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Michaelov JA, Bardolph MD, Van Petten CK, Bergen BK, Coulson S. Strong Prediction: Language Model Surprisal Explains Multiple N400 Effects. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2024; 5:107-135. [PMID: 38645623 PMCID: PMC11025652 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Theoretical accounts of the N400 are divided as to whether the amplitude of the N400 response to a stimulus reflects the extent to which the stimulus was predicted, the extent to which the stimulus is semantically similar to its preceding context, or both. We use state-of-the-art machine learning tools to investigate which of these three accounts is best supported by the evidence. GPT-3, a neural language model trained to compute the conditional probability of any word based on the words that precede it, was used to operationalize contextual predictability. In particular, we used an information-theoretic construct known as surprisal (the negative logarithm of the conditional probability). Contextual semantic similarity was operationalized by using two high-quality co-occurrence-derived vector-based meaning representations for words: GloVe and fastText. The cosine between the vector representation of the sentence frame and final word was used to derive contextual cosine similarity estimates. A series of regression models were constructed, where these variables, along with cloze probability and plausibility ratings, were used to predict single trial N400 amplitudes recorded from healthy adults as they read sentences whose final word varied in its predictability, plausibility, and semantic relationship to the likeliest sentence completion. Statistical model comparison indicated GPT-3 surprisal provided the best account of N400 amplitude and suggested that apparently disparate N400 effects of expectancy, plausibility, and contextual semantic similarity can be reduced to variation in the predictability of words. The results are argued to support predictive coding in the human language network.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A. Michaelov
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Megan D. Bardolph
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Cyma K. Van Petten
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Benjamin K. Bergen
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Seana Coulson
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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2
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Abbondanza F, Dale PS, Wang CA, Hayiou‐Thomas ME, Toseeb U, Koomar TS, Wigg KG, Feng Y, Price KM, Kerr EN, Guger SL, Lovett MW, Strug LJ, van Bergen E, Dolan CV, Tomblin JB, Moll K, Schulte‐Körne G, Neuhoff N, Warnke A, Fisher SE, Barr CL, Michaelson JJ, Boomsma DI, Snowling MJ, Hulme C, Whitehouse AJO, Pennell CE, Newbury DF, Stein J, Talcott JB, Bishop DVM, Paracchini S. Language and reading impairments are associated with increased prevalence of non-right-handedness. Child Dev 2023; 94:970-984. [PMID: 36780127 PMCID: PMC10330064 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/14/2023]
Abstract
Handedness has been studied for association with language-related disorders because of its link with language hemispheric dominance. No clear pattern has emerged, possibly because of small samples, publication bias, and heterogeneous criteria across studies. Non-right-handedness (NRH) frequency was assessed in N = 2503 cases with reading and/or language impairment and N = 4316 sex-matched controls identified from 10 distinct cohorts (age range 6-19 years old; European ethnicity) using a priori set criteria. A meta-analysis (Ncases = 1994) showed elevated NRH % in individuals with language/reading impairment compared with controls (OR = 1.21, CI = 1.06-1.39, p = .01). The association between reading/language impairments and NRH could result from shared pathways underlying brain lateralization, handedness, and cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Philip S. Dale
- Department of Speech and Hearing SciencesUniversity of New MexicoAlbuquerqueNew MexicoUSA
| | - Carol A. Wang
- School of Medicine and Public HealthUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanNew South WalesAustralia
| | | | - Umar Toseeb
- Department of EducationUniversity of YorkYorkUK
| | | | - Karen G. Wigg
- Division of Experimental and Translational Neuroscience, Krembil Research InstituteUniversity Health NetworkTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Yu Feng
- Division of Experimental and Translational Neuroscience, Krembil Research InstituteUniversity Health NetworkTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Kaitlyn M. Price
- Division of Experimental and Translational Neuroscience, Krembil Research InstituteUniversity Health NetworkTorontoOntarioCanada
- Program in Neuroscience and Mental HealthHospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
- Department of PhysiologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Elizabeth N. Kerr
- Department of PaediatricsUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
- Department of PsychologyHospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Sharon L. Guger
- Department of PsychologyHospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Maureen W. Lovett
- Program in Neuroscience and Mental HealthHospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
- Department of PaediatricsUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Lisa J. Strug
- Genetics and Genome BiologyHospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
- Dalla Lana School of Public HealthUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Elsje van Bergen
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Conor V. Dolan
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | | | - Kristina Moll
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and PsychosomaticsLudwig‐Maximilians‐University Hospital MunichMunchenGermany
| | - Gerd Schulte‐Körne
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and PsychosomaticsLudwig‐Maximilians‐University Hospital MunichMunchenGermany
| | - Nina Neuhoff
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and PsychosomaticsLudwig‐Maximilians‐University Hospital MunichMunchenGermany
| | | | - Simon E. Fisher
- Language and Genetics DepartmentMax Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegenThe Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and BehaviourRadboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Cathy L. Barr
- Division of Experimental and Translational Neuroscience, Krembil Research InstituteUniversity Health NetworkTorontoOntarioCanada
- Program in Neuroscience and Mental HealthHospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
- Department of PhysiologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | | | - Dorret I. Boomsma
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | | | | | | | - Craig E. Pennell
- School of Medicine and Public HealthUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Dianne F. Newbury
- Department of Biological and Medical SciencesOxford Brookes UniversityOxfordUK
| | - John Stein
- Department of PhysiologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Joel B. Talcott
- Aston Brain Center, School of Life and Health SciencesAston UniversityBirminghamUK
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3
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The influence of semantic relevance on the discernment of product appearance and function. BMC Psychol 2021; 9:133. [PMID: 34479637 PMCID: PMC8414761 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-021-00632-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background This study investigated the impact of semantic relevance on the ability to comprehend the appearance and function of a product, as presented in images. Methods The images used the constructs of Simile, Metaphor and Analogy to correspond to congruent, related and incongruent semantic structures, and measured the amplitude of Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) to compare these images with Landscape images. Sixteen participants with design-related educational backgrounds were invited to join in the ERP experiment. Results The results found that the image depicting the Metaphor showed a stronger N600 amplitude in the right anterior region of the brain than the Landscape image and the Analogy image induced a stronger N600 effect in the left anterior and right anterior part of the brain than the Landscape image. However, the Simile image did not trigger the N600. The N600 was triggered when the meaning of the Metaphor and Analogy being presented could not be understood. This indicates that a greater processing effort to comprehend them than was required for Simile. Analogy has a wider N600 distribution than Metaphor in the anterior area, suggesting that Analogy would require higher-level thinking processes and more complex semantic processing mechanisms than Metaphor. Conclusions The N600 implicated that an assessment method to detect the semantic relationship between appearance and function of a product would assist in determining whether a symbol was suitable to be associated with a product.
