1
|
Boos M, Kobi M, Elmer S, Jäncke L. Tracking Lexical Access and Code-Switching in Multilingual Participants with Different Degrees of Simultaneous Interpretation Expertise. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 56:4869-4888. [PMID: 35904767 PMCID: PMC9544540 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
With the worldwide increase in people speaking more than one language, a better understanding of the behavioural and neural mechanisms governing lexical selection, lexical access in multiple languages and code switching has attracted widespread interest from several disciplines. Previous studies documented higher costs when processing a non‐native (L2) than a native (L1) language or when switching from L2 to L1. However, studies on auditory language reception are still scarce and did not take into account the degree of switching experience. Accordingly, in the present study, we combined behavioural and electrophysiological measurements to assess lexical access in L1 and L2 as well as code switching in professional simultaneous interpreters, trainee interpreters, foreign language teachers and Anglistics students, while the participants performed a bilingual auditory lexical decision task. The purpose of this study was to expand the knowledge on code switching in auditory language processing and examine whether the degree of simultaneous interpretation experience might reduce switching costs. As a main result, we revealed that L2 compared to L1 trials, as well as switch compared to non‐switch trials, generally resulted in lower accuracies, longer reaction times and increased N400 amplitudes in all groups of participants. Otherwise, we did not reveal any influence of switching direction and interpretation expertise on N400 parameters. Taken together, these results suggest that a late age of L2 acquisition leads to switching costs, irrespective of proficiency level. Furthermore, we provided first evidence that simultaneous interpretation training does not diminish switching costs, at least when focusing on lexical access.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Boos
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Kobi
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Elmer
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Computational Neuroscience of Speech & Hearing, Department of Computational Linguistics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,University Research Priority Program (URPP) "Dynamics of Healthy Aging", University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zheng Y, Kirk I, Chen T, O'Hagan M, Waldie KE. Task-Modulated Oscillation Differences in Auditory and Spoken Chinese-English Bilingual Processing: An Electroencephalography Study. Front Psychol 2022; 13:823700. [PMID: 35712178 PMCID: PMC9197074 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.823700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurophysiological research on the bilingual activity of interpretation or interpreting has been very fruitful in understanding the bilingual brain and has gained increasing popularity recently. Issues like word interpreting and the directionality of interpreting have been attended to by many researchers, mainly with localizing techniques. Brain structures such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex have been repeatedly identified during interpreting. However, little is known about the oscillation and synchronization features of interpreting, especially sentence-level overt interpreting. In this study we implemented a Chinese-English sentence-level overt interpreting experiment with electroencephalography on 43 Chinese-English bilinguals and compared the oscillation and synchronization features of interpreting with those of listening, speaking and shadowing. We found significant time-frequency power differences in the delta-theta (1–7 Hz) and gamma band (above 30 Hz) between motor and silent tasks. Further theta-gamma coupling analysis revealed different synchronization networks in between speaking, shadowing and interpreting, indicating an idea-formulation dependent mechanism. Moreover, interpreting incurred robust right frontotemporal gamma coactivation network compared with speaking and shadowing, which we think may reflect the language conversion process inherent in interpreting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuxuan Zheng
- School of Psychology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Ian Kirk
- School of Psychology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Centre for Brain Research, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Tengfei Chen
- School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China
| | - Minako O'Hagan
- School of Cultures Languages and Linguistics, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Karen E Waldie
- School of Psychology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Centre for Brain Research, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
He Y, Hu Y, Yang Y, Li D, Hu Y. Optical Mapping of Brain Activity Underlying Directionality and Its Modulation by Expertise in Mandarin/English Interpreting. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:649578. [PMID: 34421558 PMCID: PMC8377287 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.649578] [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: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent neuroimaging research has suggested that unequal cognitive efforts exist between interpreting from language 1 (L1) to language 2 (L2) compared with interpreting from L2 to L1. However, the neural substrates that underlie this directionality effect are not yet well understood. Whether directionality is modulated by interpreting expertise also remains unknown. In this study, we recruited two groups of Mandarin (L1)/English (L2) bilingual speakers with varying levels of interpreting expertise and asked them to perform interpreting and reading tasks. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to collect cortical brain data for participants during each task, using 68 channels that covered the prefrontal cortex and the bilateral perisylvian regions. The interpreting-related neuroimaging data was normalized by using both L1 and L2 reading tasks, to control the function of reading and vocalization respectively. Our findings revealed the directionality effect in both groups, with forward interpreting (from L1 to L2) produced more pronounced brain activity, when normalized for reading. We also found that directionality was modulated by interpreting expertise in both normalizations. For the group with relatively high expertise, the activated brain regions included the right Broca's area and the left premotor and supplementary motor cortex; whereas for the group with relatively low expertise, the activated brain areas covered the superior temporal gyrus, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the Broca's area, and visual area 3 in the right hemisphere. These findings indicated that interpreting expertise modulated brain activation, possibly because of more developed cognitive skills associated with executive functions in experienced interpreters.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yan He
