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Cai X, Ouyang M, Yin Y, Zhang Q. Sensorimotor Adaptation to Formant-Shifted Auditory Feedback Is Predicted by Language-Specific Factors in L1 and L2 Speech Production. LANGUAGE AND SPEECH 2024; 67:846-869. [PMID: 37830332 DOI: 10.1177/00238309231202503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Auditory feedback plays an important role in the long-term updating and maintenance of speech motor control; thus, the current study explored the unresolved question of how sensorimotor adaptation is predicted by language-specific and domain-general factors in first-language (L1) and second-language (L2) production. Eighteen English-L1 speakers and 22 English-L2 speakers performed the same sensorimotor adaptation experiments and tasks, which measured language-specific and domain-general abilities. The experiment manipulated the language groups (English-L1 and English-L2) and experimental conditions (baseline, early adaptation, late adaptation, and end). Linear mixed-effects model analyses indicated that auditory acuity was significantly associated with sensorimotor adaptation in L1 and L2 speakers. Analysis of vocal responses showed that L1 speakers exhibited significant sensorimotor adaptation under the early adaptation, late adaptation, and end conditions, whereas L2 speakers exhibited significant sensorimotor adaptation only under the late adaptation condition. Furthermore, the domain-general factors of working memory and executive control were not associated with adaptation/aftereffects in either L1 or L2 production, except for the role of working memory in aftereffects in L2 production. Overall, the study empirically supported the hypothesis that sensorimotor adaptation is predicted by language-specific factors such as auditory acuity and language experience, whereas general cognitive abilities do not play a major role in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Cai
- School of Foreign Languages, Renmin University of China, China; Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, China
| | - Mingkun Ouyang
- School of Education Science, Guangxi Minzu University, China
| | - Yulong Yin
- School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, China
| | - Qingfang Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, China
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2
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Ntemou E, Jonkers R, Reisch K, Böttcher F, Burchert F, Picht T, Rofes A. The cortical representation of transitivity: Insights from tractography-based inhibitory nTMS. Neuropsychologia 2024; 201:108940. [PMID: 38876372 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Navigated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (nTMS) is commonly used to causally identify cortical regions involved in language processing. Combining tractography with nTMS has been shown to increase induced error rates by targeting stimulation of cortical terminations of white matter fibers. According to functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data, bilateral cortical areas connected by the arcuate fasciculus (AF) have been implicated in the processing of transitive compared to unergative verbs. To test this connection between transitivity and bilateral perisylvian regions, we administered a tractography-based inhibitory nTMS protocol during action naming of finite transitive (The man reads) and unergative (The man sails) verbs. After tracking the left and right AF, we stimulated the cortical terminations of the tract in frontal, parietal and temporal regions in 20 neurologically healthy native speakers of German. Results revealed that nTMS induced more errors during transitive compared to unergative verb naming when stimulating the left (vs right) AF terminations. This effect was specific to the left temporal terminations of the AF, whereas no differences between the two verb types were identified when stimulating inferior parietal and frontal AF terminations. Induced errors for transitive verbs over left temporal terminations mostly manifested as access errors (i.e., hesitations). Given the inhibitory nature of our nTMS protocol, these results suggest that temporal regions of the left hemisphere play a crucial role in argument structure processing. Our findings align with previous data on the role of left posterior temporal regions in language processing and by providing further evidence from a language production experiment using tractography-based inhibitory nTMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Effrosyni Ntemou
- Department of Neurosurgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Brain Language Laboratory, Department of Philosophy and Humanities, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Roel Jonkers
- Center for Language and Cognition (CLCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Klara Reisch
- Department of Neurosurgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Franziska Böttcher
- Department of Neurosurgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Frank Burchert
- Department of Linguistics, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Thomas Picht
- Department of Neurosurgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Cluster of Excellence: "Matters of Activity. Image Space Material", Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Adrià Rofes
- Center for Language and Cognition (CLCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
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Castellucci GA, Kovach CK, Tabasi F, Christianson D, Greenlee JDW, Long MA. Stimulation of caudal inferior and middle frontal gyri disrupts planning during spoken interaction. Curr Biol 2024; 34:2719-2727.e5. [PMID: 38823382 PMCID: PMC11187660 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.080] [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: 01/20/2024] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
Turn-taking is a central feature of conversation across languages and cultures.1,2,3,4 This key social behavior requires numerous sensorimotor and cognitive operations1,5,6 that can be organized into three general phases: comprehension of a partner's turn, preparation of a speaker's own turn, and execution of that turn. Using intracranial electrocorticography, we recently demonstrated that neural activity related to these phases is functionally distinct during turn-taking.7 In particular, networks active during the perceptual and articulatory stages of turn-taking consisted of structures known to be important for speech-related sensory and motor processing,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17 while putative planning dynamics were most regularly observed in the caudal inferior frontal gyrus (cIFG) and the middle frontal gyrus (cMFG). To test if these structures are necessary for planning during spoken interaction, we used direct electrical stimulation (DES) to transiently perturb cortical function in neurosurgical patient-volunteers performing a question-answer task.7,18,19 We found that stimulating the cIFG and cMFG led to various response errors9,13,20,21 but not gross articulatory deficits, which instead resulted from DES of structures involved in motor control8,13,20,22 (e.g., the precentral gyrus). Furthermore, perturbation of the cIFG and cMFG delayed inter-speaker timing-consistent with slowed planning-while faster responses could result from stimulation of sites located in other areas. Taken together, our findings suggest that the cIFG and cMFG contain critical preparatory circuits that are relevant for interactive language use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregg A Castellucci
- NYU Neuroscience Institute and Department of Otolaryngology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA; Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Christopher K Kovach
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Farhad Tabasi
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - David Christianson
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Jeremy D W Greenlee
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Michael A Long
- NYU Neuroscience Institute and Department of Otolaryngology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA; Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.
