regions together with basal ganglia and cerebellum, while CAS alterations are more focused and shifted to frontal regions, suggesting a possible speech-related anomalies distribution. Caudate, superior temporal and hippocampus volumes directly distinguished the two conditions in terms of greater values in ASD compared to CAS. The ML analysis identified significant differences in brain features between ASD and TD children, whereas only some trends in the ML classification capability were detected in CAS as compared to TD peers. Similarly, the MRI structural underpinnings of two clinical groups were not significantly different when evaluated with linear-kernel SVM. Our results may represent the first step towards understanding shared and specific neural substrate in ASD and CAS conditions, which subsequently may contribute to early differential diagnosis and tailoring specific early intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenia Conti
- IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (E.C.); (P.B.); (L.B.); (S.F.); (M.T.); (P.C.); (G.C.); (F.M.); (A.C.)
| | - Alessandra Retico
- National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Pisa Division, 56127 Pisa, Italy; (A.R.); (L.P.); (G.S.)
| | - Letizia Palumbo
- National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Pisa Division, 56127 Pisa, Italy; (A.R.); (L.P.); (G.S.)
| | - Giovanna Spera
- National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Pisa Division, 56127 Pisa, Italy; (A.R.); (L.P.); (G.S.)
| | - Paolo Bosco
- IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (E.C.); (P.B.); (L.B.); (S.F.); (M.T.); (P.C.); (G.C.); (F.M.); (A.C.)
| | - Laura Biagi
- IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (E.C.); (P.B.); (L.B.); (S.F.); (M.T.); (P.C.); (G.C.); (F.M.); (A.C.)
| | - Simona Fiori
- IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (E.C.); (P.B.); (L.B.); (S.F.); (M.T.); (P.C.); (G.C.); (F.M.); (A.C.)
| | - Michela Tosetti
- IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (E.C.); (P.B.); (L.B.); (S.F.); (M.T.); (P.C.); (G.C.); (F.M.); (A.C.)
| | - Paola Cipriani
- IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (E.C.); (P.B.); (L.B.); (S.F.); (M.T.); (P.C.); (G.C.); (F.M.); (A.C.)
| | - Giovanni Cioni
- IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (E.C.); (P.B.); (L.B.); (S.F.); (M.T.); (P.C.); (G.C.); (F.M.); (A.C.)
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Filippo Muratori
- IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (E.C.); (P.B.); (L.B.); (S.F.); (M.T.); (P.C.); (G.C.); (F.M.); (A.C.)
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Anna Chilosi
- IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (E.C.); (P.B.); (L.B.); (S.F.); (M.T.); (P.C.); (G.C.); (F.M.); (A.C.)
| | - Sara Calderoni
- IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (E.C.); (P.B.); (L.B.); (S.F.); (M.T.); (P.C.); (G.C.); (F.M.); (A.C.)
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
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41
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Krebs J, Malaia E, Wilbur RB, Roehm D. Psycholinguistic mechanisms of classifier processing in sign language. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn 2020; 47:998-1011. [PMID: 33211523 DOI: 10.1037/xlm0000958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Nonsigners viewing sign language are sometimes able to guess the meaning of signs by relying on the overt connection between form and meaning, or iconicity (cf. Ortega, Özyürek, & Peeters, 2020; Strickland et al., 2015). One word class in sign languages that appears to be highly iconic is classifiers: verb-like signs that can refer to location change or handling. Classifier use and meaning are governed by linguistic rules, yet in comparison with lexical verb signs, classifiers are highly variable in their morpho-phonology (variety of potential handshapes and motion direction within the sign). These open-class linguistic items in sign languages prompt a question about the mechanisms of their processing: Are they part of a gestural-semiotic system (processed like the gestures of nonsigners), or are they processed as linguistic verbs? To examine the psychological mechanisms of classifier comprehension, we recorded the electroencephalogram (EEG) activity of signers who watched videos of signed sentences with classifiers. We manipulated the sentence word order of the stimuli (subject-object-verb [SOV] vs. object-subject-verb [OSV]), contrasting the two conditions, which, according to different processing hypotheses, should incur increased processing costs for OSV orders. As previously reported for lexical signs, we observed an N400 effect for OSV compared with SOV, reflecting increased cognitive load for linguistic processing. These findings support the hypothesis that classifiers are a linguistic part of speech in sign language, extending the current understanding of processing mechanisms at the interface of linguistic form and meaning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Krebs
- Research Group Neurobiology of Language, Department of Linguistics, University of Salzburg
| | - Evie Malaia
- Department of Communicative Disorders, University of Alabama