- College of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yinying Hu
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yaxi Yang
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Defeng Li
- Centre for Studies of Translation, Interpreting and Cognition, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Yi Hu
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Yagura H, Tanaka H, Kinoshita T, Watanabe H, Motomura S, Sudoh K, Nakamura S. Selective Attention Measurement of Experienced Simultaneous Interpreters Using EEG Phase-Locked Response. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:581525. [PMID: 34163336 PMCID: PMC8215497 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.581525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We quantified the electroencephalogram signals associated with the selective attention processing of experienced simultaneous interpreters and calculated the phase-locked responses evoked by a 40-Hz auditory steady-state response (40-Hz ASSR) and the values of robust inter-trial coherence (ITC) for environmental changes. Since we assumed that an interpreter's attention ability improves with an increase in the number of years of experience of simultaneous interpretation, we divided the participants into two groups based on their simultaneous interpretation experience: experts with more than 15 years of experience (E group; n = 7) and beginners with <1 year (B group; n = 15). We also compared two conditions: simultaneous interpretation (SI) and shadowing (SH). We found a significant interaction in the ITC between years of SI experience (E and B groups) and tasks (SI and SH). This result demonstrates that the number of years of SI experience influences selective attention during interpretation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haruko Yagura
- Division of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
| | - Hiroki Tanaka
- Division of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
| | - Taiki Kinoshita
- Division of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
| | - Hiroki Watanabe
- Division of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
| | - Shunnosuke Motomura
- Division of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
| | - Katsuhito Sudoh
- Division of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
| | - Satoshi Nakamura
- Division of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ferreira A, Schwieter JW, Festman J. Cognitive and Neurocognitive Effects From the Unique Bilingual Experiences of Interpreters. Front Psychol 2020; 11:548755. [PMID: 33132957 PMCID: PMC7550398 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.548755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For bilinguals, research suggests that both languages are constantly active and competing in the mind, even when only using one. However, this body of work has reported inconclusive results on the long-term effects of the constant parallel activation and use of more than one language on the brain. This has mostly been due to inconsistent comparisons between groups of bilinguals and monolinguals. Not all bilingualisms are the same. The investigation of the use of more than one language over a lifetime offers the opportunity to better understand the consequences of bilingualism on the brain. However, few studies have specifically looked at the long-standing effects of being an interpreter. In this paper, we review theories from the field of Translation and Interpreting Studies and provide a critical review of work that offers insight on the cognitive and neurocognitive effects that seem to arise from the unique, highly-cognitive-demanding practices experienced by interpreters.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aline Ferreira
- Bilingualism, Translation, and Cognition Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - John W Schwieter
- Language Acquisition, Multilingualism, and Cognition Laboratory, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Julia Festman
- Multilingualism Research Team, Institute for Research and Development (IFE), University College of Teacher Education, Tyrol, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wu H, Yan H, Yang Y, Xu M, Shi Y, Zeng W, Li J, Zhang J, Chang C, Wang N. Occupational Neuroplasticity in the Human Brain: A Critical Review and Meta-Analysis of Neuroimaging Studies. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:215. [PMID: 32760257 PMCID: PMC7373999 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Many studies have revealed the structural or functional brain changes induced by occupational factors. However, it remains largely unknown how occupation-related connectivity shapes the brain. In this paper, we denote occupational neuroplasticity as the neuroplasticity that takes place to satisfy the occupational requirements by extensively professional training and to accommodate the long-term, professional work of daily life, and a critical review of occupational neuroplasticity related to the changes in brain structure and functional networks has been primarily presented. Furthermore, meta-analysis revealed a neurophysiological mechanism of occupational neuroplasticity caused by professional experience. This meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies showed that experts displayed stronger activation in the left precentral gyrus [Brodmann area (BA)6], left middle frontal gyrus (BA6), and right inferior frontal gyrus (BA9) than novices, while meta-analysis of structural studies suggested that experts had a greater gray matter volume in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus (BA22) and right putamen than novices. Together, these findings not only expand the current understanding of the common neurophysiological basis of occupational neuroplasticity across different occupations and highlight some possible targets for neural modulation of occupational neuroplasticity but also provide a new perspective for occupational science research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huijun Wu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hongjie Yan
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Lianyungang Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Lianyungang, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Center for Brain Science and Learning Difficulties, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Min Xu
