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Bartha-Doering L, Roberts D, Baumgartner B, Yildirim MS, Giordano V, Spagna A, Pal-Handl K, Javorszky SM, Kasprian G, Seidl R. Developmental surface dyslexia and dysgraphia in a child with corpus callosum agenesis: an approach to diagnosis and treatment. Cogn Neuropsychol 2024:1-23. [PMID: 38942485 DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2024.2368876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
We present a case study detailing cognitive performance, functional neuroimaging, and effects of a hypothesis-driven treatment in a 10-year-old girl diagnosed with complete, isolated corpus callosum agenesis. Despite having average overall intellectual abilities, the girl exhibited profound surface dyslexia and dysgraphia. Spelling treatment significantly and persistently improved her spelling of trained irregular words, and this improvement generalized to reading accuracy and speed of trained words. Diffusion weighted imaging revealed strengthened intrahemispheric white matter connectivity of the left temporal cortex after treatment and identified interhemispheric connectivity between the occipital lobes, likely facilitated by a pathway crossing the midline via the posterior commissure. This case underlines the corpus callosum's critical role in lexical reading and writing. It demonstrates that spelling treatment may enhance interhemispheric connectivity in corpus callosum agenesis through alternative pathways, boosting the development of a more efficient functional organization of the visual word form area within the left temporo-occipital cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Bartha-Doering
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniel Roberts
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Bettina Baumgartner
- Department of Logopedics, Phoniatrics, and Audiology, University of Applied Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mehmet Salih Yildirim
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Vito Giordano
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alfredo Spagna
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katharina Pal-Handl
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Susanne Maria Javorszky
- Department of Logopedics, Phoniatrics, and Audiology, University of Applied Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gregor Kasprian
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rainer Seidl
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Zhang Y, Huang J, Huang L, Peng L, Wang X, Zhang Q, Zeng Y, Yang J, Li Z, Sun X, Liang S. Atypical characteristic changes of surface morphology and structural covariance network in developmental dyslexia. Neurol Sci 2024; 45:2261-2270. [PMID: 37996775 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-023-07193-x] [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: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Developmental dyslexia (DD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by difficulties with all aspects of information acquisition in the written word, including slow and inaccurate word recognition. The neural basis behind DD has not been fully elucidated. METHOD The study included 22 typically developing (TD) children, 16 children with isolated spelling disorder (SpD), and 20 children with DD. The cortical thickness, folding index, and mean curvature of Broca's area, including the triangular part of the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFGtriang) and the opercular part of the left inferior frontal gyrus, were assessed to explore the differences of surface morphology among the TD, SpD, and DD groups. Furthermore, the structural covariance network (SCN) of the triangular part of the left inferior frontal gyrus was analyzed to explore the changes of structural connectivity in the SpD and DD groups. RESULTS The DD group showed higher curvature and cortical folding of the left IFGtriang than the TD group and SpD group. In addition, compared with the TD group and the SpD group, the structural connectivity between the left IFGtriang and the left middle-frontal gyrus and the right mid-orbital frontal gyrus was increased in the DD group, and the structural connectivity between the left IFGtriang and the right precuneus and anterior cingulate was decreased in the DD group. CONCLUSION DD had atypical structural connectivity in brain regions related to visual attention, memory and which might impact the information input and integration needed for reading and spelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusi Zhang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Rehabilitation Medicine Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
- Rehabilitation Industry Institute, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Cognitive Rehabilitation, Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350001, Fujian, China
| | - Jiayang Huang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Rehabilitation Medicine Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
| | - Li Huang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Rehabilitation Medicine Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
| | - Lixin Peng
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Rehabilitation Medicine Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
| | - Xiuxiu Wang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Rehabilitation Medicine Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
| | - Qingqing Zhang
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
| | - Yi Zeng
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
| | - Junchao Yang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Rehabilitation Medicine Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
| | - Zuanfang Li
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Rehabilitation Medicine Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China
| | - Xi Sun
- College of Information Engineering, Nanyang Institute of Technology, Nanyang, 473004, China
| | - Shengxiang Liang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Rehabilitation Medicine Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China.
- Rehabilitation Industry Institute, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China.
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Cognitive Rehabilitation, Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350001, Fujian, China.
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Junker FB, Schlaffke L, Lange J, Schmidt-Wilcke T. The angular gyrus serves as an interface between the non-lexical reading network and the semantic system: evidence from dynamic causal modeling. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:561-575. [PMID: 36905417 PMCID: PMC10978681 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02624-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Understanding encoded language, such as written words, requires multiple cognitive processes that act in a parallel and interactive fashion. These processes and their interactions, however, are not fully understood. Various conceptual and methodical approaches including computational modeling and neuroimaging have been applied to better understand the neural underpinnings of these complex processes in the human brain. In this study, we tested different predictions of cortical interactions that derived from computational models for reading using dynamic causal modeling. Morse code was used as a model for non-lexical decoding followed by a lexical-decision during a functional magnetic resonance examination. Our results suggest that individual letters are first converted into phonemes within the left supramarginal gyrus, followed by a phoneme assembly to reconstruct word phonology, involving the left inferior frontal cortex. To allow the identification and comprehension of known words, the inferior frontal cortex then interacts with the semantic system via the left angular gyrus. As such, the left angular gyrus is likely to host phonological and semantic representations and serves as a bidirectional interface between the networks involved in language perception and word comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick Benjamin Junker
- Department of Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany.