| | | | - Dietmar Roehm
- Research Group Neurobiology of Language, Department of Linguistics, University of Salzburg
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42
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Blank IA, Fedorenko E. No evidence for differences among language regions in their temporal receptive windows. Neuroimage 2020; 219:116925. [PMID: 32407994 PMCID: PMC9392830 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The "core language network" consists of left frontal and temporal regions that are selectively engaged in linguistic processing. Whereas functional differences among these regions have long been debated, many accounts propose distinctions in terms of representational grain-size-e.g., words vs. phrases/sentences-or processing time-scale, i.e., operating on local linguistic features vs. larger spans of input. Indeed, the topography of language regions appears to overlap with a cortical hierarchy reported by Lerner et al. (2011) wherein mid-posterior temporal regions are sensitive to low-level features of speech, surrounding areas-to word-level information, and inferior frontal areas-to sentence-level information and beyond. However, the correspondence between the language network and this hierarchy of "temporal receptive windows" (TRWs) is difficult to establish because the precise anatomical locations of language regions vary across individuals. To directly test this correspondence, we first identified language regions in each participant with a well-validated task-based localizer, which confers high functional resolution to the study of TRWs (traditionally based on stereotactic coordinates); then, we characterized regional TRWs with the naturalistic story listening paradigm of Lerner et al. (2011), which augments task-based characterizations of the language network by more closely resembling comprehension "in the wild". We find no region-by-TRW interactions across temporal and inferior frontal regions, which are all sensitive to both word-level and sentence-level information. Therefore, the language network as a whole constitutes a unique stage of information integration within a broader cortical hierarchy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Idan A Blank
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
| | - Evelina Fedorenko
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
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43
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Matchin W, Wood E. Syntax-Sensitive Regions of the Posterior Inferior Frontal Gyrus and the Posterior Temporal Lobe Are Differentially Recruited by Production and Perception. Cereb Cortex Commun 2020; 1:tgaa029. [PMID: 34296103 PMCID: PMC8152856 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgaa029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Matchin and Hickok (2020) proposed that the left posterior inferior frontal gyrus (PIFG) and the left posterior temporal lobe (PTL) both play a role in syntactic processing, broadly construed, attributing distinct functions to these regions with respect to production and perception. Consistent with this hypothesis, functional dissociations between these regions have been demonstrated with respect to lesion-symptom mapping in aphasia. However, neuroimaging studies of syntactic comprehension typically show similar activations in these regions. In order to identify whether these regions show distinct activation patterns with respect to syntactic perception and production, we performed an fMRI study contrasting the subvocal articulation and perception of structured jabberwocky phrases (syntactic), sequences of real words (lexical), and sequences of pseudowords (phonological). We defined two sets of language-selective regions of interest (ROIs) in individual subjects for the PIFG and the PTL using the contrasts [syntactic > lexical] and [syntactic > phonological]. We found robust significant interactions of comprehension and production between these 2 regions at the syntactic level, for both sets of language-selective ROIs. This suggests a core difference in the function of these regions with respect to production and perception, consistent with the lesion literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Matchin
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Emily Wood
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
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44
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Kyriaki L, Schlesewsky M, Bornkessel-Schlesewsky I. Semantic reversal anomalies under the microscope: Task and modality influences on language-associated event-related potentials. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 52:3803-3827. [PMID: 32537795 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Semantic reversal anomalies (SRAs)-sentences where an implausibility is created by reversing participant roles-have attracted much attention in the literature on the electrophysiology of language. In spite of being syntactically well formed but semantically implausible, these sentences unexpectedly elicited a monophasic P600 effect in English and Dutch rather than an N400 effect. Subsequent research revealed variability in the presence/absence of an N400 effect to SRAs depending on the language examined and the choice of verb type in English. However, most previous studies employed the same presentation modality (visual) and task (acceptability judgement). Here, we conducted two experiments and three statistical analyses to investigate the influence of stimulus modality, task demand and statistical choices on event-related potential (ERP) response patterns to SRAs in English. We reproduced a previous study's procedure and analysis (N. Bourguignon et al. (2012) Brain and Language, 122, 179-189) and further introduced between-subjects factors of task type and modality, using mixed-effects modelling to analyse the data. We observed an N400 effect to typical English SRAs (agent subject verbs, e.g. "the fries will eat the boys"), which contrasts existing literature and was not predicted by existing theories that account for SRA processing. Task demand modulated the ERPs elicited by SRAs, while auditory presentation led to increased comprehension accuracy and a more broadly distributed ERP. Finally, the statistical methods used influenced the presence/absence of ERP effects. Our results suggest a sensitivity of language-related ERP patterns to methodological parameters, and we conclude that future experiments should take this into careful consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Kyriaki
- Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Research Hub, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Matthias Schlesewsky
- Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Research Hub, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
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Humphreys GF, Jackson RL, Lambon Ralph MA. Overarching Principles and Dimensions of the Functional Organization in the Inferior Parietal Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:5639-5653. [PMID: 32515783 PMCID: PMC7116231 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The parietal cortex (PC) is implicated in a confusing myriad of different cognitive processes/tasks. Consequently, understanding the nature and organization of the core underlying neurocomputations is challenging. According to the Parietal Unified Connectivity-biased Computation model, two properties underpin PC function and organization. Firstly, PC is a multidomain, context-dependent buffer of time- and space-varying input, the function of which, over time, becomes sensitive to the statistical temporal/spatial structure of events. Secondly, over and above this core buffering computation, differences in long-range connectivity will generate graded variations in task engagement across subregions. The current study tested these hypotheses using a group independent component analysis technique with two independent functional magnetic resonance imaging datasets (task and resting state data). Three functional organizational principles were revealed: Factor 1, inferior PC was sensitive to the statistical structure of sequences for all stimulus types (pictures, sentences, numbers); Factor 2, a dorsal–ventral variation in generally task-positive versus task-negative (variable) engagement; and Factor 3, an anterior–posterior dimension in inferior PC reflecting different engagement in verbal versus visual tasks, respectively. Together, the data suggest that the core neurocomputation implemented by PC is common across domains, with graded task engagement across regions reflecting variations in the connectivity of task-specific networks that interact with PC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina F Humphreys
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Rebecca L Jackson
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
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Brennan JR, Dyer C, Kuncoro A, Hale JT. Localizing syntactic predictions using recurrent neural network grammars. Neuropsychologia 2020; 146:107479. [PMID: 32428530 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Brain activity in numerous perisylvian brain regions is modulated by the expectedness of linguistic stimuli. We leverage recent advances in computational parsing models to test what representations guide the processes reflected by this activity. Recurrent Neural Network Grammars (RNNGs) are generative models of (tree, string) pairs that use neural networks to drive derivational choices. Parsing with them yields a variety of incremental complexity metrics that we evaluate against a publicly available fMRI data-set recorded while participants simply listen to an audiobook story. Surprisal, which captures a word's un-expectedness, correlates with a wide range of temporal and frontal regions when it is calculated based on word-sequence information using a top-performing LSTM neural network language model. The explicit encoding of hierarchy afforded by the RNNG additionally captures activity in left posterior temporal areas. A separate metric tracking the number of derivational steps taken between words correlates with activity in the left temporal lobe and inferior frontal gyrus. This pattern of results narrows down the kinds of linguistic representations at play during predictive processing across the brain's language network.