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Zhao M, Liu X, Dai X, Dong S, Han Z. Scalar implicature is not a default process: An ERP study of the scalar implicature processing under the effect of focus factor. Brain Res 2021; 1765:147499. [PMID: 33894226 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This study explored the processing mechanism of scalar implicatures under different focus conditions by the picture-sentence verification paradigm. Through the guidance of different types of incorrect sentences, scalar terms were controlled to adjust whether they were at the focus position and divided the focused and non-focused conditions. The behavioural results showed that when the content of the picture was "all squares have…", more participants under the focused condition could judge that the underinformative sentence "some squares have…" was not appropriate. Moreover, according to whether participants could stably determine that the underinformative sentences were inappropriate, they were divided into pragmatic and semantic responders. The ERP results showed that pragmatic responders evoked a P200 effect, an N400 effect and a sustained negativity effect according to the scalar terms, and a P200 effect and a sustained positivity effect according to the sentence-final words. In contrast, semantic responders did not elicit any ERP effect. These results indicate that the generation of scalar implicatures is not completely determined by the scalar terms and that the focus factor plays an important role in the scalar implicatures inference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Zhao
- Language and Cognition Laboratory, School of Humanities and Arts, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China.
| | - Xiufeng Liu
- Language and Cognition Laboratory, School of Humanities and Arts, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Dai
- Department of Preschool and Special Education, Xuzhou Kindergarten Teachers College, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Shuang Dong
- Language and Cognition Laboratory, School of Humanities and Arts, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Zongliang Han
- Language and Cognition Laboratory, School of Humanities and Arts, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
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5
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Vergis N, Jiang X, Pell MD. Neural responses to interpersonal requests: Effects of imposition and vocally-expressed stance. Brain Res 2020; 1740:146855. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.146855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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6
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Rigoulot S, Jiang X, Vergis N, Pell MD. Neurophysiological correlates of sexually evocative speech. Biol Psychol 2020; 154:107909. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.107909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2019] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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7
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Payne BR, Ng S, Shantz K, Federmeier KD. Event-related brain potentials in multilingual language processing: The N's and P's. PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.plm.2020.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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8
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Canal P, Bischetti L, Di Paola S, Bertini C, Ricci I, Bambini V. ‘Honey, shall I change the baby? – Well done, choose another one’: ERP and time-frequency correlates of humor processing. Brain Cogn 2019; 132:41-55. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Chang YT, Ku LC, Wu CL, Chen HC. Event-related potential (ERP) evidence for the differential cognitive processing of semantic jokes and pun jokes. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2019.1583241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Tzu Chang
- Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Li-Chuan Ku
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
| | - Ching-Lin Wu
- Programme of Learning Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsueh-Chih Chen
- Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Chinese Language and Technology Centre, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
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10
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Papadatou-Pastou M. Handedness and cognitive ability: Using meta-analysis to make sense of the data. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2018; 238:179-206. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2018.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
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11
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Wang RW, Kuo HC, Chuang SW. Humor drawings evoked temporal and spectral EEG processes. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2017; 12:1359-1376. [PMID: 28402573 PMCID: PMC5597898 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Revised: 04/01/2017] [Accepted: 04/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The study aimed to explore the humor processing elicited through the manipulation of artistic drawings. Using the Comprehension-Elaboration Theory of humor as the main research background, the experiment manipulated the head portraits of celebrities based on the independent variables of facial deformation (large/small) and addition of affective features (positive/negative). A 64-channel electroencephalography was recorded in 30 participants while viewing the incongruous drawings of celebrities. The electroencephalography temporal and spectral responses were measured during the three stages of humor which included incongruity detection, incongruity comprehension and elaboration of humor. Analysis of event-related potentials indicated that for humorous vs non-humorous drawings, facial deformation and the addition of affective features significantly affected the degree of humor elicited, specifically: large > small deformation; negative > positive affective features. The N170, N270, N400, N600-800 and N900-1200 components showed significant differences, particularly in the right prefrontal and frontal regions. Analysis of event-related spectral perturbation showed significant differences in the theta band evoked in the anterior cingulate cortex, parietal region and posterior cingulate cortex; and in the alpha and beta bands in the motor areas. These regions are involved in emotional processing, memory retrieval, and laughter and feelings of amusement induced by elaboration of the situation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina W.Y. Wang
- Design Perceptual Awareness Lab (D:PAL)
- The Department of Industrial and Communication Design
| | - Hsien-Chu Kuo
- Design Perceptual Awareness Lab (D:PAL)
- The Department of Industrial and Communication Design
| | - Shang-Wen Chuang
- Design Perceptual Awareness Lab (D:PAL)
- Taiwan Building Technology Center, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech), Taipei, Taiwan
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12
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How right is left? Handedness modulates neural responses during morphosyntactic processing. Brain Res 2017; 1669:27-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2017.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 05/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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13
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Chan YK, Loh PS. Handedness in man: The energy availability hypothesis. Med Hypotheses 2016; 94:108-11. [PMID: 27515214 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2016.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2016] [Revised: 06/12/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