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yuhu Shi
- Lab of Digital Image and Intelligent Computation, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, China
| | - Weiming Zeng
- Lab of Digital Image and Intelligent Computation, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiewei Li
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Jian Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chunqi Chang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Pengcheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Nizhuan Wang
- Artificial Intelligence & Neuro-Informatics Engineering (ARINE) Laboratory, School of Computer Engineering, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Dottori M, Hesse E, Santilli M, Vilas MG, Martorell Caro M, Fraiman D, Sedeño L, Ibáñez A, García AM. Task-specific signatures in the expert brain: Differential correlates of translation and reading in professional interpreters. Neuroimage 2020; 209:116519. [PMID: 31923603 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Insights on the neurocognitive particularities of expert individuals have benefited from language studies on professional simultaneous interpreters (PSIs). Accruing research indicates that behavioral advantages in this population are restricted to those skills that are directly taxed during professional practice (e.g., translation as opposed to reading), but little is known about the neural signatures of such selective effects. To illuminate the issue, we recruited 17 PSIs and 15 non-interpreter bilinguals and compared behavioral and electrophysiological markers of word reading and translation from and into their native and non-native languages (L1 and L2, respectively). PSIs exhibited greater delta-theta (1-8 Hz) power across all tasks over varying topographies, but these were accompanied by faster performance only in the case of translation conditions. Moreover, neural differences in PSIs were most marked for L2-L1 translation (the dominant interpreting direction in their market), which exhibited maximally widespread modulations that selectively correlated with behavioral outcomes. Taken together, our results suggest that interpreting experience involves distinct neural signatures across reading and translation mechanisms, but that these are systematically related with processing efficiency only in domains that face elevated demands during everyday practice (i.e., L2-L1 translation). These findings can inform models of simultaneous interpreting, in particular, and expert cognitive processing, in general.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Dottori
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Eugenia Hesse
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Departamento de Matemática, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Micaela Santilli
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Martina G Vilas
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Miguel Martorell Caro
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Daniel Fraiman
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Departamento de Matemática, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Lucas Sedeño
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Universidad Autónoma del Caribe, Barranquilla, Colombia; Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile; Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Australian Research Council (ACR), Sydney, Australia
| | - Adolfo M García
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Faculty of Education, National University of Cuyo (UNCuyo), Mendoza, Argentina.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Elmer S, Hänggi J, Vaquero L, Cadena GO, François C, Rodríguez-Fornells A. Tracking the microstructural properties of the main white matter pathways underlying speech processing in simultaneous interpreters. Neuroimage 2019; 191:518-528. [PMID: 30831314 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.02.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to the high linguistic and cognitive demands placed on real-time language translation, professional simultaneous interpreters (SIs) have previously been proposed to serve as a reasonable model for evaluating experience-dependent brain properties. However, currently it is still unknown whether intensive language training during adulthood might be reflected in microstructural changes in language-related white matter pathways contributing to sound-to-meaning mapping, auditory-motor integration, and verbal memory functions. Accordingly, we used a fully automated probabilistic tractography algorithm and compared the white matter microstructure of the bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), uncinate fasciculus (UF), and arcuate fasciculus (AF, long and anterior segments) between professional SIs and multilingual control participants. In addition, we classically re-evaluated the three constitutional elements of the AF (long, anterior, and posterior segments) using a deterministic manual dissection procedure. Automated probabilistic tractography demonstrated overall reduced mean fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased radial diffusivity (RD) in SIs in the fiber tracts of the left hemisphere (LH). Furthermore, SIs exhibited reduced mean FA in the bilateral AF. However, according to manual dissection, this effect was limited to the anterior AF segment and accompanied by increased mean RD. Deterministic AF reconstruction also uncovered increased mean FA in the right and RD in the left long AF segment in SIs compared to controls. These results point to a relationship between simultaneous interpreting and white matter organization of pathways underlying speech and language processing in the language-dominant LH as well as of the AF.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Elmer
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Jürgen Hänggi
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Lucía Vaquero
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Cognition, Development and Education Pychology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron, 171, 08035, Barcelona, Spain; Laboratory of Motor learning and Neural Plasticity, Concordia University, 7141 Rue Sherbrooke West, H4B 1R6, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| | - Guillem Olivé Cadena
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Campus Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Clément François
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Campus Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Recerca Pediàtrica Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain; Aix Marseille University, CNRS, LPL, Aix-en-Provence, France.