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4
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Kenyon KH, Strik M, Noffs G, Morgan A, Kolbe S, Harding IH, Vogel AP, Boonstra FMC, van der Walt A. Volumetric and diffusion MRI abnormalities associated with dysarthria in multiple sclerosis. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae177. [PMID: 38846538 PMCID: PMC11154149 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Up to half of all people with multiple sclerosis experience communication difficulties due to dysarthria, a disorder that impacts the motor aspects of speech production. Dysarthria in multiple sclerosis is linked to cerebellar dysfunction, disease severity and lesion load, but the neuroanatomical substrates of these symptoms remain unclear. In this study, 52 participants with multiple sclerosis and 14 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent structural and diffusion MRI, clinical assessment of disease severity and cerebellar dysfunction and a battery of motor speech tasks. Assessments of regional brain volume and white matter integrity, and their relationships with clinical and speech measures, were undertaken. White matter tracts of interest included the interhemispheric sensorimotor tract, cerebello-thalamo-cortical tract and arcuate fasciculus, based on their roles in motor and speech behaviours. Volumetric analyses were targeted to Broca's area, Wernicke's area, the corpus callosum, thalamus and cerebellum. Our results indicated that multiple sclerosis participants scored worse on all motor speech tasks. Fixel-based diffusion MRI analyses showed significant evidence of white matter tract atrophy in each tract of interest. Correlational analyses further indicated that higher speech naturalness-a perceptual measure of dysarthria-and lower reading rate were associated with axonal damage in the interhemispheric sensorimotor tract and left arcuate fasciculus in people with multiple sclerosis. Axonal damage in all tracts of interest also correlated with clinical scales sensitive to cerebellar dysfunction. Participants with multiple sclerosis had lower volumes of the thalamus and corpus callosum compared with controls, although no brain volumetrics correlated with measures of dysarthria. These findings indicate that axonal damage, particularly when measured using diffusion metrics, underpin dysarthria in multiple sclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine H Kenyon
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
- Centre for Neuroscience of Speech, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Myrte Strik
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Academy for Arts and Sciences, KNAW, Amsterdam 1105 BK, The Netherlands
- Melbourne Brain Centre Imaging Unit, Department of Radiology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Gustavo Noffs
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
- Centre for Neuroscience of Speech, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Department of Neurology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Redenlab Inc, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Angela Morgan
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Genomic Medicine, Speech and Language Group, Parkville 3052, Australia
- Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Australia
| | - Scott Kolbe
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Ian H Harding
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Adam P Vogel
- Centre for Neuroscience of Speech, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Melbourne Brain Centre Imaging Unit, Department of Radiology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Redenlab Inc, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
- Division of Translational Genomics of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany
- Center for Neurology, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany
- The Bionics Institute, East Melbourne, VIC 3002, Australia
| | - Frederique M C Boonstra
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Anneke van der Walt
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Academy for Arts and Sciences, KNAW, Amsterdam 1105 BK, The Netherlands
- The Bionics Institute, East Melbourne, VIC 3002, Australia
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Hosseini EA, Schrimpf M, Zhang Y, Bowman S, Zaslavsky N, Fedorenko E. Artificial Neural Network Language Models Predict Human Brain Responses to Language Even After a Developmentally Realistic Amount of Training. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2024; 5:43-63. [PMID: 38645622 PMCID: PMC11025646 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Artificial neural networks have emerged as computationally plausible models of human language processing. A major criticism of these models is that the amount of training data they receive far exceeds that of humans during language learning. Here, we use two complementary approaches to ask how the models' ability to capture human fMRI responses to sentences is affected by the amount of training data. First, we evaluate GPT-2 models trained on 1 million, 10 million, 100 million, or 1 billion words against an fMRI benchmark. We consider the 100-million-word model to be developmentally plausible in terms of the amount of training data given that this amount is similar to what children are estimated to be exposed to during the first 10 years of life. Second, we test the performance of a GPT-2 model trained on a 9-billion-token dataset to reach state-of-the-art next-word prediction performance on the human benchmark at different stages during training. Across both approaches, we find that (i) the models trained on a developmentally plausible amount of data already achieve near-maximal performance in capturing fMRI responses to sentences. Further, (ii) lower perplexity-a measure of next-word prediction performance-is associated with stronger alignment with human data, suggesting that models that have received enough training to achieve sufficiently high next-word prediction performance also acquire representations of sentences that are predictive of human fMRI responses. In tandem, these findings establish that although some training is necessary for the models' predictive ability, a developmentally realistic amount of training (∼100 million words) may suffice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eghbal A. Hosseini
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Martin Schrimpf
- The MIT Quest for Intelligence Initiative, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Yian Zhang
- Computer Science Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Samuel Bowman
- Center for Data Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Linguistics, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Computer Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Noga Zaslavsky
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- K. Lisa Yang Integrative Computational Neuroscience (ICoN) Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Language Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Evelina Fedorenko
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- The MIT Quest for Intelligence Initiative, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Program, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
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6
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Vuong V, Hewan P, Perron M, Thaut MH, Alain C. The neural bases of familiar music listening in healthy individuals: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 154:105423. [PMID: 37839672 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that the neural activations during music listening differs as a function of familiarity with the excerpts. However, the implicated brain areas are unclear. After an extensive literature search, we conducted an Activation Likelihood Estimation analysis on 23 neuroimaging studies (232 foci, 364 participants) to identify consistently activated brain regions when healthy adults listen to familiar music, compared to unfamiliar music or an equivalent condition. The results revealed a left cortical-subcortical co-activation pattern comprising three significant clusters localized to the supplementary motor areas (BA 6), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG, BA 44), and the claustrum/insula. Our results are discussed in a predictive coding framework, whereby temporal expectancies and familiarity may drive motor activations, despite any overt movement. Though conventionally associated with syntactic violation, our observed activation in the IFG may support a recent proposal of its involvement in a network that subserves both violation and prediction. Finally, the claustrum/insula plays an integral role in auditory processing, functioning as a hub that integrates sensory and limbic information to (sub)cortical structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Vuong
- Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada; Music and Health Research Collaboratory, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 2C5, Canada.
| | - Patrick Hewan
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Maxime Perron
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, Canada
| | - Michael H Thaut
- Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Music and Health Research Collaboratory, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 2C5, Canada; Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Claude Alain
- Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada; Music and Health Research Collaboratory, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 2C5, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, Canada
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7
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Kristanto D, Hildebrandt A, Sommer W, Zhou C. Cognitive abilities are associated with specific conjunctions of structural and functional neural subnetworks. Neuroimage 2023; 279:120304. [PMID: 37536528 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120304] [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: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive neuroscience assumes that different mental abilities correspond to at least partly separable brain subnetworks and strives to understand their relationships. However, single-task approaches typically revealed multiple brain subnetworks to be involved in performance. Here, we chose a bottom-up approach of investigating the association between structural and functional brain subnetworks, on the one hand, and domain-specific cognitive abilities, on the other. Structural network was identified using machine-learning graph neural network by clustering anatomical brain properties measured in 838 individuals enroled in the WU-Minn Young Adult Human Connectome Project. Functional network was adapted from seven Resting State Networks (7-RSN). We then analyzed the results of 15 cognitive tasks and estimated five latent abilities: fluid reasoning (Gf), crystallized intelligence (Gc), memory (Mem), executive functions (EF), and processing speed (Gs). In a final step we determined linear associations between these independently identified ability and brain entities. We found no one-to-one mapping between latent abilities and brain subnetworks. Analyses revealed that abilities are associated with properties of particular combinations of brain subnetworks. While some abilities are more strongly associated to within-subnetwork connections, others are related with connections between multiple subnetworks. Importantly, domain-specific abilities commonly rely on node(s) as hub(s) to connect with other subnetworks. To test the robustness of our findings, we ran the analyses through several defensible analytical decisions. Together, the present findings allow a novel perspective on the distinct nature of domain-specific cognitive abilities building upon unique combinations of associated brain subnetworks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kristanto
- Department of Physics, Centre for Nonlinear Studies and Beijing-Hong Kong-Singapore Joint Centre for Nonlinear and Complex Systems (Hong Kong), Institute of Computational and Theoretical Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China; Department of Psychology, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg 26129, Germany
| | - Andrea Hildebrandt
- Department of Psychology, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg 26129, Germany; Research Center Neurosensory Science, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Werner Sommer
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt University at Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jin Hua, China; Department of Physics, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Changsong Zhou
- Department of Physics, Centre for Nonlinear Studies and Beijing-Hong Kong-Singapore Joint Centre for Nonlinear and Complex Systems (Hong Kong), Institute of Computational and Theoretical Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China; Life Science Imaging Centre, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China; Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310000, China.