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Lara Schlaffke
- Department for Neurology, Professional Association Berufsgenossenschaft-University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bürkle de La Camp-Platz 1, 44789, Bochum, Germany
| | - Joachim Lange
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Tobias Schmidt-Wilcke
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Neurological Center Mainkofen, Mainkofen A 3, 94469, Deggendorf, Germany
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Sagi R, Taylor JSH, Neophytou K, Cohen T, Rapp B, Rastle K, Ben-Shachar M. White matter associations with spelling performance. Brain Struct Funct 2024:10.1007/s00429-024-02775-7. [PMID: 38528269 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02775-7] [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: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Multiple neurocognitive processes are involved in the highly complex task of producing written words. Yet, little is known about the neural pathways that support spelling in healthy adults. We assessed the associations between performance on a difficult spelling-to-dictation task and microstructural properties of language-related white matter pathways, in a sample of 73 native English-speaking neurotypical adults. Participants completed a diffusion magnetic resonance imaging scan and a cognitive assessment battery. Using constrained spherical deconvolution modeling and probabilistic tractography, we reconstructed dorsal and ventral white matter tracts of interest, bilaterally, in individual participants. Spelling associations were found in both dorsal and ventral stream pathways. In high-performing spellers, spelling scores significantly correlated with fractional anisotropy (FA) within the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus, a ventral stream pathway. In low-performing spellers, spelling scores significantly correlated with FA within the third branch of the right superior longitudinal fasciculus, a dorsal pathway. An automated analysis of spelling errors revealed that high- and low- performing spellers also differed in their error patterns, diverging primarily in terms of the orthographic distance between their errors and the correct spelling, compared to the phonological plausibility of their spelling responses. The results demonstrate the complexity of the neurocognitive architecture of spelling. The distinct white matter associations and error patterns detected in low- and high- performing spellers suggest that they rely on different cognitive processes, such that high-performing spellers rely more on lexical-orthographic representations, while low-performing spellers rely more on phoneme-to-grapheme conversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romi Sagi
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
| | - J S H Taylor
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kyriaki Neophytou
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Tamar Cohen
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Brenda Rapp
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
| | - Kathleen Rastle
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, London, UK
| | - Michal Ben-Shachar
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
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Norata D, Motolese F, Magliozzi A, Pilato F, Di Lazzaro V, Luzzi S, Capone F. Transcranial direct current stimulation in semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia: a state-of-the-art review. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1219737. [PMID: 38021245 PMCID: PMC10663282 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1219737] [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: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), known also as "semantic dementia (SD)," is a neurodegenerative disorder that pertains to the frontotemporal lobar degeneration clinical syndromes. There is currently no approved pharmacological therapy for all frontotemporal dementia variants. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising non-invasive brain stimulation technique capable of modulating cortical excitability through a sub-threshold shift in neuronal resting potential. This technique has previously been applied as adjunct treatment in Alzheimer's disease, while data for frontotemporal dementia are controversial. In this scoped review, we summarize and critically appraise the currently available evidence regarding the use of tDCS for improving performance in naming and/or matching tasks in patients with svPPA. Clinical trials addressing this topic were identified through MEDLINE (accessed by PubMed) and Web of Science, as of November 2022, week 3. Clinical trials have been unable to show a significant benefit of tDCS in enhancing semantic performance in svPPA patients. The heterogeneity of the studies available in the literature might be a possible explanation. Nevertheless, the results of these studies are promising and may offer valuable insights into methodological differences and overlaps, raising interest among researchers in identifying new non-pharmacological strategies for treating svPPA patients. Further studies are therefore warranted to investigate the potential therapeutic role of tDCS in svPPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Norata
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Neurology, Neurophysiology, Neurobiology and Psychiatry, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Neurological Clinic, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine (DIMSC), Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | - Francesco Motolese
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Neurology, Neurophysiology, Neurobiology and Psychiatry, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Magliozzi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Neurology, Neurophysiology, Neurobiology and Psychiatry, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Pilato
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Neurology, Neurophysiology, Neurobiology and Psychiatry, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Di Lazzaro
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Neurology, Neurophysiology, Neurobiology and Psychiatry, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Luzzi
- Neurological Clinic, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine (DIMSC), Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | - Fioravante Capone
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Neurology, Neurophysiology, Neurobiology and Psychiatry, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
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6
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Hauw F, El Soudany M, Rosso C, Daunizeau J, Cohen L. A single case neuroimaging study of tickertape synesthesia. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12185. [PMID: 37500762 PMCID: PMC10374523 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39276-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Reading acquisition is enabled by deep changes in the brain's visual system and language areas, and in the links subtending their collaboration. Disruption of those plastic processes commonly results in developmental dyslexia. However, atypical development of reading mechanisms may occasionally result in ticker-tape synesthesia (TTS), a condition described by Francis Galton in 1883 wherein individuals "see mentally in print every word that is uttered (…) as from a long imaginary strip of paper". While reading is the bottom-up translation of letters into speech, TTS may be viewed as its opposite, the top-down translation of speech into internally visualized letters. In a series of functional MRI experiments, we studied MK, a man with TTS. We showed that a set of left-hemispheric areas were more active in MK than in controls during the perception of normal than reversed speech, including frontoparietal areas involved in speech processing, and the Visual Word Form Area, an occipitotemporal region subtending orthography. Those areas were identical to those involved in reading, supporting the construal of TTS as upended reading. Using dynamic causal modeling, we further showed that, parallel to reading, TTS induced by spoken words and pseudowords relied on top-down flow of information along distinct lexical and phonological routes, involving the middle temporal and supramarginal gyri, respectively. Future studies of TTS should shed new light on the neurodevelopmental mechanisms of reading acquisition, their variability and their disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Hauw
- Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Universités, Institut du Cerveau, ICM, Paris, France.
- AP-HP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Fédération de Neurologie, Paris, France.
| | - Mohamed El Soudany
- Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Universités, Institut du Cerveau, ICM, Paris, France
| | - Charlotte Rosso
- Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Universités, Institut du Cerveau, ICM, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Urgences Cérébro-Vasculaires, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Jean Daunizeau
- Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Universités, Institut du Cerveau, ICM, Paris, France
| | - Laurent Cohen
- Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Universités, Institut du Cerveau, ICM, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Fédération de Neurologie, Paris, France
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7
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Levy DF, Silva AB, Scott TL, Liu JR, Harper S, Zhao L, Hullett PW, Kurteff G, Wilson SM, Leonard MK, Chang EF. Apraxia of speech with phonological alexia and agraphia following resection of the left middle precentral gyrus: illustrative case. JOURNAL OF NEUROSURGERY. CASE LESSONS 2023; 5:CASE22504. [PMID: 37014023 PMCID: PMC10550577 DOI: 10.3171/case22504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Apraxia of speech is a disorder of speech-motor planning in which articulation is effortful and error-prone despite normal strength of the articulators. Phonological alexia and agraphia are disorders of reading and writing disproportionately affecting unfamiliar words. These disorders are almost always accompanied by aphasia. OBSERVATIONS A 36-year-old woman underwent resection of a grade IV astrocytoma based in the left middle precentral gyrus, including a cortical site associated with speech arrest during electrocortical stimulation mapping. Following surgery, she exhibited moderate apraxia of speech and difficulty with reading and spelling, both of which improved but persisted 6 months after surgery. A battery of speech and language assessments was administered, revealing preserved comprehension, naming, cognition, and orofacial praxis, with largely isolated deficits in speech-motor planning and the spelling and reading of nonwords. LESSONS This case describes a specific constellation of speech-motor and written language symptoms-apraxia of speech, phonological agraphia, and phonological alexia in the absence of aphasia-which the authors theorize may be attributable to disruption of a single process of "motor-phonological sequencing." The middle precentral gyrus may play an important role in the planning of motorically complex phonological sequences for production, independent of output modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah F. Levy
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Alexander B. Silva
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
- University of California Berkeley - University of California San Francisco Graduate Program in Bioengineering, Berkeley, California
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Terri L. Scott
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Jessie R. Liu
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
- University of California Berkeley - University of California San Francisco Graduate Program in Bioengineering, Berkeley, California
| | - Sarah Harper
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Lingyun Zhao
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Patrick W. Hullett
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Garret Kurteff
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Texas Austin, Austin, Texas; and
| | - Stephen M. Wilson
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Matthew K. Leonard
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Edward F. Chang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
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The Orthographic Ambiguity of the Arabic Graphic System: Evidence from a Case of Central Agraphia Affecting the Two Routes of Spelling. Behav Neurol 2022; 2022:8078607. [DOI: 10.1155/2022/8078607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Arabic writing system includes ambiguities that create difficulties in spelling. These ambiguities relate mainly to the long vowels, some phoneme-grapheme conversions, lexical particularities, and the connectivity of letters. In this article, the first to specifically explore acquired spelling impairments in an Arabic-speaking individual, we report the case of CHS, who presented with agraphia following a stroke. Initial testing indicated substantial impairment of CHS’s spelling abilities in the form of mixed agraphia. The experimental study was specifically designed to explore the influence of the orthographic ambiguity of the Arabic graphemic system on CHS’s spelling performance. The results revealed that CHS had substantial difficulties with orthographic ambiguity and tended to omit ambiguous graphemes. Some of the errors she produced suggested reliance on the sublexical route of spelling, while others rather reflected the adoption of the lexical-semantic route. These findings from a case involving a non-Western, non-Indo-European language contribute to discussions of theoretical models of spelling. They show that CHS’s pattern of impairment is consistent with the summation hypothesis, according to which the lexical-semantic and the sublexical routes interactively contribute to spelling.