| | - Antoni Rodríguez-Fornells
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Campus Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, ICREA, 08010, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Klein C, Metz SI, Elmer S, Jäncke L. The interpreter's brain during rest - Hyperconnectivity in the frontal lobe. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0202600. [PMID: 30138477 PMCID: PMC6107212 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Language in its highest complexity is a unique human faculty with simultaneous translation being among the most demanding language task involving both linguistic and executive functions. In this context, bilingually grown up individuals as well as simultaneous interpreters (SIs) represent appropriate groups for studying expertise-related neural adaptations in the human brain. The present study was performed to examine if a domain-specific neural network activation pattern, constituted by brain regions involved in speech processing as well as cognitive control mechanisms can be detected during a task-free resting state condition. To investigate this, electroencephalographic (EEG) data were recorded from 16 SIs and 16 age and gender-matched multilingual control subjects. Graph-theoretical network analyses revealed interhemispheric hyperconnectivity between the ventral part of the prefrontal cortex (pars opercularis and pars triangularis) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in language experts compared to multilingual controls in the alpha frequency range. This finding suggests that the high cognitive demands placed on simultaneous interpreting lead to an increased neural communication between prefrontal brain regions essentially engaged in supporting executive control—a neural fingerprint that is even detectable during rest.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carina Klein
- Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Silvana Iris Metz
- Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Elmer
- Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- International Normal Aging and Plasticity Imaging Center (INAPIC), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- University Research Priority Program (URPP), Dynamic of Healthy Aging, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Special Education, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Yi A, Chen Z, Chang Y, Wang H, Wu L. Electrophysiological evidence of language switching for bidialectals. Neuroreport 2018; 29:181-190. [DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000000950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
|
11
|
Faster native vowel discrimination learning in musicians is mediated by an optimization of mnemonic functions. Neuropsychologia 2017; 104:64-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Revised: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
|
12
|
Elmer S. Broca Pars Triangularis Constitutes a "Hub" of the Language-Control Network during Simultaneous Language Translation. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:491. [PMID: 27746729 PMCID: PMC5040713 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 09/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Until now, several branches of research have fundamentally contributed to a better understanding of the ramifications of bilingualism, multilingualism, and language expertise on psycholinguistic-, cognitive-, and neural implications. In this context, it is noteworthy to mention that from a cognitive perspective, there is a strong convergence of data pointing to an influence of multilingual speech competence on a variety of cognitive functions, including attention, short-term- and working memory, set shifting, switching, and inhibition. In addition, complementary neuroimaging findings have highlighted a specific set of cortical and subcortical brain regions which fundamentally contribute to administrate cognitive control in the multilingual brain, namely Broca's area, the middle-anterior cingulate cortex, the inferior parietal lobe, and the basal ganglia. However, a disadvantage of focusing on group analyses is that this procedure only enables an approximation of the neural networks shared within a population while at the same time smoothing inter-individual differences. In order to address both commonalities (i.e., within group analyses) and inter-individual variability (i.e., single-subject analyses) in language control mechanisms, here I measured five professional simultaneous interpreters while the participants overtly translated or repeated sentences with a simple subject-verb-object structure. Results demonstrated that pars triangularis was commonly activated across participants during backward translation (i.e., from L2 to L1), whereas the other brain regions of the "control network" showed a strong inter-individual variability during both backward and forward (i.e., from L1 to L2) translation. Thus, I propose that pars triangularis plays a crucial role within the language-control network and behaves as a fundamental processing entity supporting simultaneous language translation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Elmer