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8
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Chen X, Affourtit J, Ryskin R, Regev TI, Norman-Haignere S, Jouravlev O, Malik-Moraleda S, Kean H, Varley R, Fedorenko E. The human language system, including its inferior frontal component in "Broca's area," does not support music perception. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:7904-7929. [PMID: 37005063 PMCID: PMC10505454 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Language and music are two human-unique capacities whose relationship remains debated. Some have argued for overlap in processing mechanisms, especially for structure processing. Such claims often concern the inferior frontal component of the language system located within "Broca's area." However, others have failed to find overlap. Using a robust individual-subject fMRI approach, we examined the responses of language brain regions to music stimuli, and probed the musical abilities of individuals with severe aphasia. Across 4 experiments, we obtained a clear answer: music perception does not engage the language system, and judgments about music structure are possible even in the presence of severe damage to the language network. In particular, the language regions' responses to music are generally low, often below the fixation baseline, and never exceed responses elicited by nonmusic auditory conditions, like animal sounds. Furthermore, the language regions are not sensitive to music structure: they show low responses to both intact and structure-scrambled music, and to melodies with vs. without structural violations. Finally, in line with past patient investigations, individuals with aphasia, who cannot judge sentence grammaticality, perform well on melody well-formedness judgments. Thus, the mechanisms that process structure in language do not appear to process music, including music syntax.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuanyi Chen
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, Rice University, TX 77005, United States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Josef Affourtit
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Rachel Ryskin
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- Department of Cognitive & Information Sciences, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA 95343, United States
| | - Tamar I Regev
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Samuel Norman-Haignere
- Department of Biostatistics & Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Olessia Jouravlev
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- Department of Cognitive Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Saima Malik-Moraleda
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- The Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States
| | - Hope Kean
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Rosemary Varley
- Psychology & Language Sciences, UCL, London, WCN1 1PF, United Kingdom
| | - Evelina Fedorenko
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- The Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States
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9
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Ntemou E, Rybka L, Lubbers J, Tuncer MS, Vajkoczy P, Rofes A, Picht T, Faust K. Lesion-symptom mapping of language impairments in people with brain tumours: The influence of linguistic stimuli. J Neuropsychol 2023; 17:400-416. [PMID: 36651346 DOI: 10.1111/jnp.12305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
People with tumours in specific brain sites might face difficulties in tasks with different linguistic material. Previous lesion-symptom mapping studies (VLSM) demonstrated that people with tumours in posterior temporal regions have more severe linguistic impairments. However, to the best of our knowledge, preoperative performance and lesion location on tasks with different linguistic stimuli have not been examined. In the present study, we performed VLSM on 52 people with left gliomas to examine whether tumour distribution differs depending on the tasks of the Aachen Aphasia Test. The VLSM analysis revealed that single-word production (e.g. object naming) was associated with the inferior parietal lobe and that compound and sentence production were additionally associated with posterior temporal gyri. Word repetition was affected in people with tumours in inferior parietal areas, whereas sentence repetition was the only task to be associated with frontal regions. Subcortically, word and sentence production were found to be affected in people with tumours reaching the arcuate fasciculus, and compound production was primarily associated with tumours affecting the inferior longitudinal and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. Our work shows that tasks with linguistic stimuli other than single-word naming (e.g. compound and sentence production) relate to additional cortical and subcortical brain areas. At a clinical level, we show that tasks that target the same processes (e.g. repetition) can have different neural correlates depending on the linguistic stimuli used. Also, we highlight the importance of left temporoparietal areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Effrosyni Ntemou
- International Doctorate for Approaches to Language and Brain (IDEALAB), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- International Doctorate for Approaches to Language and Brain (IDEALAB), University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- International Doctorate for Approaches to Language and Brain (IDEALAB), Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- International Doctorate for Approaches to Language and Brain (IDEALAB), Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Centre for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurosurgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lena Rybka
- Centre for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurosurgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jocelyn Lubbers
- Centre for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurosurgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mehmet Salih Tuncer
- Department of Neurosurgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter Vajkoczy
- Department of Neurosurgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Adrià Rofes
- Centre for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Picht
- Department of Neurosurgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence: "Matters of Activity. Image Space Material", Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katharina Faust
- Department of Neurosurgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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10
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Liu Y, Gao C, Wang P, Friederici AD, Zaccarella E, Chen L. Exploring the neurobiology of Merge at a basic level: insights from a novel artificial grammar paradigm. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1151518. [PMID: 37287773 PMCID: PMC10242141 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1151518] [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: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Human language allows us to generate an infinite number of linguistic expressions. It's proposed that this competence is based on a binary syntactic operation, Merge, combining two elements to form a new constituent. An increasing number of recent studies have shifted from complex syntactic structures to two-word constructions to investigate the neural representation of this operation at the most basic level. Methods This fMRI study aimed to develop a highly flexible artificial grammar paradigm for testing the neurobiology of human syntax at a basic level. During scanning, participants had to apply abstract syntactic rules to assess whether a given two-word artificial phrase could be further merged with a third word. To control for lower-level template-matching and working memory strategies, an additional non-mergeable word-list task was set up. Results Behavioral data indicated that participants complied with the experiment. Whole brain and region of interest (ROI) analyses were performed under the contrast of "structure > word-list." Whole brain analysis confirmed significant involvement of the posterior inferior frontal gyrus [pIFG, corresponding to Brodmann area (BA) 44]. Furthermore, both the signal intensity in Broca's area and the behavioral performance showed significant correlations with natural language performance in the same participants. ROI analysis within the language atlas and anatomically defined Broca's area revealed that only the pIFG was reliably activated. Discussion Taken together, these results support the notion that Broca's area, particularly BA 44, works as a combinatorial engine where words are merged together according to syntactic information. Furthermore, this study suggests that the present artificial grammar may serve as promising material for investigating the neurobiological basis of syntax, fostering future cross-species studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- Max Planck Partner Group, School of International Chinese Language Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Chenyang Gao
- School of Global Education and Development, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Peng Wang
- Method and Development Group (MEG and Cortical Networks), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- Institute of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Angela D. Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Emiliano Zaccarella
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Luyao Chen
- Max Planck Partner Group, School of International Chinese Language Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Educational System Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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11
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Takacs A, Beste C. A neurophysiological perspective on the integration between incidental learning and cognitive control. Commun Biol 2023; 6:329. [PMID: 36973381 PMCID: PMC10042851 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04692-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
AbstractAdaptive behaviour requires interaction between neurocognitive systems. Yet, the possibility of concurrent cognitive control and incidental sequence learning remains contentious. We designed an experimental procedure of cognitive conflict monitoring that follows a pre-defined sequence unknown to participants, in which either statistical or rule-based regularities were manipulated. We show that participants learnt the statistical differences in the sequence when stimulus conflict was high. Neurophysiological (EEG) analyses confirmed but also specified the behavioural results: the nature of conflict, the type of sequence learning, and the stage of information processing jointly determine whether cognitive conflict and sequence learning support or compete with each other. Especially statistical learning has the potential to modulate conflict monitoring. Cognitive conflict and incidental sequence learning can engage in cooperative fashion when behavioural adaptation is challenging. Three replication and follow-up experiments provide insights into the generalizability of these results and suggest that the interaction of learning and cognitive control is dependent on the multifactorial aspects of adapting to a dynamic environment. The study indicates that connecting the fields of cognitive control and incidental learning is advantageous to achieve a synergistic view of adaptive behaviour.