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9
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Beeson PM, Rising K, Sachs A, Rapcsak SZ. Common predictors of spoken and written language performance in aphasia, alexia, and agraphia. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:1025468. [DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.1025468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Language performance requires support from central cognitive/linguistic abilities as well as the more peripheral sensorimotor skills to plan and implement spoken and written communication. Both output modalities are vulnerable to impairment following damage to the language-dominant hemisphere, but much of the research to date has focused exclusively on spoken language. In this study we aimed to examine an integrated model of language processing that includes the common cognitive processes that support spoken and written language, as well as modality-specific skills. To do so, we evaluated spoken and written language performance from 87 individuals with acquired language impairment resulting from damage to left perisylvian cortical regions that collectively constitute the dorsal language pathway. Comprehensive behavioral assessment served to characterize the status of central and peripheral components of language processing in relation to neurotypical controls (n = 38). Performance data entered into principal components analyses (with or without control scores) consistently yielded a strong five-factor solution. In line with a primary systems framework, three central cognitive factors emerged: semantics, phonology, and orthography that were distinguished from peripheral processes supporting speech production and allographic skill for handwriting. The central phonology construct reflected performance on phonological awareness and manipulation tasks and showed the greatest deficit of all the derived factors. Importantly, this phonological construct was orthogonal to the speech production factor that reflected repetition of words/non-words. When entered into regression analyses, semantics and phonological skill were common predictors of language performance across spoken and written modalities. The speech production factor was also a strong, distinct predictor of spoken naming and oral reading, in contrast to allographic skills which only predicted written output. As expected, visual orthographic processing contributed more to written than spoken language tasks and reading/spelling performance was strongly reliant on phonological and semantic abilities. Despite the heterogeneity of this cohort regarding aphasia type and severity, the marked impairment of phonological skill was a unifying feature. These findings prompt greater attention to clinical assessment and potential treatment of underlying phonological skill in individuals with left perisylvian damage.
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Shahab QS, Young IM, Dadario NB, Tanglay O, Nicholas PJ, Lin YH, Fonseka RD, Yeung JT, Bai MY, Teo C, Doyen S, Sughrue ME. A connectivity model of the anatomic substrates underlying Gerstmann syndrome. Brain Commun 2022; 4:fcac140. [PMID: 35706977 PMCID: PMC9189613 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The Gerstmann syndrome is a constellation of neurological deficits that include agraphia, acalculia, left–right discrimination and finger agnosia. Despite a growing interest in this clinical phenomenon, there remains controversy regarding the specific neuroanatomic substrates involved. Advancements in data-driven, computational modelling provides an opportunity to create a unified cortical model with greater anatomic precision based on underlying structural and functional connectivity across complex cognitive domains. A literature search was conducted for healthy task-based functional MRI and PET studies for the four cognitive domains underlying Gerstmann’s tetrad using the electronic databases PubMed, Medline, and BrainMap Sleuth (2.4). Coordinate-based, meta-analytic software was utilized to gather relevant regions of interest from included studies to create an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) map for each cognitive domain. Machine-learning was used to match activated regions of the ALE to the corresponding parcel from the cortical parcellation scheme previously published under the Human Connectome Project (HCP). Diffusion spectrum imaging-based tractography was performed to determine the structural connectivity between relevant parcels in each domain on 51 healthy subjects from the HCP database. Ultimately 102 functional MRI studies met our inclusion criteria. A frontoparietal network was found to be involved in the four cognitive domains: calculation, writing, finger gnosis, and left–right orientation. There were three parcels in the left hemisphere, where the ALE of at least three cognitive domains were found to be overlapping, specifically the anterior intraparietal area, area 7 postcentral (7PC) and the medial intraparietal sulcus. These parcels surround the anteromedial portion of the intraparietal sulcus. Area 7PC was found to be involved in all four domains. These regions were extensively connected in the intraparietal sulcus, as well as with a number of surrounding large-scale brain networks involved in higher-order functions. We present a tractographic model of the four neural networks involved in the functions which are impaired in Gerstmann syndrome. We identified a ‘Gerstmann Core’ of extensively connected functional regions where at least three of the four networks overlap. These results provide clinically actionable and precise anatomic information which may help guide clinical translation in this region, such as during resective brain surgery in or near the intraparietal sulcus, and provides an empiric basis for future study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qazi S. Shahab
- University of New South Wales School of Medicine, , 2052, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Nicholas B. Dadario
- Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School , New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, United States of America
| | - Onur Tanglay
- Omniscient Neurotechnology , Sydney, 2000, Australia
| | | | - Yueh-Hsin Lin
- Prince of Wales Private Hospital Centre for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery, , Randwick, 2031, Australia
| | - R. Dineth Fonseka
- Prince of Wales Private Hospital Centre for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery, , Randwick, 2031, Australia
| | - Jacky T. Yeung
- Prince of Wales Private Hospital Centre for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery, , Randwick, 2031, Australia
| | - Michael Y. Bai
- Prince of Wales Private Hospital Centre for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery, , Randwick, 2031, Australia
| | - Charles Teo
- Prince of Wales Private Hospital Centre for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery, , Randwick, 2031, Australia
| | | | - Michael E. Sughrue
- Omniscient Neurotechnology , Sydney, 2000, Australia