More than 90% of the human species are right handed. Although outwardly our body appears symmetrical, a 50/50% lateralization in handedness never occurs. Neither have we seen more than 50% left handedness in any subset of the human population. By 12-15weeks of intrauterine life, as many as 6 times more fetuses are noted by ultrasound studies to be sucking on their right thumbs. Distinct difference in oxygenation leading to dissimilar energy availability between right and left subclavian arteries in place by week 9 of life may hold the clue to the lateralization of hand function and eventually, the same in the brain. We know there is a higher incidence of left handedness in males, twins, premature babies and those born to mothers who smoke. They may represent a subset with less distinct difference in oxygenation between the 2 subclavian arteries during the fetal stage. This hypothesis if correct not only closes the gap in understanding human handedness and lateralization but also opens a vista for new research to focus on in utero tissue energy availability and its impact on outcome in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoo Kuen Chan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, Lembah Pantai, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| | - Pui San Loh
- Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, Lembah Pantai, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Mayerhofer B, Maier K, Schacht A. Priming Interpretations: Contextual Impact on the Processing of Garden Path Jokes. DISCOURSE PROCESSES 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/0163853x.2015.1092373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Katja Maier
- CRC Text Structures University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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15
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Mayerhofer B, Schacht A. From incoherence to mirth: neuro-cognitive processing of garden-path jokes. Front Psychol 2015; 6:550. [PMID: 26029130 PMCID: PMC4429229 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2014] [Accepted: 04/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
In so-called garden-path jokes, an initial semantic representation is violated, and semantic revision reestablishes a coherent representation. 48 jokes were manipulated in three conditions: (i) a coherent ending, (ii) a joke ending, and (iii) a discourse-incoherent ending. A reading times study (N = 24) and three studies with recordings of ERP and pupil changes (N = 21, 24, and 24, respectively) supported the hypothesized cognitive processes. Jokes showed increased reading times of the final word compared to coherent endings. ERP data mainly indicated semantic integration difficulties (N400). Larger pupil diameters to joke endings presumably reflect emotional responses. ERP evidence for increased discourse processing efforts and emotional responses, as assumed to be reflected in modulations of the late left anterior negativity (LLAN) and in an enhanced late frontal positivity (fP600), respectively, remains however incomplete. Processing of incoherent endings was also accompanied by increased reading times, a stronger and sustained N400, and context-sensitive P600 effects. Together, these findings provide evidence for a sequential, non-monotonic, and incremental discourse comprehension of garden-path jokes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bastian Mayerhofer
- Courant Research Centre "Text Structures," University of Göttingen Göttingen, Germany
| | - Annekathrin Schacht
- Courant Research Centre "Text Structures," University of Göttingen Göttingen, Germany
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16
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Somers M, Shields LS, Boks MP, Kahn RS, Sommer IE. Cognitive benefits of right-handedness: a meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 51:48-63. [PMID: 25592981 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2014] [Revised: 11/21/2014] [Accepted: 01/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Hand preference - which is related to cerebral dominance - is thought to be associated with cognitive skills; however, findings on this association are inconsistent and there is no consensus whether left- or right-handers have an advantage in either spatial or verbal abilities. In addition, it is not clear whether an interaction between sex and hand preference exists in relation to these cognitive abilities. As these matters are relevant from a neurodevelopmental perspective we performed a meta-analysis of the available literature. We searched PubMed and Embase, and included 14 studies (359,890 subjects) in the verbal ability meta-analysis and 16 studies (218,351 subjects) in the spatial ability meta-analysis. There was no difference between the full sample of left and right-handers for verbal ability, nor was there a hand preference-by-sex interaction. Subgroup analysis of children showed a small right-hand benefit. Our results further revealed a modest but significant effect favouring right-handedness for overall spatial ability, which was more pronounced when analysis was restricted to studies applying the mental rotation test. We could not identify a specific interaction with sex. Our results indicate that there is a small but significant cognitive advantage of right-handedness on spatial ability. In the verbal domain, this advantage is only significant in children. An interaction effect with sex is not confirmed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Metten Somers
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Laura S Shields
- Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marco P Boks
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - René S Kahn
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Iris E Sommer
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Zhao M, Liu T, Chen G, Chen F. Are scalar implicatures automatically processed and different for each individual? A mismatch negativity (MMN) study. Brain Res 2014; 1599:137-49. [PMID: 25542387 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.11.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2014] [Revised: 11/16/2014] [Accepted: 11/23/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Scalar implicatures are ordinarily activated in human communication when the speaker uses a weak expression (e.g., some) from a set of stronger alternatives (e.g., many, all). It has been debated whether scalar inferences are generated by default. To clarify this issue and examine whether individual pragmatic ability will affect the mechanism of scalar inference processing, we performed experiment with an MMN paradigm to capture the neurophysiological indicators of automatic processing of spoken sentences and divided participants into high and low pragmatic ability groups. Experimental results showed that compared with the condition that an informative sentence ("Some animals have tails") is the deviant stimuli, when an underinformative sentence ("Some tigers have tails") is the deviant stimuli, the high pragmatic ability group induced mismatch negativity (MMN) and sustained negativity, while the low pragmatic ability group had no ERP effects. These results indicated that at least some people can automatically activate the scalar implicatures when encountering scalar trigger words, even in the inattentive status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Zhao
- School of Literature, Law & Politics, China University of Mining and Technology, China; Bio-X Laboratory, Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, China.
| | - Tao Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Language and Cognitive Neuroscience, Jiangsu Normal University, China
| | - Gang Chen
- School of Foreign Studies, Anhui University, China
| | - Feiyan Chen
- Bio-X Laboratory, Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, China.