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12
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Demichelis G, Duran D, Ciullo G, Lorusso L, Zago S, Palermo S, Nigri A, Leonardi M, Bruzzone MG, Fedeli D. A multimodal imaging approach to foreign accent syndrome. A case report. Neurocase 2022; 28:467-476. [PMID: 36682057 DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2023.2168558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
This article describes a case of Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) in an Italian woman who developed a Canadian-like foreign accent without brain damage (functional FAS). The patient underwent an in-depth neuroimaging and (neuro)psychological evaluation. Language networks in the frontotemporal-parietal areas were typically activated bilaterally through fMRI and MEG assessments based on task-based data. Resting-state fMRI showed preserved connectivity between language areas. An obsessive-compulsive personality profile and mild anxiety were found, suggesting psychological and psychiatric factors may be relevant. Accordingly with our findings, multimodal imaging is beneficial to understand FAS neurological and functional etiologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greta Demichelis
- Department of Neuroradiology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Dunja Duran
- Clinical Epileptology and Experimental Neurophysiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ciullo
- Department of Neuroradiology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Lorusso
- Neuroscience Department, Neurology and Stroke Unit, A.S.S.T Lecco, Merate, Italy
| | - Stefano Zago
- U.O.C. Di Neurologia, IRCCS Fondazione Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Palermo
- Department of Neuroradiology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.,Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Anna Nigri
- Department of Neuroradiology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Matilde Leonardi
- Department of Neurology, Public Health, Disability Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Bruzzone
- Department of Neuroradiology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Davide Fedeli
- Department of Neuroradiology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
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13
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Tsogli V, Skouras S, Koelsch S. Brain-correlates of processing local dependencies within a statistical learning paradigm. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15296. [PMID: 36097186 PMCID: PMC9468168 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19203-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Statistical learning refers to the implicit mechanism of extracting regularities in our environment. Numerous studies have investigated the neural basis of statistical learning. However, how the brain responds to violations of auditory regularities based on prior (implicit) learning requires further investigation. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural correlates of processing events that are irregular based on learned local dependencies. A stream of consecutive sound triplets was presented. Unbeknown to the subjects, triplets were either (a) standard, namely triplets ending with a high probability sound or, (b) statistical deviants, namely triplets ending with a low probability sound. Participants (n = 33) underwent a learning phase outside the scanner followed by an fMRI session. Processing of statistical deviants activated a set of regions encompassing the superior temporal gyrus bilaterally, the right deep frontal operculum including lateral orbitofrontal cortex, and the right premotor cortex. Our results demonstrate that the violation of local dependencies within a statistical learning paradigm does not only engage sensory processes, but is instead reminiscent of the activation pattern during the processing of local syntactic structures in music and language, reflecting the online adaptations required for predictive coding in the context of statistical learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Tsogli
- Department for Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Postboks 7807, 5020, Bergen, Norway
| | - Stavros Skouras
- Department for Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Postboks 7807, 5020, Bergen, Norway
| | - Stefan Koelsch
- Department for Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Postboks 7807, 5020, Bergen, Norway.
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14
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Pegado F. Written Language Acquisition Is Both Shaped by and Has an Impact on Brain Functioning and Cognition. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:819956. [PMID: 35754773 PMCID: PMC9226919 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.819956] [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: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Spoken language is a distinctive trace of our species and it is naturally acquired during infancy. Written language, in contrast, is artificial, and the correspondences between arbitrary visual symbols and the spoken language for reading and writing should be explicitly learned with external help. In this paper, I present several examples of how written language acquisition is both shaped by and has an impact on brain function and cognition. They show in one hand how our phylogenetic legacy influences education and on the other hand how ontogenetic needs for education can rapidly subdue deeply rooted neurocognitive mechanisms. The understanding of this bidirectional influences provides a more dynamic view of how plasticity interfaces phylogeny and ontogeny in human learning, with implications for both neurosciences and education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Pegado
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, LPC, Marseille, France
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15
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Structural Brain Asymmetries for Language: A Comparative Approach across Primates. Symmetry (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/sym14050876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans are the only species that can speak. Nonhuman primates, however, share some ‘domain-general’ cognitive properties that are essential to language processes. Whether these shared cognitive properties between humans and nonhuman primates are the results of a continuous evolution [homologies] or of a convergent evolution [analogies] remain difficult to demonstrate. However, comparing their respective underlying structure—the brain—to determinate their similarity or their divergence across species is critical to help increase the probability of either of the two hypotheses, respectively. Key areas associated with language processes are the Planum Temporale, Broca’s Area, the Arcuate Fasciculus, Cingulate Sulcus, The Insula, Superior Temporal Sulcus, the Inferior Parietal lobe, and the Central Sulcus. These structures share a fundamental feature: They are functionally and structurally specialised to one hemisphere. Interestingly, several nonhuman primate species, such as chimpanzees and baboons, show human-like structural brain asymmetries for areas homologous to key language regions. The question then arises: for what function did these asymmetries arise in non-linguistic primates, if not for language per se? In an attempt to provide some answers, we review the literature on the lateralisation of the gestural communication system, which may represent the missing behavioural link to brain asymmetries for language area’s homologues in our common ancestor.
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16
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Sheppard SM, Meier EL, Kim KT, Breining BL, Keator LM, Tang B, Caffo BS, Hillis AE. Neural correlates of syntactic comprehension: A longitudinal study. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2022; 225:105068. [PMID: 34979477 PMCID: PMC9232253 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.105068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Broca's area is frequently implicated in sentence comprehension but its specific role is debated. Most lesion studies have investigated deficits at the chronic stage. We aimed (1) to use acute imaging to predict which left hemisphere stroke patients will recover sentence comprehension; and (2) to better understand the role of Broca's area in sentence comprehension by investigating acute deficits prior to functional reorganization. We assessed comprehension of canonical and noncanonical sentences in 15 patients with left hemisphere stroke at acute and chronic stages. LASSO regression was used to conduct lesion symptom mapping analyses. Patients with more severe word-level comprehension deficits and a greater proportion of damage to supramarginal gyrus and superior longitudinal fasciculus were likely to experience acute deficits prior to functional reorganization. Broca's area was only implicated in chronic deficits. We propose that when temporoparietal regions are damaged, intact Broca's area can support syntactic processing after functional reorganization occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon M Sheppard
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States; Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Chapman University, Irvine, CA 92618, United States.