- Prince of Wales Private Hospital Centre for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery, , Randwick, 2031, Australia
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11
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Zou L, Xia Z, Zhang W, Zhang X, Shu H. Brain responses during auditory word recognition vary with reading ability in Chinese school-age children. Dev Sci 2021; 25:e13216. [PMID: 34910843 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
While the close relationship between the brain system for speech processing and reading development is well-documented in alphabetic languages, whether and how such a link exists in children in a language without systematic grapheme-phoneme correspondence has not been directly investigated. In the present study, we measured Chinese children's brain activation during an auditory lexical decision task with functional magnetic resonance imaging. The results showed that brain areas distributed across the temporal and frontal lobes activated during spoken word recognition. In addition, the left occipitotemporal cortex (OTC) was recruited, especially under the real word condition, thus confirming the involvement of this orthographic-related area in spoken language processing in Chinese children. Importantly, activation of the left temporoparietal cortex (TPC) in response to words and pseudowords was positively correlated with children's reading ability, thus supporting the salient role phonological processing plays in Chinese reading in the developing brain. Furthermore, children with higher reading scores also increasingly recruited the left anterior OTC to make decisions on the lexical status of pseudowords, indicating that higher-skill children tend to search abstract lexical representations more deeply than lower-skill children in deciding whether spoken syllables are real. In contrast, the precuneus was more related to trial-by-trial reaction time in lower-skill children, suggesting that effort-related neural systems differ among pupils with varying reading abilities. Taken together, these findings suggest a strong link between the neural correlates of speech processing and reading ability in Chinese children, thus supporting a universal basis underlying reading development across languages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijuan Zou
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China.,School of Psychology and Education, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, China
| | - Zhichao Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.,School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- College of Chemical Engineering and Material Science, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, China
| | - Xianglin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Hua Shu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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12
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Buciuc M, Duffy JR, Machulda MM, Graff-Radford J, Pham NTT, Martin PR, Senjem ML, Jack CR, Ertekin-Taner N, Dickson DW, Lowe VJ, Whitwell JL, Josephs KA. Clinical, Imaging, and Pathologic Characteristics of Patients With Right vs Left Hemisphere-Predominant Logopenic Progressive Aphasia. Neurology 2021; 97:e523-e534. [PMID: 34088877 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000012322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess and compare demographic, clinical, neuroimaging, and pathologic characteristics of a cohort of patients with right hemisphere-predominant vs left hemisphere-predominant logopenic progressive aphasia (LPA). METHODS This is a case-control study of patients with LPA who were prospectively followed at Mayo Clinic and underwent [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET scan. Patients were classified as rLPA if right temporal lobe metabolism was ≥1 SD lower than left temporal lobe metabolism. Patients with rLPA were frequency-matched 3:1 to typical left-predominant LPA based on degree of asymmetry and severity of temporal lobe metabolism. Patients were compared on clinical, imaging (MRI, FDG-PET, β-amyloid, and tau-PET), and pathologic characteristics. RESULTS Of 103 prospectively recruited patients with LPA, 8 (4 female) were classified as rLPA (7.8%); all patients with rLPA were right-handed. Patients with rLPA had milder aphasia based on the Western Aphasia Battery-Aphasia Quotient (p = 0.04) and less frequent phonologic errors (p = 0.015). Patients with rLPA had shorter survival compared to typical LPA: hazard ratio 4.0 (1.2-12.9), p = 0.02. There were no other differences in demographics, handedness, genetics, or neurologic or neuropsychological tests. Compared to the 24 frequency-matched patients with typical LPA, patients with rLPA showed greater frontotemporal hypometabolism of the nondominant hemisphere on FDG-PET and less atrophy in amygdala and hippocampus of the dominant hemisphere. Autopsy evaluation revealed a similar distribution of pathologic findings in both groups, with Alzheimer disease pathologic changes being the most frequent pathology. CONCLUSIONS rLPA is associated with less severe aphasia but has shorter survival from reported symptom onset than typical LPA, possibly related to greater involvement of the nondominant hemisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Buciuc
- From the Departments of Neurology (M.B., J.R.D., J.G.-R., K.A.J.), Psychiatry and Psychology (M.M.M.), Radiology (N.T.T.P., M.L.S., C.R.J., V.J.L., J.L.W.), Health Science Research (P.R.M.), and Information Technology (M.L.S.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Departments of Neurology (N.E.-T.) and Neuroscience (N.E.-T., D.W.D.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Joseph R Duffy
- From the Departments of Neurology (M.B., J.R.D., J.G.-R., K.A.J.), Psychiatry and Psychology (M.M.M.), Radiology (N.T.T.P., M.L.S., C.R.J., V.J.L., J.L.W.), Health Science Research (P.R.M.), and Information Technology (M.L.S.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Departments of Neurology (N.E.-T.) and Neuroscience (N.E.-T., D.W.D.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Mary M Machulda
- From the Departments of Neurology (M.B., J.R.D., J.G.-R., K.A.J.), Psychiatry and Psychology (M.M.M.), Radiology (N.T.T.P., M.L.S., C.R.J., V.J.L., J.L.W.), Health Science Research (P.R.M.), and Information Technology (M.L.S.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Departments of Neurology (N.E.-T.) and Neuroscience (N.E.-T., D.W.D.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Jonathan Graff-Radford
- From the Departments of Neurology (M.B., J.R.D., J.G.-R., K.A.J.), Psychiatry and Psychology (M.M.M.), Radiology (N.T.T.P., M.L.S., C.R.J., V.J.L., J.L.W.), Health Science Research (P.R.M.), and Information Technology (M.L.S.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Departments of Neurology (N.E.-T.) and Neuroscience (N.E.-T., D.W.D.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Nha Trang Thu Pham