- Auditory Research Group Zurich, Division Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of ZurichZurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Elmer S, Kühnis J. Functional Connectivity in the Left Dorsal Stream Facilitates Simultaneous Language Translation: An EEG Study. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:60. [PMID: 26924976 PMCID: PMC4759282 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 02/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cortical speech processing is dependent on the mutual interdependence of two distinctive processing streams supporting sound-to-meaning (i.e., ventral stream) and sound-to-articulation (i.e., dorsal stream) mapping. Here, we compared the strengths of intracranial functional connectivity between two main hubs of the dorsal stream, namely the left auditory-related cortex (ARC) and Broca’s region, in a sample of simultaneous interpreters (SIs) and multilingual control subjects while the participants performed a mixed and unmixed auditory semantic decision task. Under normal listening conditions such kind of tasks are known to initiate a spread of activation along the ventral stream. However, due to extensive and specific training, here we predicted that SIs will more strongly recruit the dorsal pathway in order to pre-activate the speech codes of the corresponding translation. In line with this reasoning, EEG results demonstrate increased left-hemispheric theta phase synchronization in SLI compared to multilingual control participants during early task-related processing stages. In addition, within the SI group functional connectivity strength in the left dorsal pathway was positively related to the cumulative number of training hours across lifespan, and inversely correlated with the age of training commencement. Hence, we propose that the alignment of neuronal oscillations between brain regions involved in “hearing” and “speaking” results from an intertwining of training, sensitive period, and predisposition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Elmer
- Auditory Research Group Zurich (ARGZ), Division Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jürg Kühnis
- Auditory Research Group Zurich (ARGZ), Division Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Hervais-Adelman A, Moser-Mercer B, Golestani N. Brain functional plasticity associated with the emergence of expertise in extreme language control. Neuroimage 2015; 114:264-74. [PMID: 25869858 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.03.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2014] [Revised: 03/02/2015] [Accepted: 03/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to longitudinally examine brain plasticity arising from long-term, intensive simultaneous interpretation training. Simultaneous interpretation is a bilingual task with heavy executive control demands. We compared brain responses observed during simultaneous interpretation with those observed during simultaneous speech repetition (shadowing) in a group of trainee simultaneous interpreters, at the beginning and at the end of their professional training program. Age, sex and language-proficiency matched controls were scanned at similar intervals. Using multivariate pattern classification, we found distributed patterns of changes in functional responses from the first to second scan that distinguished the interpreters from the controls. We also found reduced recruitment of the right caudate nucleus during simultaneous interpretation as a result of training. Such practice-related change is consistent with decreased demands on multilingual language control as the task becomes more automatized with practice. These results demonstrate the impact of simultaneous interpretation training on the brain functional response in a cerebral structure that is not specifically linguistic, but that is known to be involved in learning, in motor control, and in a variety of domain-general executive functions. Along with results of recent studies showing functional and structural adaptations in the caudate nuclei of experts in a broad range of domains, our results underline the importance of this structure as a central node in expertise-related networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Hervais-Adelman
- Brain and Language Lab, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
| | | | - Narly Golestani
- Brain and Language Lab, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Geneva, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
García AM, Ibáñez A, Huepe D, Houck AL, Michon M, Lezama CG, Chadha S, Rivera-Rei A. Word reading and translation in bilinguals: the impact of formal and informal translation expertise. Front Psychol 2014; 5:1302. [PMID: 25429279 PMCID: PMC4228976 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2014] [Accepted: 10/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on bilingual word reading and translation have examined the effects of lexical variables (e.g., concreteness, cognate status) by comparing groups of non-translators with varying levels of L2 proficiency. However, little attention has been paid to another relevant factor: translation expertise (TI). To explore this issue, we administered word reading and translation tasks to two groups of non-translators possessing different levels of informal TI (Experiment 1), and to three groups of bilinguals possessing different levels of translation training (Experiment 2). Reaction-time recordings showed that in all groups reading was faster than translation and unaffected by concreteness and cognate effects. Conversely, in both experiments, all groups translated concrete and cognate words faster than abstract and non-cognate words, respectively. Notably, an advantage of backward over forward translation was observed only for low-proficiency non-translators (in Experiment 1). Also, in Experiment 2, the modifications induced by translation expertise were more marked in the early than in the late stages of training and practice. The results suggest that TI contributes to modulating inter-equivalent connections in bilingual memory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adolfo M García