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Bardolph M, Coulson S. How vertical hand movements impact brain activity elicited by literally and metaphorically related words: an ERP study of embodied metaphor. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:1031. [PMID: 25566041 PMCID: PMC4274969 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.01031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2014] [Accepted: 12/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Embodied metaphor theory suggests abstract concepts are metaphorically linked to more experientially basic ones and recruit sensorimotor cortex for their comprehension. To test whether words associated with spatial attributes reactivate traces in sensorimotor cortex, we recorded EEG from the scalp of healthy adults as they read words while performing a concurrent task involving either upward- or downward- directed arm movements. ERPs were time-locked to words associated with vertical space—either literally (ascend, descend) or metaphorically (inspire, defeat)—as participants made vertical movements that were either congruent or incongruent with the words. Congruency effects emerged 200–300 ms after word onset for literal words, but not until after 500 ms post-onset for metaphorically related words. Results argue against a strong version of embodied metaphor theory, but support a role for sensorimotor simulation in concrete language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Bardolph
- Cognitive Science Department, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Seana Coulson
- Cognitive Science Department, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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20
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Tu S, Cao X, Yun X, Wang K, Zhao G, Qiu J. A New Association Evaluation Stage in Cartoon Apprehension: Evidence from an ERP Study. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.4236/jbbs.2014.42010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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21
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Wlotko EW, Federmeier KD. So that's what you meant! Event-related potentials reveal multiple aspects of context use during construction of message-level meaning. Neuroimage 2012; 62:356-66. [PMID: 22565202 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.04.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2012] [Revised: 04/17/2012] [Accepted: 04/29/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Factors that modulate the influence of contextual information on semantic processing in language comprehension have been thoroughly investigated with the N400 component of the event-related potential (ERP), a direct measure of initial contact with semantic memory. Although context has a strong and immediate impact on processing, multiple mechanisms contribute to the construction of message-level representations during normal comprehension. Some of these may be engaged after or concurrent with the formation of an initial meaning representation, and can then serve to revise or reshape meaning. In this study, ERPs were recorded while participants read plausible sentences that continuously varied in the amount of contextual constraint for the sentence-final word, defined via extensive norming data including the range of possible alternative completions for the contexts. Consistent with numerous past studies, the amplitude of the N400 was graded with expectancy, as amplitudes decreased with increasing constraint. Additionally, a left-lateralized, broad, slow negativity onsetting around 400-500 ms was largest for sentences with moderately strong constraint. Within this range of constraint, the negativity was larger for sentences with fewer alternative completions compared to those with many different ones. The timing and scalp distribution of the effect resemble brain responses linked to engagement of working memory resources, ambiguity resolution, and comprehension of jokes. Similar to cases of "frame-shifting" in non-literal language, this effect may reflect processing associated with reinterpretation or reconsideration of contextual material when multiple interpretations of a sentence were likely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward W Wlotko
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, 405 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
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Korb S, Grandjean D, Samson AC, Delplanque S, Scherer KR. Stop laughing! Humor perception with and without expressive suppression. Soc Neurosci 2012; 7:510-24. [PMID: 22369232 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2012.667573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The neurophysiological study of emotion regulation focused on the strategy of reappraisal-i.e., the cognitive reinterpretation of a stimulus. Reappraisal reduces emotional expression, the experience of both negative and positive feelings, and the amplitude of an event-related potential (ERP)-the late positive potential (LPP). In contrast, the strategy of expressive suppression (ES), being the inhibition of emotional expression, has been reported to reduce subjective feelings of positive, but not negative emotion, and has not yet been investigated with ERPs. We focused on the LPP to assess the correlates of ES in the context of humor perception. Twenty-two female participants rated sequences of humorous (H) and non-humorous (NH) pictures, while their zygomaticus muscle was recorded. A spontaneous (SP) condition, in which participants attended naturally to the pictures, resulted in higher ratings of funniness, increased smiling, and increased LPP amplitude for H compared to NH stimuli. An ES condition, in which participants suppressed their facial reactions, resulted in reduced smiling, without affecting subjective ratings. LPP amplitude did not differ between H and NH stimuli during ES, suggesting equal allocation of processing resources to both stimuli. These results suggest that, similarly to reappraisal, ES modifies the way the brain processes positive emotional stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Korb
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
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Christiansen MH, Conway CM, Onnis L. Similar Neural Correlates for Language and Sequential Learning: Evidence from Event-Related Brain Potentials. LANGUAGE AND COGNITIVE PROCESSES 2012; 27:231-256. [PMID: 23678205 PMCID: PMC3652480 DOI: 10.1080/01690965.2011.606666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
We used event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the time course and distribution of brain activity while adults performed (a) a sequential learning task involving complex structured sequences, and (b) a language processing task. The same positive ERP deflection, the P600 effect, typically linked to difficult or ungrammatical syntactic processing, was found for structural incongruencies in both sequential learning as well as natural language, and with similar topographical distributions. Additionally, a left anterior negativity (LAN) was observed for language but not for sequential learning. These results are interpreted as an indication that the P600 provides an index of violations and the cost of integration of expectations for upcoming material when processing complex sequential structure. We conclude that the same neural mechanisms may be recruited for both syntactic processing of linguistic stimuli and sequential learning of structured sequence patterns more generally.