| | - Erin L Meier
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States
| | - Kevin T Kim
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States
| | - Bonnie L Breining
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States
| | - Lynsey M Keator
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States
| | - Bohao Tang
- Department of Biostatics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States
| | - Brian S Caffo
- Department of Biostatics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States
| | - Argye E Hillis
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States; Department of Cognitive Science, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States
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17
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Sanchez-Alonso S, Aslin RN. Towards a model of language neurobiology in early development. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2022; 224:105047. [PMID: 34894429 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.105047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Understanding language neurobiology in early childhood is essential for characterizing the developmental structural and functional changes that lead to the mature adult language network. In the last two decades, the field of language neurodevelopment has received increasing attention, particularly given the rapid advances in the implementation of neuroimaging techniques and analytic approaches that allow detailed investigations into the developing brain across a variety of cognitive domains. These methodological and analytical advances hold the promise of developing early markers of language outcomes that allow diagnosis and clinical interventions at the earliest stages of development. Here, we argue that findings in language neurobiology need to be integrated within an approach that captures the dynamic nature and inherent variability that characterizes the developing brain and the interplay between behavior and (structural and functional) neural patterns. Accordingly, we describe a framework for understanding language neurobiology in early development, which minimally requires an explicit characterization of the following core domains: i) computations underlying language learning mechanisms, ii) developmental patterns of change across neural and behavioral measures, iii) environmental variables that reinforce language learning (e.g., the social context), and iv) brain maturational constraints for optimal neural plasticity, which determine the infant's sensitivity to learning from the environment. We discuss each of these domains in the context of recent behavioral and neuroimaging findings and consider the need for quantitatively modeling two main sources of variation: individual differences or trait-like patterns of variation and within-subject differences or state-like patterns of variation. The goal is to enable models that allow prediction of language outcomes from neural measures that take into account these two types of variation. Finally, we examine how future methodological approaches would benefit from the inclusion of more ecologically valid paradigms that complement and allow generalization of traditional controlled laboratory methods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard N Aslin
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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18
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Wang J, Wagley N, Rice ML, Booth JR. Semantic and syntactic specialization during auditory sentence processing in 7-8-year-old children. Cortex 2021; 145:169-186. [PMID: 34731687 PMCID: PMC8633078 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies indicate that adults show specialized syntactic and semantic processes in both the temporal and frontal lobes during language comprehension. Neuro-cognitive models of language development argue that this specialization appears earlier in the temporal than the frontal lobe. However, there is little evidence supporting this proposed progression. Our recently published study (Wang, Rice, & Booth, 2020), using multivoxel pattern analyses, detected that children as young as 5 to 6 years old exhibit specialization and integration in the temporal lobe, but not the frontal lobe. In the current study, we used the same approach to examine semantic and syntactic specialization in children ages 7 to 8 years old. We found support for semantic specialization in the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) for correct sentences and in the triangular part of the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) for incorrect sentences. We also found that the left superior temporal gyrus (STG) played an integration role and was sensitive to both semantic and syntactic processing during both correct and incorrect sentence processing. However, there was no support for syntactic specialization in 7- to 8-year-old children. As compared to our previous study on 5- to 6-year-old children, which only showed semantic specialization in the temporal lobe, the current study suggests a developmental progression to semantic specialization in the frontal lobe. This project represents an important step forward in testing neuro-cognitive models of language processing in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Wang
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Neelima Wagley
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Mabel L Rice
- Child Language Doctoral Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - James R Booth
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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19
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Is there a “g-neuron”? Establishing a systematic link between general intelligence (g) and the von Economo neuron. INTELLIGENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2021.101540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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20
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Chen L, Goucha T, Männel C, Friederici AD, Zaccarella E. Hierarchical syntactic processing is beyond mere associating: Functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence from a novel artificial grammar. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:3253-3268. [PMID: 33822433 PMCID: PMC8193521 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Grammar is central to any natural language. In the past decades, the artificial grammar of the AnBn type in which a pair of associated elements can be nested in the other pair was considered as a desirable model to mimic human language syntax without semantic interference. However, such a grammar relies on mere associating mechanisms, thus insufficient to reflect the hierarchical nature of human syntax. Here, we test how the brain imposes syntactic hierarchies according to the category relations on linearized sequences by designing a novel artificial “Hierarchical syntactic structure‐building Grammar” (HG), and compare this to the AnBn grammar as a “Nested associating Grammar” (NG) based on multilevel associations. Thirty‐six healthy German native speakers were randomly assigned to one of the two grammars. Both groups performed a grammaticality judgment task on auditorily presented word sequences generated by the corresponding grammar in the scanner after a successful explicit behavioral learning session. Compared to the NG group, we found that the HG group showed a (a) significantly higher involvement of Brodmann area (BA) 44 in Broca's area and the posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG); and (b) qualitatively distinct connectivity between the two regions. Thus, the present study demonstrates that the build‐up process of syntactic hierarchies on the basis of category relations critically relies on a distinctive left‐hemispheric syntactic network involving BA 44 and pSTG. This indicates that our novel artificial grammar can constitute a suitable experimental tool to investigate syntax‐specific processes in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luyao Chen
- College of Chinese Language and Culture, Beijing Normal University, Beijing.,Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tomás Goucha
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Claudia Männel
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Audiology and Phoniatrics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Emiliano Zaccarella
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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21
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Lu J, Zhao Z, Zhang J, Wu B, Zhu Y, Chang EF, Wu J, Duffau H, Berger MS. Functional maps of direct electrical stimulation-induced speech arrest and anomia: a multicentre retrospective study. Brain 2021; 144:2541-2553. [PMID: 33792674 PMCID: PMC8453410 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Direct electrical stimulation, the transient ‘lesional’ method probing brain function, has been utilized in identifying the language cortex and preserving language function during epilepsy and neuro-oncological surgeries for about a century. However, comparison of functional maps of the language cortex across languages/continents based on cortical stimulation remains unclear. We conducted a retrospective multicentre study including four cohorts of direct electrical stimulation mapping from four centres across three continents, where three indigenous languages (English, French and Mandarin) are spoken. All subjects performed the two most common language tasks: number counting and picture naming during stimulation. All language sites were recorded and normalized to the same brain template. Next, Spearman’s correlation analysis was performed to explore the consistency of the distributions of the language cortex across centres, a kernel density estimation to localize the peak coordinates, and a hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to detect the crucial epicenters. A total of 598 subjects with 917 speech arrest sites (complete interruption of ongoing counting) and 423 anomia sites (inability to name or misnaming) were included. Different centres presented highly consistent distribution patterns for speech arrest (Spearman’s coefficient r ranged from 0.60 to 0.85, all pair-wise correlations P < 0.05), and similar patterns for anomia (Spearman’s coefficient r ranged from 0.37 to 0.80). The combinational speech arrest map was divided into four clusters: cluster 1 mainly located in the ventral precentral gyrus and pars opercularis, which contained the peak of speech arrest in the ventral precentral gyrus; cluster 2 in the ventral and dorsal precentral gyrus; cluster 3 in the supplementary motor area; cluster 4 in the posterior superior temporal gyrus and supramarginal gyrus. The anomia map revealed two clusters: one was in the posterior part of the superior and middle temporal gyri, which peaked at the posterior superior temporal gyrus; and the other within the inferior frontal gyrus, peaked at the pars triangularis. This study constitutes the largest series to date of language maps generated from direct electrical stimulation mapping. The consistency of data provides evidence for common language networks across languages, in the context of both speech and naming circuit. Our results not only clinically offer an atlas for language mapping and protection, but also scientifically provide better insight into the functional organization of language networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junfeng Lu
- Glioma Surgery Division, Neurologic Surgery Department, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai, China.,Brain Function Laboratory, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zehao Zhao
- Glioma Surgery Division, Neurologic Surgery Department, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Brain Function Laboratory, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Glioma Surgery Division, Neurologic Surgery Department, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Brain Function Laboratory, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Bin Wu
- Brain Function Laboratory, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanming Zhu
- Brain Function Laboratory, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Edward F Chang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jinsong Wu
- Glioma Surgery Division, Neurologic Surgery Department, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai, China.,Brain Function Laboratory, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Institute of Brain-Intelligence Technology, Zhangjiang Lab, Shanghai, China
| | - Hugues Duffau
- Department of Neurosurgery, Gui de Chauliac Hospital, Montpellier University Medical Center, Montpellier, France
| | - Mitchel S Berger
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
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22
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Yuan D, Tian H, Zhou Y, Wu J, Sun T, Xiao Z, Shang C, Wang J, Chen X, Sun Y, Tang J, Qiu S, Tan LH. Acupoint-brain (acubrain) mapping: Common and distinct cortical language regions activated by focused ultrasound stimulation on two language-relevant acupoints. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 215:104920. [PMID: 33561785 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.104920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Acupuncture, taking the advantage of modality-specific neural pathways, has shown promising results in the treatment of brain disorders that affect different modalities such as pain and vision. However, the precise underlying mechanisms of within-modality neuromodulation of acupoints on human high-order cognition remain largely unknown. In the present study, we used a non-invasive and easy-operating method, focused ultrasound, to stimulate two language-relevant acupoints, namely GB39 (Xuanzhong) and SJ8 (Sanyangluo), of thirty healthy adults. The effect of focused ultrasound stimulation (FUS) on brain activation was examined by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We found that stimulating GB39 and SJ8 by FUS evoked overlapping but distinct brain activation patterns. Our findings provide a major step toward within-modality (in this case, language) acupoint-brain (acubrain) mapping and shed light on to the potential use of FUS as a personalized treatment option for brain disorders that affect high-level cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Yuan
- Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration and Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China; Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China
| | - Haoyue Tian
- Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration and Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China; Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yulong Zhou
- Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration and Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China; Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jinjian Wu
- The First School of Clinical Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tong Sun
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zhuoni Xiao
- Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration and Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China; Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chunfeng Shang
- Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jiaojian Wang
- Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xin Chen
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yimin Sun
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Medical Systems Biology Research Center, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Joey Tang
- Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China
| | - Shijun Qiu
- Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Li Hai Tan
- Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration and Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China; Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China.