- From the Departments of Neurology (M.B., J.R.D., J.G.-R., K.A.J.), Psychiatry and Psychology (M.M.M.), Radiology (N.T.T.P., M.L.S., C.R.J., V.J.L., J.L.W.), Health Science Research (P.R.M.), and Information Technology (M.L.S.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Departments of Neurology (N.E.-T.) and Neuroscience (N.E.-T., D.W.D.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Peter R Martin
- From the Departments of Neurology (M.B., J.R.D., J.G.-R., K.A.J.), Psychiatry and Psychology (M.M.M.), Radiology (N.T.T.P., M.L.S., C.R.J., V.J.L., J.L.W.), Health Science Research (P.R.M.), and Information Technology (M.L.S.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Departments of Neurology (N.E.-T.) and Neuroscience (N.E.-T., D.W.D.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Matthew L Senjem
- From the Departments of Neurology (M.B., J.R.D., J.G.-R., K.A.J.), Psychiatry and Psychology (M.M.M.), Radiology (N.T.T.P., M.L.S., C.R.J., V.J.L., J.L.W.), Health Science Research (P.R.M.), and Information Technology (M.L.S.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Departments of Neurology (N.E.-T.) and Neuroscience (N.E.-T., D.W.D.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Clifford R Jack
- From the Departments of Neurology (M.B., J.R.D., J.G.-R., K.A.J.), Psychiatry and Psychology (M.M.M.), Radiology (N.T.T.P., M.L.S., C.R.J., V.J.L., J.L.W.), Health Science Research (P.R.M.), and Information Technology (M.L.S.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Departments of Neurology (N.E.-T.) and Neuroscience (N.E.-T., D.W.D.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Nilüfer Ertekin-Taner
- From the Departments of Neurology (M.B., J.R.D., J.G.-R., K.A.J.), Psychiatry and Psychology (M.M.M.), Radiology (N.T.T.P., M.L.S., C.R.J., V.J.L., J.L.W.), Health Science Research (P.R.M.), and Information Technology (M.L.S.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Departments of Neurology (N.E.-T.) and Neuroscience (N.E.-T., D.W.D.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Dennis W Dickson
- From the Departments of Neurology (M.B., J.R.D., J.G.-R., K.A.J.), Psychiatry and Psychology (M.M.M.), Radiology (N.T.T.P., M.L.S., C.R.J., V.J.L., J.L.W.), Health Science Research (P.R.M.), and Information Technology (M.L.S.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Departments of Neurology (N.E.-T.) and Neuroscience (N.E.-T., D.W.D.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Val J Lowe
- From the Departments of Neurology (M.B., J.R.D., J.G.-R., K.A.J.), Psychiatry and Psychology (M.M.M.), Radiology (N.T.T.P., M.L.S., C.R.J., V.J.L., J.L.W.), Health Science Research (P.R.M.), and Information Technology (M.L.S.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Departments of Neurology (N.E.-T.) and Neuroscience (N.E.-T., D.W.D.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Jennifer L Whitwell
- From the Departments of Neurology (M.B., J.R.D., J.G.-R., K.A.J.), Psychiatry and Psychology (M.M.M.), Radiology (N.T.T.P., M.L.S., C.R.J., V.J.L., J.L.W.), Health Science Research (P.R.M.), and Information Technology (M.L.S.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Departments of Neurology (N.E.-T.) and Neuroscience (N.E.-T., D.W.D.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
| | - Keith Anthony Josephs
- From the Departments of Neurology (M.B., J.R.D., J.G.-R., K.A.J.), Psychiatry and Psychology (M.M.M.), Radiology (N.T.T.P., M.L.S., C.R.J., V.J.L., J.L.W.), Health Science Research (P.R.M.), and Information Technology (M.L.S.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Departments of Neurology (N.E.-T.) and Neuroscience (N.E.-T., D.W.D.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL.
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DUAL-tDCS Treatment over the Temporo-Parietal Cortex Enhances Writing Skills: First Evidence from Chronic Post-Stroke Aphasia. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11040343. [PMID: 33919714 PMCID: PMC8070712 DOI: 10.3390/life11040343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The learning of writing skills involves the re-engagement of previously established independent procedures. Indeed, the writing deficit an adult may acquire after left hemispheric brain injury is caused by either an impairment to the lexical route, which processes words as a whole, to the sublexical procedure based on phoneme-to-grapheme conversion rules, or to both procedures. To date, several approaches have been proposed for writing disorders, among which, interventions aimed at restoring the sub-lexical procedure were successful in cases of severe agraphia. In a randomized double-blind crossover design, fourteen chronic Italian post-stroke aphasics underwent dual transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) (20 min, 2 mA) with anodal and cathodal current simultaneously placed over the left and right temporo-parietal cortex, respectively. Two different conditions were considered: (1) real, and (2) sham, while performing a writing task. Each experimental condition was performed for ten workdays over two weeks. After real stimulation, a greater amelioration in writing with respect to the sham was found. Relevantly, these effects generalized to different language tasks not directly treated. This evidence suggests, for the first time, that dual tDCS associated with training is efficacious for severe agraphia. Our results confirm the critical role of the temporo-parietal cortex in writing skills.
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14
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Is the Letter ‘t’ in the Word ‘gourmet’? Disruption in Task-Evoked Connectivity Networks in Adults with Impaired Literacy Skills. NEUROSCI 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/neurosci2010005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Much work has been done to characterize domain-specific brain networks associated with reading, but very little work has been done with respect to spelling. Our aim was to characterize domain-specific spelling networks (SpNs) and domain-general resting state networks (RSNs) in adults with and without literacy impairments. Skilled and impaired adults were recruited from the University of Alberta. Participants completed three conditions of an in-scanner spelling task called a letter probe task (LPT). We found highly connected SpNs for both groups of individuals, albeit comparatively more connections for skilled (50) vs. impaired (43) readers. Notably, the SpNs did not correlate with spelling behaviour for either group. We also found relationships between SpNs and RSNs for both groups of individuals, this time with comparatively fewer connections for skilled (36) vs. impaired (53) readers. Finally, the RSNs did predict spelling performance in a limited manner for the skilled readers. These results advance our understanding of brain networks associated with spelling and add to the growing body of literature that describes the important and intricate connections between domain-specific networks and domain-general networks (i.e., resting states) in individuals with and without developmental disorders.