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Lenz B, Müller CP, Stoessel C, Sperling W, Biermann T, Hillemacher T, Bleich S, Kornhuber J. Sex hormone activity in alcohol addiction: integrating organizational and activational effects. Prog Neurobiol 2011; 96:136-63. [PMID: 22115850 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2011.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2011] [Revised: 11/03/2011] [Accepted: 11/08/2011] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
There are well-known sex differences in the epidemiology and etiopathology of alcohol dependence. Male gender is a crucial risk factor for the onset of alcohol addiction. A directly modifying role of testosterone in alcohol addiction-related behavior is well established. Sex hormones exert both permanent (organizational) and transient (activational) effects on the human brain. The sensitive period for these effects lasts throughout life. In this article, we present a novel early sex hormone activity model of alcohol addiction. We propose that early exposure to sex hormones triggers structural (organizational) neuroadaptations. These neuroadaptations affect cellular and behavioral responses to adult sex hormones, sensitize the brain's reward system to the reinforcing properties of alcohol and modulate alcohol addictive behavior later in life. This review outlines clinical findings related to the early sex hormone activity model of alcohol addiction (handedness, the second-to-fourth-finger length ratio, and the androgen receptor and aromatase) and includes clinical and preclinical literature regarding the activational effects of sex hormones in alcohol drinking behavior. Furthermore, we discuss the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and -gonadal axes and the opioid system in mediating the relationship between sex hormone activity and alcohol dependence. We conclude that a combination of exposure to sex hormones in utero and during early development contributes to the risk of alcohol addiction later in life. The early sex hormone activity model of alcohol addiction may prove to be a valuable tool in the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernd Lenz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany.
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Davenport T, Coulson S. Predictability and novelty in literal language comprehension: an ERP study. Brain Res 2011; 1418:70-82. [PMID: 21925647 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.07.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2011] [Revised: 07/13/2011] [Accepted: 07/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Linguists have suggested that one mechanism for the creative extension of meaning in language involves mapping, or constructing correspondences between conceptual domains. For example, the sentence, "The clever boys used a cardboard box as a boat," sets up a novel mapping between the concepts cardboard box and boat, while "His main method of transportation is a boat," relies on a more conventional mapping between method of transportation and boat. To examine the electrophysiological signature of this mapping process, electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded from the scalp as healthy adults read three sorts of sentences: low-cloze (unpredictable) conventional ("His main method of transportation is a boat,"), low-cloze novel mapp'ing ("The clever boys used a cardboard box as a boat,"), and high-cloze (predictable) conventional ("The only way to get around Venice is to navigate the canals in a boat,"). Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were time-locked to sentence final words. The novel and conventional conditions were matched for cloze probability (a measure of predictability based on the sentence context), lexical association between the sentence frame and the final word (using latent semantic analysis), and other factors known to influence ERPs to language stimuli. The high-cloze conventional control condition was included to compare the effects of mapping conventionality to those of predictability. The N400 component of the ERPs was affected by predictability but not by conventionality. By contrast, a late positivity was affected both by the predictability of sentence final words, being larger for words in low-cloze contexts that made target words difficult to predict, and by novelty, as words in the novel condition elicited a larger positivity 700-900ms than the same words in the (cloze-matched) conventional condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tristan Davenport
- Cognitive Science Department, University of California, San Diego, United States.
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Right hemisphere has the last laugh: neural dynamics of joke appreciation. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2011; 11:113-30. [PMID: 21264646 PMCID: PMC3047694 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-010-0017-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Understanding a joke relies on semantic, mnemonic, inferential, and emotional contributions from multiple brain areas. Anatomically constrained magnetoencephalography (aMEG) combining high-density whole-head MEG with anatomical magnetic resonance imaging allowed us to estimate where the humor-specific brain activations occur and to understand their temporal sequence. Punch lines provided either funny, not funny (semantically congruent), or nonsensical (incongruent) replies to joke questions. Healthy subjects rated them as being funny or not funny. As expected, incongruous endings evoke the largest N400m in left-dominant temporo-prefrontal areas, due to integration difficulty. In contrast, funny punch lines evoke the smallest N400m during this initial lexical–semantic stage, consistent with their primed “surface congruity” with the setup question. In line with its sensitivity to ambiguity, the anteromedial prefrontal cortex may contribute to the subsequent “second take” processing, which, for jokes, presumably reflects detection of a clever “twist” contained in the funny punch lines. Joke-selective activity simultaneously emerges in the right prefrontal cortex, which may lead an extended bilateral temporo-frontal network in establishing the distant unexpected creative coherence between the punch line and the setup. This progression from an initially promising but misleading integration from left frontotemporal associations, to medial prefrontal ambiguity evaluation and right prefrontal reprocessing, may reflect the essential tension and resolution underlying humor.
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Regel S, Gunter TC, Friederici AD. Isn't It Ironic? An Electrophysiological Exploration of Figurative Language Processing. J Cogn Neurosci 2011; 23:277-93. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn.2010.21411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Although the neurocognitive processes underlying the comprehension of figurative language, especially metaphors and idioms, have been studied extensively, less is known about the processing of irony. In two experiments using event-related brain potentials (ERPs), we examined the types of cognitive processes involved in the comprehension of ironic and literal sentences and their relative time course. The experiments varied in modality (auditory, visual), task demands (comprehension task vs. passive reading), and probability of stimulus occurrence. ERPs consistently revealed a large late positivity (i.e., P600 component) in the absence of an N400 component for irony compared to equivalent literal sentences independent of modality. This P600 was shown to be unaffected by the factors task demands and probability of occurrence. Taken together, the findings suggest that the observed P600 is related to irony processing, and might be a reflection of pragmatic interpretation processes. During the comprehension of irony, no semantic integration difficulty arises (absence of N400), but late inferential processes appear to be necessary for understanding ironic meanings (presence of P600). This finding calls for a revision of current models of figurative language processing.