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires, Argentina ; School of Languages, National University of Córdoba Córdoba, Argentina ; Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina ; Laboratory of Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires, Argentina ; School of Languages, National University of Córdoba Córdoba, Argentina ; Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina ; Laboratory of Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile ; Universidad Autónoma del Caribe Barranquilla, Colombia ; Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Australian Research Council Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - David Huepe
- Laboratory of Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Maëva Michon
- Laboratory of Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile
| | - Carlos G Lezama
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires, Argentina ; Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sumeer Chadha
- Laboratory of Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile
| | - Alvaro Rivera-Rei
- Laboratory of Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Elmer S, Klein C, Kühnis J, Liem F, Meyer M, Jäncke L. Music and Language Expertise Influence the Categorization of Speech and Musical Sounds: Behavioral and Electrophysiological Measurements. J Cogn Neurosci 2014; 26:2356-69. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
In this study, we used high-density EEG to evaluate whether speech and music expertise has an influence on the categorization of expertise-related and unrelated sounds. With this purpose in mind, we compared the categorization of speech, music, and neutral sounds between professional musicians, simultaneous interpreters (SIs), and controls in response to morphed speech–noise, music–noise, and speech–music continua. Our hypothesis was that music and language expertise will strengthen the memory representations of prototypical sounds, which act as a perceptual magnet for morphed variants. This means that the prototype would “attract” variants. This so-called magnet effect should be manifested by an increased assignment of morphed items to the trained category, by a reduced maximal slope of the psychometric function, as well as by differential event-related brain responses reflecting memory comparison processes (i.e., N400 and P600 responses). As a main result, we provide first evidence for a domain-specific behavioral bias of musicians and SIs toward the trained categories, namely music and speech. In addition, SIs showed a bias toward musical items, indicating that interpreting training has a generic influence on the cognitive representation of spectrotemporal signals with similar acoustic properties to speech sounds. Notably, EEG measurements revealed clear distinct N400 and P600 responses to both prototypical and ambiguous items between the three groups at anterior, central, and posterior scalp sites. These differential N400 and P600 responses represent synchronous activity occurring across widely distributed brain networks, and indicate a dynamical recruitment of memory processes that vary as a function of training and expertise.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Martin Meyer
- 1University of Zurich
- 2Center for Integrative Human Physiology, Zurich, Switzerland
- 3International Normal Aging and Plasticity Imaging Center, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- 1University of Zurich
- 2Center for Integrative Human Physiology, Zurich, Switzerland
- 3International Normal Aging and Plasticity Imaging Center, Zurich, Switzerland
- 4King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Elmer S, Hänggi J, Jäncke L. Processing demands upon cognitive, linguistic, and articulatory functions promote grey matter plasticity in the adult multilingual brain: Insights from simultaneous interpreters. Cortex 2014; 54:179-89. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2014.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2013] [Revised: 01/07/2014] [Accepted: 02/17/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
|
18
|
Inhibitory control in bilinguals and musicians: event related potential (ERP) evidence for experience-specific effects. PLoS One 2014; 9:e94169. [PMID: 24743321 PMCID: PMC3990547 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2013] [Accepted: 03/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bilinguals and musicians exhibit behavioral advantages on tasks with high demands on executive functioning, particularly inhibitory control, but the brain mechanisms supporting these differences are unclear. Of key interest is whether these forms of experience influence cognition through similar or distinct information processing mechanisms. Here, we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) in three groups – bilinguals, musicians, and controls – who completed a visual go-nogo task that involved the withholding of key presses to rare targets. Participants in each group achieved similar accuracy rates and responses times but the analysis of cortical responses revealed significant differences in ERP waveforms. Success in withholding a prepotent response was associated with enhanced stimulus-locked N2 and P3 wave amplitude relative to go trials. For nogo trials, there were altered timing-specific ERP differences and graded amplitude differences observed in the neural responses across groups. Specifically, musicians showed an enhanced early P2 response accompanied by reduced N2 amplitude whereas bilinguals showed increased N2 amplitude coupled with an increased late positivity wave relative to controls. These findings demonstrate that bilingualism and music training have differential effects on the brain networks supporting executive control over behavior.