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Abstract
Electroencephalographic studies using graph-theoretic analysis have found aberrations in functional connectivity in dyslexics. How visual nonverbal training (VT) can change the functional connectivity of the reading network in developmental dyslexia is still unclear. We studied differences in the local and global topological properties of functional reading networks between controls and dyslexic children before and after VT. The minimum spanning tree method was used to construct the reading networks in multiple electroencephalogram (EEG) frequency bands. Compared to controls, pre-training dyslexics had a higher leaf fraction, tree hierarchy, kappa, and smaller diameter (θ—γ-frequency bands), and therefore, they had a less segregated neural network than controls. After training, the reading-network metrics of dyslexics became similar to controls. In β1 and γ-frequency bands, pre-training dyslexics exhibited a reduced degree and betweenness centrality of hubs in superior, middle, and inferior frontal areas in both brain hemispheres compared to the controls. Dyslexics relied on the left anterior temporal (β1, γ1) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (γ1), while in the right hemisphere, they relied on the occipitotemporal, parietal, (β1), motor (β2, γ1), and somatosensory cortices (γ1). After training, hubs appeared in both hemispheres at the middle occipital (β), parietal (β1), somatosensory (γ1), and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (γ2), while in the left hemisphere, they appeared at the middle temporal, motor (β1), intermediate (γ2), and inferior frontal cortices (γ1, β2). Language-related brain regions were more active after visual training. They contribute to an understanding of lexical and sublexical representation. The same role has areas important for articulatory processes of reading.
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van der Kant A, Männel C, Paul M, Friederici AD, Höhle B, Wartenburger I. Linguistic and non-linguistic non-adjacent dependency learning in early development. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 45:100819. [PMID: 32828032 PMCID: PMC7451682 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-adjacent dependencies (NADs) are important building blocks for language and extracting them from the input is a fundamental part of language acquisition. Prior event-related potential (ERP) studies revealed changes in the neural signature of NAD learning between infancy and adulthood, suggesting a developmental shift in the learning route for NADs. The present study aimed to specify which brain regions are involved in this developmental shift and whether this shift extends to NAD learning in the non-linguistic domain. In two experiments, 2- and 3-year-old German-learning children were familiarized with either Italian sentences or tone sequences containing NADs and subsequently tested with NAD violations, while functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data were recorded. Results showed increased hemodynamic responses related to the detection of linguistic NAD violations in the left temporal, inferior frontal, and parietal regions in 2-year-old children, but not in 3-year-old children. A different developmental trajectory was found for non-linguistic NADs, where 3-year-old, but not 2-year-old children showed evidence for the detection of non-linguistic NAD violations. These results confirm a developmental shift in the NAD learning route and point to distinct mechanisms underlying NAD learning in the linguistic and the non-linguistic domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne van der Kant
- Cognitive Sciences, Department Linguistics, University of Potsdam, Germany.
| | - Claudia Männel
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Audiology and Phoniatrics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
| | - Mariella Paul
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
| | - Barbara Höhle
- Cognitive Sciences, Department Linguistics, University of Potsdam, Germany
| | - Isabell Wartenburger
- Cognitive Sciences, Department Linguistics, University of Potsdam, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
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25
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Fedorenko E, Blank IA, Siegelman M, Mineroff Z. Lack of selectivity for syntax relative to word meanings throughout the language network. Cognition 2020; 203:104348. [PMID: 32569894 DOI: 10.1101/477851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
To understand what you are reading now, your mind retrieves the meanings of words and constructions from a linguistic knowledge store (lexico-semantic processing) and identifies the relationships among them to construct a complex meaning (syntactic or combinatorial processing). Do these two sets of processes rely on distinct, specialized mechanisms or, rather, share a common pool of resources? Linguistic theorizing, empirical evidence from language acquisition and processing, and computational modeling have jointly painted a picture whereby lexico-semantic and syntactic processing are deeply inter-connected and perhaps not separable. In contrast, many current proposals of the neural architecture of language continue to endorse a view whereby certain brain regions selectively support syntactic/combinatorial processing, although the locus of such "syntactic hub", and its nature, vary across proposals. Here, we searched for selectivity for syntactic over lexico-semantic processing using a powerful individual-subjects fMRI approach across three sentence comprehension paradigms that have been used in prior work to argue for such selectivity: responses to lexico-semantic vs. morpho-syntactic violations (Experiment 1); recovery from neural suppression across pairs of sentences differing in only lexical items vs. only syntactic structure (Experiment 2); and same/different meaning judgments on such sentence pairs (Experiment 3). Across experiments, both lexico-semantic and syntactic conditions elicited robust responses throughout the left fronto-temporal language network. Critically, however, no regions were more strongly engaged by syntactic than lexico-semantic processing, although some regions showed the opposite pattern. Thus, contra many current proposals of the neural architecture of language, syntactic/combinatorial processing is not separable from lexico-semantic processing at the level of brain regions-or even voxel subsets-within the language network, in line with strong integration between these two processes that has been consistently observed in behavioral and computational language research. The results further suggest that the language network may be generally more strongly concerned with meaning than syntactic form, in line with the primary function of language-to share meanings across minds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelina Fedorenko
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Idan Asher Blank
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Matthew Siegelman
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Zachary Mineroff
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation, CMU, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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26
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Fedorenko E, Blank IA, Siegelman M, Mineroff Z. Lack of selectivity for syntax relative to word meanings throughout the language network. Cognition 2020; 203:104348. [PMID: 32569894 PMCID: PMC7483589 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
To understand what you are reading now, your mind retrieves the meanings of words and constructions from a linguistic knowledge store (lexico-semantic processing) and identifies the relationships among them to construct a complex meaning (syntactic or combinatorial processing). Do these two sets of processes rely on distinct, specialized mechanisms or, rather, share a common pool of resources? Linguistic theorizing, empirical evidence from language acquisition and processing, and computational modeling have jointly painted a picture whereby lexico-semantic and syntactic processing are deeply inter-connected and perhaps not separable. In contrast, many current proposals of the neural architecture of language continue to endorse a view whereby certain brain regions selectively support syntactic/combinatorial processing, although the locus of such "syntactic hub", and its nature, vary across proposals. Here, we searched for selectivity for syntactic over lexico-semantic processing using a powerful individual-subjects fMRI approach across three sentence comprehension paradigms that have been used in prior work to argue for such selectivity: responses to lexico-semantic vs. morpho-syntactic violations (Experiment 1); recovery from neural suppression across pairs of sentences differing in only lexical items vs. only syntactic structure (Experiment 2); and same/different meaning judgments on such sentence pairs (Experiment 3). Across experiments, both lexico-semantic and syntactic conditions elicited robust responses throughout the left fronto-temporal language network. Critically, however, no regions were more strongly engaged by syntactic than lexico-semantic processing, although some regions showed the opposite pattern. Thus, contra many current proposals of the neural architecture of language, syntactic/combinatorial processing is not separable from lexico-semantic processing at the level of brain regions-or even voxel subsets-within the language network, in line with strong integration between these two processes that has been consistently observed in behavioral and computational language research. The results further suggest that the language network may be generally more strongly concerned with meaning than syntactic form, in line with the primary function of language-to share meanings across minds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelina Fedorenko