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Beratis IN, Rabavilas A, Nanou ED, Hountala C, Maganioti AE, Capsalis CN, Papadimitriou GN, Papageorgiou C. Effect of initiation-inhibition and handedness on the patterns of the P50 event-related potential component: a low resolution electromagnetic tomography study. BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN FUNCTIONS : BBF 2009; 5:51. [PMID: 20034384 PMCID: PMC2806301 DOI: 10.1186/1744-9081-5-51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2009] [Accepted: 12/24/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent research recognizes the association between handedness, linguistic processes and cerebral networks subserving executive functioning, but the nature of this association remains unclear. Since the P50 event related potential (ERP) is considered to reflect thalamocortical processes in association with working memory (WM) operation the present study focuses on P50 patterns elicited during the performance of a linguistic related executive functioning test in right- and left-handers. METHODS In 64 young adults with a high educational level (33 left-handed) the P50 event-related potential was recorded while performing the initiation and inhibition condition of a modified version of the Hayling Sentence Completion test adjusted to induce WM. The manual preference of the participants was evaluated with the use of the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI). RESULTS P50 showed greater amplitudes in left- than in right-handers, mainly in frontal leads, in the initiation condition. Reduced amplitudes in inhibition compared to initiation condition were observed in left-handers. Low Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA) analysis showed lower frontal lobe activation in the inhibition than in the initiation condition in both right- and left-handers. Also, LORETA yielded that right-handers exhibited greater activation in the inhibition condition than left-handers. Additionally, LORETA showed assymetrical hemispheric activation patterns in right-handers, in contrast to symmetrical patterns observed in left-handers. Higher P50 amplitudes were recorded in right-hemisphere of right-handers in the initiation condition. CONCLUSION Brain activation, especially the one closely related to thalamocortical function, elicited during WM operation involving initiation and inhibition processes appears to be related to handedness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ion N Beratis
- Eginition University Hospital, 1st Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, National University of Athens, 74 Vas. Sophias ave., 115 28 Athens, Greece
- University Mental Health Research Institute (UMHRI), 2 Soranou of Efesiou str., 156 01 Papagou, Athens, Greece
| | - Andreas Rabavilas
- University Mental Health Research Institute (UMHRI), 2 Soranou of Efesiou str., 156 01 Papagou, Athens, Greece
| | - Eleni D Nanou
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Division of Information Transmission Systems and Material Technology, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Iroon Polytechneiou str., 157 80 Zografou Campus, Athens, Greece
| | - Chrissanthi Hountala
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Division of Information Transmission Systems and Material Technology, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Iroon Polytechneiou str., 157 80 Zografou Campus, Athens, Greece
| | - Argiro E Maganioti
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Division of Information Transmission Systems and Material Technology, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Iroon Polytechneiou str., 157 80 Zografou Campus, Athens, Greece
| | - Christos N Capsalis
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Division of Information Transmission Systems and Material Technology, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Iroon Polytechneiou str., 157 80 Zografou Campus, Athens, Greece
| | - George N Papadimitriou
- Eginition University Hospital, 1st Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, National University of Athens, 74 Vas. Sophias ave., 115 28 Athens, Greece
| | - Charalabos Papageorgiou
- Eginition University Hospital, 1st Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, National University of Athens, 74 Vas. Sophias ave., 115 28 Athens, Greece
- University Mental Health Research Institute (UMHRI), 2 Soranou of Efesiou str., 156 01 Papagou, Athens, Greece
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Regel S, Coulson S, Gunter TC. The communicative style of a speaker can affect language comprehension? ERP evidence from the comprehension of irony. Brain Res 2009; 1311:121-35. [PMID: 19900421 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.10.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2009] [Revised: 10/30/2009] [Accepted: 10/31/2009] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
An important issue in irony comprehension concerns when and how listeners integrate extra-linguistic and linguistic information to compute the speaker's intended meaning. To assess whether knowledge about the speaker's communicative style impacts the brain response to irony, ERPs were recorded as participants read short passages that ended either with literal or ironic statements made by one of two speakers. The experiment was carried out in two sessions in which each speaker's use of irony was manipulated. In Session 1, 70% of ironic statements were made by the ironic speaker, while the non-ironic speaker expressed 30% of them. For irony by the non-ironic speaker, an increased P600 was observed relative to literal utterances. By contrast, both ironic and literal statements made by the ironic speaker elicited similar P600 amplitudes. In Session 2, conducted 1 day later, both speakers' use of irony was balanced (i.e. 50% ironic, 50% literal). ERPs for Session 2 showed an irony-related P600 for the ironic speaker but not for the non-ironic speaker. Moreover, P200 amplitude was larger for sentences congruent with each speaker's communicative style (i.e. for irony made by the ironic speaker, and for literal statements made by the non-ironic speaker). These findings indicate that pragmatic knowledge about speakers can affect language comprehension 200 ms after the onset of a critical word, as well as neurocognitive processes underlying the later stages of comprehension (500-900 ms post-onset). Thus perceived speakers' characteristics dynamically impact the construction of appropriate interpretations of ironic utterances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Regel
- Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, PO Box 500 355 D-04303 Leipzig, Germany.