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15
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Junker FB, Schlaffke L, Axmacher N, Schmidt-Wilcke T. Impact of multisensory learning on perceptual and lexical processing of unisensory Morse code. Brain Res 2021; 1755:147259. [PMID: 33422535 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.147259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Multisensory learning profits from stimulus congruency at different levels of processing. In the current study, we sought to investigate whether multisensory learning can potentially be based on high-level feature congruency (same meaning) without perceptual congruency (same time) and how this relates to changes in brain function and behaviour. 50 subjects learned to decode Morse code (MC) either in unisensory or different multisensory manners. During unisensory learning, the MC was trained as sequences of auditory trains. For low-level congruent (perceptual) multisensory learning, MC was applied as tactile stimulation to the left hand simultaneously to the auditory stimulation. In contrast, high-level congruent multisensory learning involved auditory training, followed by the production of MC sequences requiring motor actions and thereby excludes perceptual congruency. After learning, group differences were observed within three distinct brain regions while processing unisensory (auditory) MC. Both types of multisensory learning were associated with increased activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus. Multisensory low-level learning elicited additional activation in the somatosensory cortex, while multisensory high-level learners showed a reduced activation in the inferior parietal lobule, which is relevant for decoding MC. Furthermore, differences in brain function associated with multisensory learning was related to behavioural reaction times for both multisensory learning groups. Overall, our data support the idea that multisensory learning is potentially based on high-level features without perceptual congruency. Furthermore, learning of multisensory associations involves neural representations of stimulus features involved in learning, but also share common brain activation (i.e. the right IFG), which seems to serve as a site of multisensory integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- F B Junker
- Department of Neuropsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, D-44801 Bochum, Germany; Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - L Schlaffke
- Department for Neurology, BG-University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bürkle de la Camp-Platz 1, D-44789 Bochum, Germany
| | - N Axmacher
- Department of Neuropsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, D-44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - T Schmidt-Wilcke
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Department of Neurology, St. Mauritius Clinic, Strümper Str. 111, D-40670 Meerbusch, Germany
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16
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Drawing on the brain: An ALE meta-analysis of functional brain activation during drawing. ARTS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2020.101690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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17
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Junker FB, Schlaffke L, Bellebaum C, Ghio M, Brühl S, Axmacher N, Schmidt-Wilcke T. Transition From Sublexical to Lexico-Semantic Stimulus Processing. Front Syst Neurosci 2020; 14:522384. [PMID: 33192346 PMCID: PMC7662113 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2020.522384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Resembling letter-by-letter translation, Morse code can be used to investigate various linguistic components by slowing down the cognitive process of language decoding. Using fMRI and Morse code, we investigated patterns of brain activation associated with decoding three-letter words or non-words and making a lexical decision. Our data suggest that early sublexical processing is associated with activation in brain regions that are involved in sound-patterns to phoneme conversion (inferior parietal lobule), phonological output buffer (inferior frontal cortex: pars opercularis) as well as phonological and semantic top-down predictions (inferior frontal cortex: pars triangularis). In addition, later lexico-semantic processing of meaningful stimuli is associated with activation of the phonological lexicon (angular gyrus) and the semantic system (default mode network). Overall, our data indicate that sublexical and lexico-semantic analyses comprise two cognitive processes that rely on neighboring networks in the left frontal cortex and parietal lobule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick Benjamin Junker
- Department of Neuropsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Lara Schlaffke
- Department for Neurology, Professional Association Berufsgenossenschaft-University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany
| | - Christian Bellebaum
- Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Marta Ghio
- Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Stefanie Brühl
- St. Mauritius Therapy Clinic, Meerbusch, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Nikolai Axmacher
- Department of Neuropsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Tobias Schmidt-Wilcke
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- St. Mauritius Therapy Clinic, Meerbusch, Germany
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18
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Battistella G, Borghesani V, Henry M, Shwe W, Lauricella M, Miller Z, Deleon J, Miller BL, Dronkers N, Brambati SM, Seeley WW, Mandelli ML, Gorno-Tempini ML. Task-Free Functional Language Networks: Reproducibility and Clinical Application. J Neurosci 2020; 40:1311-1320. [PMID: 31852732 PMCID: PMC7002153 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1485-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) identified through task-free fMRI (tf-fMRI) offer the opportunity to investigate human brain circuits involved in language processes without requiring participants to perform challenging cognitive tasks. In this study, we assessed the ability of tf-fMRI to isolate reproducible networks critical for specific language functions and often damaged in primary progressive aphasia (PPA). First, we performed whole-brain seed-based correlation analyses on tf-fMRI data to identify ICNs anchored in regions known for articulatory, phonological, and semantic processes in healthy male and female controls (HCs). We then evaluated the reproducibility of these ICNs in an independent cohort of HCs, and recapitulated their functional relevance with a post hoc meta-analysis on task-based fMRI. Last, we investigated whether atrophy in these ICNs could inform the differential diagnosis of nonfluent/agrammatic, semantic, and logopenic PPA variants. The identified ICNs included a dorsal articulatory-phonological network involving inferior frontal and supramarginal regions; a ventral semantic network involving anterior middle temporal and angular gyri; a speech perception network involving superior temporal and sensorimotor regions; and a network between posterior inferior temporal and intraparietal regions likely linking visual, phonological, and attentional processes for written language. These ICNs were highly reproducible across independent groups and revealed areas consistent with those emerging from task-based meta-analysis. By comparing ICNs' spatial distribution in HCs with patients' atrophy patterns, we identified ICNs associated with each PPA variant. Our findings demonstrate the potential use of tf-fMRI to investigate the functional status of language networks in patients for whom activation studies can be methodologically challenging.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We showed that a single, short, task-free fMRI acquisition is able to identify four reproducible and relatively segregated intrinsic left-dominant networks associated with articulatory, phonological, semantic, and multimodal orthography-to-phonology processes, in HCs. We also showed that these intrinsic networks relate to syndrome-specific atrophy patterns in primary progressive aphasia. Collectively, our results support the application of task-free fMRI in future research to study functionality of language circuits in patients for whom tasked-based activation studies might be methodologically challenging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Battistella
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158,
| | - Valentina Borghesani
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Maya Henry
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Wendy Shwe
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Michael Lauricella
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Zachary Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Jessica Deleon
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Bruce L Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Nina Dronkers
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, and
| | - Simona M Brambati
- Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, Quebec H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - William W Seeley
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Maria Luisa Mandelli
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158
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19
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Purcell JJ, Wiley RW, Rapp B. Re-learning to be different: Increased neural differentiation supports post-stroke language recovery. Neuroimage 2019; 202:116145. [PMID: 31479754 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying the neural changes that support recovery of cognitive functions after a brain lesion is important to advance our understanding of human neuroplasticity, which, in turn, forms the basis for the development of effective treatments. To date, the preponderance of neuroimaging studies has focused on localizing changes in average brain activity associated with functional recovery. Here, we took a novel approach by evaluating whether cognitive recovery in chronic stroke is related to increases in the differentiation of local neural response patterns. This approach is supported by research indicating that, in the intact brain, local neural representations become more differentiated (dissimilar) with learning (Glezer et al., 2015). We acquired fMRI data before and after 21 individuals received approximately 12 weeks of behavioral treatment for written language impairment due to a left-hemisphere stroke. We used Local-Heterogeneity Regression Analysis (Purcell and Rapp, 2018) to measure local neural response differentiation associated with written language processing, assuming that greater heterogeneity in the pattern of activity across adjacent neural areas indicates more well-differentiated neural representations. First, we observed pre to post-treatment increases in local neural differentiation (Local-Hreg) in the ventral occipital-temporal cortex of the left hemisphere. Second, we found that, in this region, higher local neural response differentiation prior to treatment was associated with less severe written language impairment, and that it also predicted greater future responsiveness to treatment. Third, we observed that changes in neural differentiation were systematically related to performance changes for trained and untrained items. Fourth, we did not observe these brain-behavior relationships for mean BOLD responses, only for Local-Hreg. Thus, this is the first investigation to quantify changes in local neural differentiation in the recovery of a cognitive function and the first to demonstrate the clear behavioral relevance of these changes. We conclude that the findings provide strong support for the novel hypothesis that the local re-differentiation of neural representations can play a significant role in functional recovery after brain lesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy J Purcell
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
| | - Robert W Wiley
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Brenda Rapp
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
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20
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Kwok VPY, Matthews S, Yakpo K, Tan LH. Neural correlates and functional connectivity of lexical tone processing in reading. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2019; 196:104662. [PMID: 31352216 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2019.104662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Lexical tone processing in speech is mediated by bilateral superior temporal and inferior prefrontal regions, but little is known concerning the neural circuitries of lexical tone phonology in reading. Using fMRI, we examined the neural systems for lexical tone in visual Chinese word recognition. We found that the extraction of lexical tone phonology in print was subserved by bilateral fronto-parietal regions. Seed-to-voxel analyses showed that functionally connected cortical regions involved right inferior frontal gyrus and SMA, right middle frontal gyrus and right inferior parietal lobule, and SMA and bilateral cingulate gyri. Our results indicate that in Chinese tone reading, a bilateral network of frontal, parietal, motor, and cingulate regions is engaged, without involvement of temporal regions crucial for tone identification in auditory domain. Although neural couplings for lexical tone processing are different in speech and reading to some degree, the motor cortex seems to be a key component independent of modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica P Y Kwok
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Stephen Matthews
- Department of Linguistics, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong
| | - Kofi Yakpo
- Department of Linguistics, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong
| | - Li Hai Tan
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen 518057, China.