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Idan Asher Blank
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Matthew Siegelman
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Zachary Mineroff
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation, CMU, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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27
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Kristanto D, Liu M, Liu X, Sommer W, Zhou C. Predicting reading ability from brain anatomy and function: From areas to connections. Neuroimage 2020; 218:116966. [PMID: 32439534 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Reading is a complex task involving different brain areas. As a crystallized ability, reading is also known to have effects on brain structure and function development. However, there are still open questions about what are the elements of the reading networks and how structural and functional brain measures shape the reading ability. The present study used a data-driven approach to investigate whether reading-related brain structural measures of cortical thickness, myelination, sulcus depth and structural connectivity and functional connectivity from the whole brain can predict individual differences in reading skills. It used different brain measures and performance scores from the Oral Reading Recognition Test (ORRT) measuring reading ability from 998 participants. We revealed reading-related brain areas and connections, and evaluated how well area and connection measures predict reading performance. Interestingly, the combination of all brain measures obtained the best predictions. We further grouped reading-related areas into positive and negative networks, each with four different levels (Core Regions, Extended-Regions 1, 2, 3), representing different correlation levels with the reading scores, and the non-correlated Region irrelevant to reading ability. The Core Regions are composed of areas that are most strongly correlated with reading performance. Insular and frontal opercular cortex, lateral temporal cortex, and early auditory cortex occupy the positive Core Region, while inferior temporal and motor cortex occupy the negative Core Region. Aside from those areas, the present study also found more reading-related areas including visual and language-related areas. In addition, connections predicting reading scores are denser inside the reading-related networks than outside. Together, the present study reveals extended reading networks of the brain and provides an extended data-driven analytical framework to study interpretable brain-behavior relationships, which are transferable also to studying other abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kristanto
- Department of Physics, Centre for Nonlinear Studies and Beijing-Hong Kong-Singapore Joint Centre for Nonlinear and Complex Systems (Hong Kong), Institute of Computational and Theoretical Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
| | - Mianxin Liu
- Department of Physics, Centre for Nonlinear Studies and Beijing-Hong Kong-Singapore Joint Centre for Nonlinear and Complex Systems (Hong Kong), Institute of Computational and Theoretical Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
| | - Xinyang Liu
- Department of Physics, Centre for Nonlinear Studies and Beijing-Hong Kong-Singapore Joint Centre for Nonlinear and Complex Systems (Hong Kong), Institute of Computational and Theoretical Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong; Department of Psychology, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Werner Sommer
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt University at Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Changsong Zhou
- Department of Physics, Centre for Nonlinear Studies and Beijing-Hong Kong-Singapore Joint Centre for Nonlinear and Complex Systems (Hong Kong), Institute of Computational and Theoretical Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong.
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28
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Artoni F, d'Orio P, Catricalà E, Conca F, Bottoni F, Pelliccia V, Sartori I, Russo GL, Cappa SF, Micera S, Moro A. High gamma response tracks different syntactic structures in homophonous phrases. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7537. [PMID: 32372065 PMCID: PMC7200802 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64375-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Syntax is a species-specific component of human language combining a finite set of words in a potentially infinite number of sentences. Since words are by definition expressed by sound, factoring out syntactic information is normally impossible. Here, we circumvented this problem in a novel way by designing phrases with exactly the same acoustic content but different syntactic structures depending on the other words they occur with. In particular, we used phrases merging an article with a noun yielding a Noun Phrase (NP) or a clitic with a verb yielding a Verb Phrase (VP). We performed stereo-electroencephalographic (SEEG) recordings in epileptic patients. We measured a different electrophysiological correlates of verb phrases vs. noun phrases in multiple cortical areas in both hemispheres, including language areas and their homologous in the non-dominant hemisphere. The high gamma band activity (150-300 Hz frequency), which plays a crucial role in inter-regional cortical communications, showed a significant difference during the presentation of the homophonous phrases, depending on whether the phrase was a verb phrase or a noun phrase. Our findings contribute to the ultimate goal of a complete neural decoding of linguistic structures from the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiorenzo Artoni
- The Biorobotics Institute and Department of Excellence in AI and Robotics, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
- Translational Neural Engineering Laboratory, Center for Neuroprosthetics and Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL - Campus Biotech, Geneve, Switzerland
| | - Piergiorgio d'Orio
- "Claudio Munari" Center for Epilepsy Surgery, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy
- Institute of Neuroscience, CNR, Parma, Italy
| | - Eleonora Catricalà
- Neurocognition Epistemology and theoretical Syntax Research Center (NEtS), Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesca Conca
- Neurocognition Epistemology and theoretical Syntax Research Center (NEtS), Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Veronica Pelliccia
- "Claudio Munari" Center for Epilepsy Surgery, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy
- Institute of Neuroscience, CNR, Parma, Italy
| | - Ivana Sartori
- "Claudio Munari" Center for Epilepsy Surgery, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgio Lo Russo
- "Claudio Munari" Center for Epilepsy Surgery, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano F Cappa
- Neurocognition Epistemology and theoretical Syntax Research Center (NEtS), Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy
- IRCCS Mondino Foundation National Institute of Neurology, Pavia, Italy
| | - Silvestro Micera
- The Biorobotics Institute and Department of Excellence in AI and Robotics, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
- Translational Neural Engineering Laboratory, Center for Neuroprosthetics and Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL - Campus Biotech, Geneve, Switzerland.
| | - Andrea Moro
- Neurocognition Epistemology and theoretical Syntax Research Center (NEtS), Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy.
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29
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Wang J, Rice ML, Booth JR. Syntactic and Semantic Specialization and Integration in 5- to 6-Year-Old Children during Auditory Sentence Processing. J Cogn Neurosci 2020; 32:36-49. [PMID: 31596168 PMCID: PMC8905464 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have found specialized syntactic and semantic processes in the adult brain during language comprehension. Young children have sophisticated semantic and syntactic aspects of language, yet many previous fMRI studies failed to detect this specialization, possibly due to experimental design and analytical methods. In this current study, 5- to 6-year-old children completed a syntactic task and a semantic task to dissociate these two processes. Multivoxel pattern analysis was used to examine the correlation of patterns within a task (between runs) or across tasks. We found that the left middle temporal gyrus showed more similar patterns within the semantic task compared with across tasks, whereas there was no difference in the correlation within the syntactic task compared with across tasks, suggesting its specialization in semantic processing. Moreover, the left superior temporal gyrus showed more similar patterns within both the semantic task and the syntactic task as compared with across tasks, suggesting its role in integration of semantic and syntactic information. In contrast to the temporal lobe, we did not find specialization or integration effects in either the opercular or triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus. Overall, our study showed that 5- to 6-year-old children have already developed specialization and integration in the temporal lobe, but not in the frontal lobe, consistent with developmental neurocognitive models of language comprehension in typically developing young children.