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Jackson C. Prediction of hemispheric asymmetry as measured by handedness from digit length and 2D:4D digit ratio. Laterality 2008; 13:34-50. [DOI: 10.1080/13576500701692507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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31
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Coulson S, Van Petten C. A special role for the right hemisphere in metaphor comprehension? Brain Res 2007; 1146:128-45. [PMID: 17433892 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2007.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2006] [Revised: 03/03/2007] [Accepted: 03/05/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
It has been suggested that the right hemisphere (RH) has a privileged role in the processing of figurative language, including metaphors, idioms, and verbal humor. Previous experiments using hemifield visual presentation combined with human electrophysiology support the idea that the RH plays a special role in joke comprehension. The current study examines metaphoric language. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded as healthy adults read English sentences that ended predictably (High-cloze Literals), or with a plausible but unexpected word (Low-cloze Literals and Low-cloze Metaphoricals). Sentence final words were presented in either the left or the right visual hemifield. Relative to High-cloze Literals, Low-cloze Literals elicited a larger N400 component after presentation to both the left and the right hemifield. Low-cloze Literals also elicited a larger frontal positivity following the N400, but only with presentation to the right hemifield (left hemisphere). These data suggest both cerebral hemispheres can benefit from supportive sentence context, but may suggest an important role for anterior regions of the left hemisphere in the selection of semantic information in the face of competing alternatives. Relative to Low-cloze Literals, Low-cloze Metaphoricals elicited more negative ERPs during the timeframe of the N400 and afterwards. However, ERP metaphoricity effects were very similar across hemifields, suggesting that the integration of metaphoric meanings was similarly taxing for the two hemispheres, contrary to the predictions of the right hemisphere theory of metaphor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seana Coulson
- Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, Mail Code 0515, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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32
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Lindell AK. In your right mind: right hemisphere contributions to language processing and production. Neuropsychol Rev 2007; 16:131-48. [PMID: 17109238 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-006-9011-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The verbal/nonverbal account of left and right hemisphere functionality is the prevailing dichotomy describing the cerebral lateralization of function. Yet the fact that the left hemisphere is the superior language processor does not necessarily imply that the right hemisphere is completely lacking linguistic ability. This paper reviews the growing body of research demonstrating that, far from being nonverbal, the right hemisphere has significant language processing strength. From prosodic and paralinguistic aspects of speech production, reception, and interpretation, to prelexical, lexical and postlexical components of visual word recognition; strong involvement of the right hemisphere is implicated. The evidence reviewed challenges the notion that language is solely a function of the "verbal" left hemisphere, indicating that the right cerebral hemisphere makes significant and meaningful contributions to normal language processing as well.
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Coulson S, Severens E. Hemispheric asymmetry and pun comprehension: when cowboys have sore calves. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2007; 100:172-87. [PMID: 16199084 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2005.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2005] [Revised: 07/09/2005] [Accepted: 08/24/2005] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded as healthy participants listened to puns such as "During branding, cowboys have sore calves." To assess hemispheric differences in pun comprehension, visually presented probes that were either highly related (COW), moderately related (LEG), or unrelated, were presented in either the left or right visual half field (LVF/RVF). The sensitivity of each hemisphere to the different meanings evoked by the pun was assessed by ERP relatedness effects with presentation to the LVF and the RVF. In Experiment 1, the inter-stimulus interval between the pun and the onset of the visual probe was 0 ms; in Experiment 2, this value was 500 ms. In Experiment 1, both highly and moderately related probes elicited similar priming effects with RVF presentation. Relative to their unrelated counterparts, related probes elicited less negative ERPs in the N400 interval (300-600 ms post-onset), and more positive ERPs 600-900 ms post-onset, suggesting both meanings of the pun were equally active in the left hemisphere. LVF presentation yielded similar priming effects (less negative N400 and a larger positivity thereafter) for the highly related probes, but no effects for moderately related probes. In Experiment 2, similar N400 priming effects were observed for highly and moderately related probes presented to both visual fields. Compared to unrelated probes 600-900 ms post-onset, related probes elicited a centro-parietal positivity with RVF presentation, but a fronto-polar positivity with LVF presentation. Results suggest that initially, the different meanings evoked by a pun are both active in the left hemisphere, but only the most highly related meaning is active in the right hemisphere. By 500 ms, both meanings are active in both hemispheres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seana Coulson
- Cognitive Science Department, University of California, San Diego, USA.