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Xu K, Wu DH, Duann JR. Dynamic brain connectivity attuned to the complexity of relative clause sentences revealed by a single-trial analysis. Neuroimage 2020; 217:116920. [PMID: 32422404 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116920] [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: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
To explore the issue of how the human brain processes sentences with different levels of complexity, we sought to compare the neural substrates underlying the processing of Chinese subject-extracted relative clause (SRC) and object-extracted relative clause (ORC) sentences in a trial-by-trial fashion. Previous neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that the involvement of the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and the left superior temporal gyrus (LSTG) is critical for the processing of relative clause (RC) sentences. In this study, we employed independent component analysis (ICA) to decompose brain activity into a set of independent components. Then, the independent component maps were spatially normalized using a surface-based approach in order to further spatially correlate and match the equivalent components from individual participants. The selected equivalent components indicated that the LIFG and the LSTG were consistently engaged in sentence processing among the participants. Subsequently, we observed alterations in the functional coupling between the LIFG and the LSTG in response to SRCs and ORCs using a Granger causality analysis. Specifically, comprehending Chinese ORCs with a canonical word order only involved a unidirectional connection from the LIFG to the LSTG for the integration of lexical-syntactic information. On the other hand, comprehending Chinese SRCs required bi-directional connectivity between the LIFG and the LSTG to fulfill increased integration demands in reconstructing the argument hierarchy due to a non-canonical word order. Furthermore, through a single-trial analysis, the strength of the connectivity from the LIFG to the LSTG was found to be significantly correlated with the complexity of the SRC sentences as quantified by eye-tracking measures. These findings indicated that the effective connectivity from the LIFG to the LSTG played an important role in the comprehension of complex sentences and that enhanced strength of this connectivity might reflect increased integration demands and restructuring attempts during sentence processing. Taken together, the results of the present study reveal that interregional interaction in the brain network for sentence processing can be dynamically engaged in response to different levels of complexity and also shed some light on the interpretation of neuroimaging and behavioral evidence when accounting for the nature of sentence complexity during reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunyu Xu
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Central University, Taoyuan, 32001, Taiwan; Institute of Modern Languages and Linguistics, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Denise H Wu
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Central University, Taoyuan, 32001, Taiwan
| | - Jeng-Ren Duann
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Central University, Taoyuan, 32001, Taiwan; Institute for Neural Computation, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA; Institute of Education, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 30010, Taiwan.
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48
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Honbolygó F, Kóbor A, German B, Csépe V. Word stress representations are language‐specific: Evidence from event‐related brain potentials. Psychophysiology 2020; 57:e13541. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ferenc Honbolygó
- Brain Imaging Centre Research Centre for Natural Sciences Budapest Hungary
- Institute of Psychology ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary
| | - Andrea Kóbor
- Brain Imaging Centre Research Centre for Natural Sciences Budapest Hungary
| | - Borbála German
- Brain Imaging Centre Research Centre for Natural Sciences Budapest Hungary
- Department of Cognitive Science Budapest University of Technology and Economics Budapest Hungary
| | - Valéria Csépe
- Brain Imaging Centre Research Centre for Natural Sciences Budapest Hungary
- Faculty of Modern Philology and Social Sciences University of Pannonia Budapest Hungary
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49
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Coopmans CW, Nieuwland MS. Dissociating activation and integration of discourse referents: Evidence from ERPs and oscillations. Cortex 2020; 126:83-106. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.12.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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50
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Szalárdy O, Tóth B, Farkas D, Orosz G, Honbolygó F, Winkler I. Linguistic predictability influences auditory stimulus classification within two concurrent speech streams. Psychophysiology 2020; 57:e13547. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Orsolya Szalárdy
- Faculty of Medicine Institute of Behavioural Sciences Semmelweis University Budapest Hungary
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology Research Centre for Natural Sciences Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest Hungary
| | - Brigitta Tóth
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology Research Centre for Natural Sciences Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest Hungary
| | - Dávid Farkas
- Analytics Development, Performance Management and Analytics, Business Development, Integrated Supply Chain Management, Nokia Business Services, Nokia Operations, Nokia Budapest Hungary
| | - Gábor Orosz
- Department of Psychology Stanford University Stanford CA USA
| | - Ferenc Honbolygó
- Brain Imaging Centre Research Centre for Natural Sciences Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest Hungary
- Institute of Psychology ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary
| | - István Winkler
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology Research Centre for Natural Sciences Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest Hungary
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