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30
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Shared neural resources of rhythm and syntax: An ALE meta-analysis. Neuropsychologia 2019; 137:107284. [PMID: 31783081 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A growing body of evidence has highlighted behavioral connections between musical rhythm and linguistic syntax, suggesting that these abilities may be mediated by common neural resources. Here, we performed a quantitative meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies using activation likelihood estimate (ALE) to localize the shared neural structures engaged in a representative set of musical rhythm (rhythm, beat, and meter) and linguistic syntax (merge movement, and reanalysis) operations. Rhythm engaged a bilateral sensorimotor network throughout the brain consisting of the inferior frontal gyri, supplementary motor area, superior temporal gyri/temporoparietal junction, insula, intraparietal lobule, and putamen. By contrast, syntax mostly recruited the left sensorimotor network including the inferior frontal gyrus, posterior superior temporal gyrus, premotor cortex, and supplementary motor area. Intersections between rhythm and syntax maps yielded overlapping regions in the left inferior frontal gyrus, left supplementary motor area, and bilateral insula-neural substrates involved in temporal hierarchy processing and predictive coding. Together, this is the first neuroimaging meta-analysis providing detailed anatomical overlap of sensorimotor regions recruited for musical rhythm and linguistic syntax.
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31
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Canu E, Agosta F, Imperiale F, Ferraro PM, Fontana A, Magnani G, Mesulam MM, Thompson CK, Weintraub S, Moro A, Cappa SF, Filippi M. Northwestern Anagram Test-Italian (Nat-I) for primary progressive aphasia. Cortex 2019; 119:497-510. [PMID: 31527011 PMCID: PMC6785992 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To test the ability of the Northwestern Anagram Test-Italian (NAT-I) to distinguish between the non-fluent/agrammatic (nfv-) and phonological/logopenic (lv-) variants of primary progressive aphasia (PPA), and to determine the relationship between NAT-I variables and brain integrity in PPA patients. METHODS 13 nfvPPA and 8 lvPPA patients underwent the 44-item-version of NAT-I and brain MRI. The NAT-I was also administered to six patients with the semantic variant (sv) PPA to sample performance in cases with no grammatical deficits. Performances were recorded and compared between patient groups. Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analysis assessed the ability of NAT-I to discriminate nfvPPA and lvPPA. The correlation between anatomical changes and NAT-I variables were assessed. A shortened (22-item)-version of NAT-I was also tested for classification ability. RESULTS Participants with NfvPPA performed more poorly than lvPPA patients on canonical and non-canonical sentences. NAT-I non-canonical sentence and total scores achieved the highest diagnostic accuracy in discriminating the two patient groups (area under the curve: .93 and .91, respectively). SvPPA participants showed performances similar to lvPPA. NAT-I variables correlated with the integrity of the left inferior frontal gyrus and the body of the corpus callosum. The NAT-I 22-item-version total and non-canonical sentences scores reached diagnostic accuracy comparable to the full version. CONCLUSIONS The NAT-I, in particular the measure of non-canonical syntax, is an effective tool for distinguishing nfvPPA and lvPPA patients and correlated with the integrity of crucial brain regions implicated in syntactic processing. The 22-item-brief version of NAT-I is suitable for clinical practice and research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Canu
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Agosta
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Imperiale
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Pilar M Ferraro
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Fontana
- Unit of Biostatistics, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Magnani
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Marek-Marsel Mesulam
- Mesulam Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Cynthia K Thompson
- Mesulam Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Neurology, Northwestern University, Evanston/Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sandra Weintraub
- Mesulam Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Stefano F Cappa
- IUSS Pavia, Pavia, Italy; IRCCS S. Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Massimo Filippi
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy; Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
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32
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Liu J, Tsang T, Jackson L, Ponting C, Jeste SS, Bookheimer SY, Dapretto M. Altered lateralization of dorsal language tracts in 6-week-old infants at risk for autism. Dev Sci 2019; 22:e12768. [PMID: 30372577 PMCID: PMC6470045 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Altered structural connectivity has been identified as a possible biomarker of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk in the developing brain. Core features of ASD include impaired social communication and early language delay. Thus, examining white matter tracts associated with language may lend further insight into early signs of ASD risk and the mechanisms that underlie language impairments associated with the disorder. Evidence of altered structural connectivity has previously been detected in 6-month-old infants at high familial risk for developing ASD. However, as language processing begins in utero, differences in structural connectivity between language regions may be present in the early infant brain shortly after birth. Here we investigated key white matter pathways of the dorsal language network in 6-week-old infants at high (HR) and low (LR) risk for ASD to identify atypicalities in structural connectivity that may predict altered developmental trajectories prior to overt language delays and the onset of ASD symptomatology. Compared to HR infants, LR infants showed higher fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF); in contrast, in the right SLF, HR infants showed higher FA than LR infants. Additionally, HR infants showed more rightward lateralization of the SLF. Across both groups, measures of FA and lateralization of these pathways at 6 weeks of age were related to later language development at 18 months of age as well as ASD symptomatology at 36 months of age. These findings indicate that early differences in the structure of language pathways may provide an early predictor of future language development and ASD risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janelle Liu
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tawny Tsang
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lisa Jackson
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carolyn Ponting
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shafali S. Jeste
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Susan Y. Bookheimer
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Center for Cognitive Neurosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Mirella Dapretto
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Hofman MA. On the nature and evolution of the human mind. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2019; 250:251-283. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2019.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Cooney C, Folli R, Coyle D. Neurolinguistics Research Advancing Development of a Direct-Speech Brain-Computer Interface. iScience 2018; 8:103-125. [PMID: 30296666 PMCID: PMC6174918 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2018.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2018] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
A direct-speech brain-computer interface (DS-BCI) acquires neural signals corresponding to imagined speech, then processes and decodes these signals to produce a linguistic output in the form of phonemes, words, or sentences. Recent research has shown the potential of neurolinguistics to enhance decoding approaches to imagined speech with the inclusion of semantics and phonology in experimental procedures. As neurolinguistics research findings are beginning to be incorporated within the scope of DS-BCI research, it is our view that a thorough understanding of imagined speech, and its relationship with overt speech, must be considered an integral feature of research in this field. With a focus on imagined speech, we provide a review of the most important neurolinguistics research informing the field of DS-BCI and suggest how this research may be utilized to improve current experimental protocols and decoding techniques. Our review of the literature supports a cross-disciplinary approach to DS-BCI research, in which neurolinguistics concepts and methods are utilized to aid development of a naturalistic mode of communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciaran Cooney
- Intelligent Systems Research Centre, Ulster University, Derry, UK.
| | - Raffaella Folli
- Institute for Research in Social Sciences, Ulster University, Jordanstown, UK
| | - Damien Coyle
- Intelligent Systems Research Centre, Ulster University, Derry, UK
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Von Economo and fork neurons in the monkey insula, implications for evolution of cognition. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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Campbell KL, Tyler LK. Language-related domain-specific and domain-general systems in the human brain. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2018; 21:132-137. [PMID: 30057936 PMCID: PMC6058087 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
While a long history of neuropsychological research places language function within a primarily left-lateralized frontotemporal system, recent neuroimaging work has extended this language network to include a number of regions traditionally thought of as 'domain-general'. These include dorsal frontal, parietal, and medial temporal lobe regions known to underpin cognitive functions such as attention and memory. In this paper, we argue that these domain-general systems are not required for language processing and are instead an artefact of the tasks typically used to study language. Recent work from our lab shows that when syntactic processing - arguably the only domain-specific language function - is measured in a task-free, naturalistic manner, only the left-lateralized frontotemporal syntax system and auditory network are activated. When syntax is measured within the context of a task, several other domain-general networks come online and are functionally connected to the frontotemporal system. While we have long argued that syntactic processing does not occur in isolation but is processed in parallel with semantics and pragmatics - functions of the wider language system - our recent work makes a strong case for the domain-specificity of the frontotemporal syntax system and its autonomy from domain-general networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen L Campbell
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Lorraine K Tyler
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
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