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Nowicka A, Marchewka A, Szatkowska I. Lateralization of repetition effects in event-related potentials to words in left- and right-handed women. Neurosci Lett 2006; 393:150-4. [PMID: 16229946 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2005.09.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2005] [Revised: 06/23/2005] [Accepted: 09/22/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
In our previous event-related potential (ERP) study [A. Nowicka, I. Szatkowska, Memory-induced modulation of event-related potentials in frontal cortex of human subjects: a divided visual field study, Neurosci. Lett. 359 (2004) 171-174], word repetition effects in right-handed males were observed only in case of the direct stimulation of the left (competent) hemisphere. Since the left-handedness and the factor of female gender may determine the lateralization of verbal functions, the goal of the present study was to test the sensitivity of the ERP repetition effects to the visual field of word presentation in the group of left- and right-handed women. ERPs were recorded from symmetrical sites over the left and right hemisphere. Target words were presented in the left (LVF) or right (RVF) visual hemifield. Subjects' were instructed to recognize the target word on a response card. A substantial portion of words was repeated twice. Words elicited different ERPs at frontal sites when presented the first and second times: ERPs were more positive to the repeated stimulus than to its first occurrence. However, in right-handed participants, repetition effects were only observed when target words were presented to the RVF whereas in left-handed participants, repetition effects were only observed when target words were presented to the LVF. These findings are indicative of the asymmetrical involvement of the two hemispheres in memory-induced modulation of brain activity related to verbal processing in left- and right-handed women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Nowicka
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Department of Neurophysiology, Laboratory of Psychophysiology, 3, Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
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35
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Azim E, Mobbs D, Jo B, Menon V, Reiss AL. Sex differences in brain activation elicited by humor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005; 102:16496-501. [PMID: 16275931 PMCID: PMC1277963 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0408456102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2004] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
With recent investigation beginning to reveal the cortical and subcortical neuroanatomical correlates of humor appreciation, the present event-related functional MRI (fMRI) study was designed to elucidate sex-specific recruitment of these humor related networks. Twenty healthy subjects (10 females) underwent fMRI scanning while subjectively rating 70 verbal and nonverbal achromatic cartoons as funny or unfunny. Data were analyzed by comparing blood oxygenation-level-dependent signal activation during funny and unfunny stimuli. Males and females share an extensive humor-response strategy as indicated by recruitment of similar brain regions: both activate the temporal-occipital junction and temporal pole, structures implicated in semantic knowledge and juxtaposition, and the inferior frontal gyrus, likely to be involved in language processing. Females, however, activate the left prefrontal cortex more than males, suggesting a greater degree of executive processing and language-based decoding. Females also exhibit greater activation of mesolimbic regions, including the nucleus accumbens, implying greater reward network response and possibly less reward expectation. These results indicate sex-specific differences in neural response to humor with implications for sex-based disparities in the integration of cognition and emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eiman Azim
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, and Program in Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5719
| | - Dean Mobbs
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, and Program in Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5719
| | - Booil Jo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, and Program in Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5719
| | - Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, and Program in Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5719
| | - Allan L. Reiss
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, and Program in Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5719
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36
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Coulson S, Wu YC. Right hemisphere activation of joke-related information: an event-related brain potential study. J Cogn Neurosci 2005; 17:494-506. [PMID: 15814008 DOI: 10.1162/0898929053279568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Two studies tested the hypothesis that the right hemisphere engages in relatively coarse semantic coding that aids high-level language tasks such as joke comprehension. Scalprecorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were collected as healthy adults read probe words (CRAZY) preceded either by jokes or nonfunny controls ("Everyone had so much fun jumping into the swimming pool, we decided to put in a little water/platform"). Probes were related to the meaning of the jokes, but not the controls. In Experiment 1a, with central presentation, probes following jokes (related) elicited less negative ERPs 300-700 msec postonset (N400) than did probes following nonfunny controls (unrelated). This finding suggests related probes were primed by the jokes. In addition, unrelated probes elicited a larger anterior positivity 700-900 msec than did related, as irrelevant stimuli impacted control processes invoked by task demands. In Experiment 1b, probes (CRAZY) were preceded only by sentence-final words from jokes (water) or controls (platform). No ERP effects were observed in Experiment 1b, suggesting the N400 priming effect and the anterior positivity observed in Experiment 1a ref lect semantic activations at the discourse level. To assess hemispheric differences in semantic activations, in Experiment 2, ERPs were recorded as participants read probe words presented in their left and right visual fields (LVF and RVF, respectively). Probes elicited a smaller N400 component when preceded by jokes than controls. This N400 priming effect was larger with presentation to the LVF, suggesting joke-relevant information was more active in the right hemisphere. The anterior positivity was observed with RVF but not LVF presentation, suggesting an important role for the left hemisphere in controlled retrieval in language comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seana Coulson
- Cognitive Science Department, University of California, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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Nikulin VV, Brismar T. Long-range temporal correlations in electroencephalographic oscillations: Relation to topography, frequency band, age and gender. Neuroscience 2005; 130:549-58. [PMID: 15664711 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2004.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/03/2004] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Presence of long-range temporal correlations in neuronal oscillations is thought to be beneficial for a reliable transfer of information in neuronal networks. In the present study long-range temporal correlations in electroencephalographic (EEG) neuronal oscillations were characterized with respect to their topography, frequency-band specificity (alpha and beta oscillations), gender and age. EEG was recorded in 91 normal subjects (age 20-65 years) in a resting condition. The amplitude of ongoing alpha and beta oscillations was extracted with band-pass filtering and Hilbert transform, and long-range temporal correlations were analyzed with detrended fluctuation analysis. The topography of long-range temporal correlations was comparable for alpha and beta oscillations, showing largest scaling exponents in the occipital and parietal areas. This topography was partially similar to that of the power distribution and a weak positive correlation was observed between long-range temporal correlations and power of neuronal oscillations. Long-range temporal correlations were stronger in alpha than beta oscillations, but only in a few electrode locations in the left hemisphere. In both frequency bands long-range temporal correlations were stronger in males than in females and were largely unaffected by the age of the subjects. It is hypothesized that the idling state of the occipital areas in the closed-eyes condition may explain both large power values and pronounced long-range temporal correlations in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- V V Nikulin
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Clinical Neurophysiology, Karolinska Hospital R2:01, S-17176 Stockholm, Sweden.
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Coulson S, Williams RF. Hemispheric asymmetries and joke comprehension. Neuropsychologia 2005; 43:128-41. [PMID: 15488912 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2004.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2003] [Revised: 01/20/2004] [Accepted: 03/21/2004] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Joke comprehension deficits in patients with right hemisphere (RH) damage raise the question of the role of the intact RH in understanding jokes. One suggestion is that semantic, or meaning, activations are different in the RH and LH, and RH meanings are particularly important for joke comprehension. To assess whether hypothesized differences in semantic activation in the two hemispheres were relevant to joke comprehension, we recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) as healthy adults read laterally presented "punch words" to one-line jokes and nonjoke controls. Jokes presented to the RVF/LH elicited larger amplitude N400 than the nonjoke endings; when presented to the LVF/RH, the joke and nonjoke endings elicited N400s of equal amplitude. This finding suggests that semantic activations in the two hemispheres do differ, with RH semantic activation facilitating joke comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seana Coulson
- Cognitive Science Department, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0515, USA.
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