Collapse
|
19
|
Elmer S, Sollberger S, Meyer M, Jäncke L. An Empirical Reevaluation of Absolute Pitch: Behavioral and Electrophysiological Measurements. J Cogn Neurosci 2013; 25:1736-53. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Here, we reevaluated the “two-component” model of absolute pitch (AP) by combining behavioral and electrophysiological measurements. This specific model postulates that AP is driven by a perceptual encoding ability (i.e., pitch memory) plus an associative memory component (i.e., pitch labeling). To test these predictions, during EEG measurements AP and non-AP (NAP) musicians were passively exposed to piano tones (first component of the model) and additionally instructed to judge whether combinations of tones and labels were conceptually associated or not (second component of the model). Auditory-evoked N1/P2 potentials did not reveal differences between the two groups, thus indicating that AP is not necessarily driven by a differential pitch encoding ability at the processing level of the auditory cortex. Otherwise, AP musicians performed the conceptual association task with an order of magnitude better accuracy and shorter RTs than NAP musicians did, this result clearly pointing to distinctive conceptual associations in AP possessors. Most notably, this behavioral superiority was reflected by an increased N400 effect and accompanied by a subsequent late positive component, the latter not being distinguishable in NAP musicians.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Martin Meyer
- 1University of Zurich
- 2Center for Integrative Human Physiology, Zurich, Switzerland
- 3International Normal Aging and Plasticity Imaging Center, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- 1University of Zurich
- 2Center for Integrative Human Physiology, Zurich, Switzerland
- 3International Normal Aging and Plasticity Imaging Center, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Elmer S. The Investigation of Simultaneous Interpreters as an Alternative Approach to Address the Signature of Multilingual Speech Processing. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR NEUROPSYCHOLOGIE 2012. [DOI: 10.1024/1016-264x/a000068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In the field of cognitive neuroscience, understanding the functional, temporal, and anatomical characteristics of multilingual speech processing has previously been a topic of intense investigations. In this article, I will attempt to describe how the investigation of simultaneous interpreters can be used as a fruitful and alternative approach for better comprehending the neuronal signature of multilingual speech processing, foreign language acquisition, as well as the functional and structural adaptivity of the human brain in general. Thereby, I will primarily focus on the commonalities underlying different degrees of speech competence rather than on the differences. In this context, particular emphasis will be placed on the contribution of extra-linguistic brain functions which are necessary for accommodating cognitive and motor control mechanisms in the multilingual brain. Certainly, the framework outlined in this article will not replace the meanwhile established psycholinguistic or neuroscientific models of speech processing, but only attempts to provide a novel and alternative perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Elmer
- Division Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Elmer S, Meyer M, Marrama L, Jäncke L. Intensive language training and attention modulate the involvement of fronto-parietal regions during a non-verbal auditory discrimination task. Eur J Neurosci 2011; 34:165-75. [PMID: 21649758 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2011.07728.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
This event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was designed in such a manner so as to contribute to the present debate on behavioural and functional transfer effects associated with intensive language training. To address this novel issue, we measured professional simultaneous interpreters and control subjects while they performed a non-verbal auditory discrimination task that primarily relies on attention and categorization functions. The fMRI results revealed that the discrimination of the target stimuli was associated with differential blood oxygen level-dependent responses in fronto-parietal regions between the two groups, even though in-scanner behavioural results did not show significant group differences. These findings are in line with previous observations showing the contribution of fronto-parietal regions to auditory attention and categorization functions. Our results imply that language training modulates brain activity in regions involved in the top-down regulation of auditory functions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Elmer
- Department of Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Elmer S, Hänggi J, Meyer M, Jäncke L. Differential language expertise related to white matter architecture in regions subserving sensory-motor coupling, articulation, and interhemispheric transfer. Hum Brain Mapp 2010; 32:2064-74. [PMID: 21162044 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.21169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2010] [Revised: 08/02/2010] [Accepted: 08/27/2010] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The technique of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been used to investigate alterations in white matter architecture following long-term training and expertise. Professional simultaneous interpreters (SI) provide an ideal model for the investigation of training-induced plasticity due to the high demands placed on sound to motor mapping mechanisms, which are vital for executing fast interpretations. In line with our hypothesis, we found clusters with decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in the SI group in brain regions previously shown to support sensory-motor coupling mechanisms and speech articulation (cluster extent family-wise error corrected, P < 0.01). Furthermore, we found an altered white matter architecture indicated by lower FA values in the SI group in the most anterior and posterior parts of the corpus callosum. Our results suggest that language expertise is accompanied by plastic adaptations in regions strongly involved in motor aspects of speech and in interhemispheric information transfer. These results have implications for our understanding of language expertise in relation to white matter adaptations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Elmer
- Division Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|