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21
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Localization of Phonological and Semantic Contributions to Reading. J Neurosci 2019; 39:5361-5368. [PMID: 31061085 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2707-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Reading involves the rapid extraction of sound and meaning from print through a cooperative division of labor between phonological and lexical-semantic processes. Whereas lesion studies of patients with stereotyped acquired reading deficits contributed to the notion of a dissociation between phonological and lexical-semantic reading, the neuroanatomical basis for effects of lexicality (word vs pseudoword), orthographic regularity (regular vs irregular spelling-sound correspondences), and concreteness (concrete vs abstract meaning) on reading is underspecified, particularly outside the context of strong behavioral dissociations. Support vector regression lesion-symptom mapping (LSM) of 73 left hemisphere stroke survivors (male and female human subjects) not preselected for stereotyped dissociations revealed the differential contributions of specific cortical regions to reading pseudowords (ventral precentral gyrus), regular words (planum temporale, supramarginal gyrus, ventral precentral and postcentral gyrus, and insula), and concrete words (pars orbitalis and pars triangularis). Consistent with the primary systems view of reading being parasitic on language-general circuitry, our multivariate LSM analyses revealed that phonological decoding depends on perisylvian areas subserving sound-motor integration and that semantic effects on reading depend on frontal cortex subserving control over concrete semantic representations that aid phonological access from print. As the first study to localize the differential cortical contributions to reading pseudowords, regular words, and concrete words in stroke survivors with variable reading abilities, our results provide important information on the neurobiological basis of reading and highlight the insights attainable through multivariate, process-based approaches to alexia.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Whereas fMRI evidence for neuroanatomical dissociations between phonological and lexical-semantic reading is abundant, evidence from modern lesion studies establishing the differential contributions of specific brain regions to specific reading processes is lacking. Our application of multivariate lesion-symptom mapping revealed that effects of lexicality, orthographic regularity, and concreteness on reading differentially depend on areas subserving auditory-motor integration and semantic control. Phonological decoding of print relies on a dorsal perisylvian network supporting auditory and articulatory representations, with unfamiliar words relying especially on articulatory mapping. In tandem with this dorsal decoding system, anterior inferior frontal gyrus may coordinate control over concrete semantic representations that support mapping of print to sound, which is a novel potential mechanism for semantic influences on reading.
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Ficek BN, Wang Z, Zhao Y, Webster KT, Desmond JE, Hillis AE, Frangakis C, Faria AV, Caffo B, Tsapkini K. "The effect of tDCS on functional connectivity in primary progressive aphasia" NeuroImage: Clinical, volume 19 (2018), pages 703-715. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 22:101734. [PMID: 30878405 PMCID: PMC6543522 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is an innovative technique recently shown to improve language outcomes even in neurodegenerative conditions such as primary progressive aphasia (PPA), but the underlying brain mechanisms are not known. The present study tested whether the additional language gains with repetitive tDCS (over sham) in PPA are caused by changes in functional connectivity between the stimulated area (the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG)) and the rest of the language network. We scanned 24 PPA participants (11 female) before and after language intervention (written naming/spelling) with a resting-state fMRI sequence and compared changes before and after three weeks of tDCS or sham coupled with language therapy. We correlated changes in the language network as well as in the default mode network (DMN) with language therapy outcome measures (letter accuracy in written naming). Significant tDCS effects in functional connectivity were observed between the stimulated area and other language network areas and between the language network and the DMN. TDCS over the left IFG lowered the connectivity between the above pairs. Changes in functional connectivity correlated with improvement in language scores (letter accuracy as a proxy for written naming) evaluated before and after therapy. These results suggest that one mechanism for anodal tDCS over the left IFG in PPA is a decrease in functional connectivity (compared to sham) between the stimulated site and other posterior areas of the language network. These results are in line with similar decreases in connectivity observed after tDCS over the left IFG in aging and other neurodegenerative conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bronte N Ficek
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Zeyi Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Yi Zhao
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Kimberly T Webster
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - John E Desmond
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Argye E Hillis
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Constantine Frangakis
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | | | - Brian Caffo
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Kyrana Tsapkini
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
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Electrical brain stimulation in different variants of primary progressive aphasia: A randomized clinical trial. ALZHEIMERS & DEMENTIA-TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH & CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS 2018; 4:461-472. [PMID: 30258975 PMCID: PMC6153381 DOI: 10.1016/j.trci.2018.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Introduction Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been recently shown to improve language outcomes in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) but most studies are small and the influence of PPA variant is unknown. Methods Thirty-six patients with PPA participated in a randomized, sham-controlled, double-blind, within-subject crossover design for 15 daily sessions of stimulation coupled with written naming/spelling therapy. Outcome measures were letter accuracy of treated and untreated words immediately after and at 2 weeks and 2 months posttreatment. Results tDCS treatment was more effective than sham: gains for treated words were maintained 2 months posttreatment; gains from tDCS also generalized to untreated words and were sustained 2 months posttreatment. Different effects were obtained for each PPA variant, with no tDCS advantage for semantic variant PPA. Discussion The study supports using tDCS as an adjunct to written language interventions in individuals with logopenic or nonfluent/agrammatic PPA seeking compensatory treatments in clinical settings.
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Fabry RE. Spontaneous Cognition and Epistemic Agency in the Cognitive Niche. Front Psychol 2018; 9:931. [PMID: 29937749 PMCID: PMC6002503 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
According to Thomas Metzinger, many human cognitive processes in the waking state are spontaneous and are deprived of the experience of epistemic agency. He considers mind wandering as a paradigm example of our recurring loss of epistemic agency. I will enrich this view by extending the scope of the concept of epistemic agency to include cases of depressive rumination and creative cognition, which are additional types of spontaneous cognition. Like mind wandering, they are characterized by unique phenomenal and functional properties that give rise to varying degrees of epistemic agency. The main claim of this paper will be that the experience of being an epistemic agent within a certain time frame is a relational phenomenon that emerges from the organism’s capacity to interact with its cognitive niche. To explore this relation, I develop a new framework that integrates phenomenological considerations on epistemic agency with a functional account of the reciprocal coupling of the embodied organism with its cognitive niche. This account rests upon dynamical accounts of strong embodied and embedded cognition and recent work on cognitive niche construction. Importantly, epistemic agency and organism-niche coupling are gradual phenomena ranging from weak to strong realizations. The emerging framework will be employed to analyze mind wandering, depressive rumination, and creative cognition as well as their commonalities and differences. Mind wandering and depressive rumination are cases of weak epistemic agency and organism-niche coupling. However, there are also important phenomenological, functional, and neuronal differences. In contrast, creative cognition is a case of strong epistemic agency and organism-niche coupling. By providing a phenomenological and functional analysis of these distinct types of spontaneous cognition, we can gain a better understanding of the importance of organism-niche interaction for the realization of epistemic agency.
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Ficek BN, Wang Z, Zhao Y, Webster KT, Desmond JE, Hillis AE, Frangakis C, Vasconcellos Faria A, Caffo B, Tsapkini K. The effect of tDCS on functional connectivity in primary progressive aphasia. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2018; 19:703-715. [PMID: 30009127 PMCID: PMC6041563 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Revised: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is an innovative technique recently shown to improve language outcomes even in neurodegenerative conditions such as primary progressive aphasia (PPA), but the underlying brain mechanisms are not known. The present study tested whether the additional language gains with repetitive tDCS (over sham) in PPA are caused by changes in functional connectivity between the stimulated area (the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG)) and the rest of the language network. We scanned 24 PPA participants (11 female) before and after language intervention (written naming/spelling) with a resting-state fMRI sequence and compared changes before and after three weeks of tDCS or sham coupled with language therapy. We correlated changes in the language network as well as in the default mode network (DMN) with language therapy outcome measures (letter accuracy in written naming). Significant tDCS effects in functional connectivity were observed between the stimulated area and other language network areas and between the language network and the DMN. TDCS over the left IFG lowered the connectivity between the above pairs. Changes in functional connectivity correlated with improvement in language scores (letter accuracy as a proxy for written naming) evaluated before and after therapy. These results suggest that one mechanism for anodal tDCS over the left IFG in PPA is a decrease in functional connectivity (compared to sham) between the stimulated site and other posterior areas of the language network. These results are in line with similar decreases in connectivity observed after tDCS over the left IFG in aging and other neurodegenerative conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bronte N Ficek
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Zeyi Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Yi Zhao
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Kimberly T Webster
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - John E Desmond
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Argye E Hillis
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Constantine Frangakis
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | | | - Brian Caffo
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Kyrana Tsapkini
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
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26
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Ficek BN, Wang Z, Zhao Y, Webster KT, Desmond JE, Hillis AE, Frangakis C, Vasconcellos Faria A, Caffo B, Tsapkini K. The effect of tDCS on functional connectivity in primary progressive aphasia. Neuroimage Clin 2018; 19:703-715. [PMID: 30009127 PMCID: PMC6041563 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.05.023 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Revised: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/19/2018] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is an innovative technique recently shown to improve language outcomes even in neurodegenerative conditions such as primary progressive aphasia (PPA), but the underlying brain mechanisms are not known. The present study tested whether the additional language gains with repetitive tDCS (over sham) in PPA are caused by changes in functional connectivity between the stimulated area (the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG)) and the rest of the language network. We scanned 24 PPA participants (11 female) before and after language intervention (written naming/spelling) with a resting-state fMRI sequence and compared changes before and after three weeks of tDCS or sham coupled with language therapy. We correlated changes in the language network as well as in the default mode network (DMN) with language therapy outcome measures (letter accuracy in written naming). Significant tDCS effects in functional connectivity were observed between the stimulated area and other language network areas and between the language network and the DMN. TDCS over the left IFG lowered the connectivity between the above pairs. Changes in functional connectivity correlated with improvement in language scores (letter accuracy as a proxy for written naming) evaluated before and after therapy. These results suggest that one mechanism for anodal tDCS over the left IFG in PPA is a decrease in functional connectivity (compared to sham) between the stimulated site and other posterior areas of the language network. These results are in line with similar decreases in connectivity observed after tDCS over the left IFG in aging and other neurodegenerative conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bronte N Ficek
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Zeyi Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Yi Zhao
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Kimberly T Webster
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - John E Desmond
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Argye E Hillis
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Constantine Frangakis
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | | | - Brian Caffo
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Kyrana Tsapkini
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
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Purcell JJ, Jiang X, Eden GF. Shared orthographic neuronal representations for spelling and reading. Neuroimage 2017; 147:554-567. [PMID: 28011250 PMCID: PMC5303658 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.12.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2016] [Revised: 12/11/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
A central question in the study of the neural basis of written language is whether reading and spelling utilize shared orthographic representations. While recent studies employing fMRI to test this question report that the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and ventral occipitotemporal cortex (vOTC) are active during both spelling and reading in the same subjects (Purcell et al., 2011a; Rapp and Lipka, 2011), the spatial resolution of fMRI limits the interpretation of these findings. Specifically, it is unknown if the neurons which encode orthography for reading are also involved in spelling of the same words. Here we address this question by employing an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging-adaptation (fMRI-A) paradigm designed to examine shared orthographic representations across spelling and reading. First, we identified areas that independently showed adaptation to reading, and adaptation to spelling. Then we identified spatial convergence for these two separate maps via a conjunction analysis. Consistent with previous studies (Purcell et al., 2011a; Rapp and Lipka, 2011), this analysis revealed the left dorsal IFG, vOTC and supplementary motor area. To further validate these observations, we then interrogated these regions using an across-task adaptation technique, and found adaptation across reading and spelling in the left dorsal IFG (BA 44/9). Our final analysis focused specifically on the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) in the vOTC, whose variability in location among subjects requires the use of subject-specific identification mechanisms (Glezer and Riesenhuber, 2013). Using a functional localizer for reading, we defined the VWFA in each subject, and found adaptation effects for both within the spelling and reading conditions, respectively, as well as across spelling and reading. Because none of these effects were observed during a phonological/semantic control condition, we conclude that the left dorsal IFG and VWFA are involved in accessing the same orthography-specific representations for spelling and reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy J Purcell
- Center for the Study of Learning, Department of Pediatrics, United States
| | - Xiong Jiang
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, United States
| | - Guinevere F Eden
- Center for the Study of Learning, Department of Pediatrics, United States.
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