1
|
Seghier ML. Symptomatology after damage to the angular gyrus through the lenses of modern lesion-symptom mapping. Cortex 2024; 179:77-90. [PMID: 39153389 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2024] [Revised: 07/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
Brain-behavior relationships are complex. For instance, one might know a brain region's function(s) but still be unable to accurately predict deficit type or severity after damage to that region. Here, I discuss the case of damage to the angular gyrus (AG) that can cause left-right confusion, finger agnosia, attention deficit, and lexical agraphia, as well as impairment in sentence processing, episodic memory, number processing, and gesture imitation. Some of these symptoms are grouped under AG syndrome or Gerstmann's syndrome, though its exact underlying neuronal systems remain elusive. This review applies recent frameworks of brain-behavior modes and principles from modern lesion-symptom mapping to explain symptomatology after AG damage. It highlights four major issues for future studies: (1) functionally heterogeneous symptoms after AG damage need to be considered in terms of the degree of damage to (i) different subdivisions of the AG, (ii) different AG connectivity profiles that disconnect AG from distant regions, and (iii) lesion extent into neighboring regions damaged by the same infarct. (2) To explain why similar symptoms can also be observed after damage to other regions, AG damage needs to be studied in terms of the networks of regions that AG functions with, and other independent networks that might subsume the same functions. (3) To explain inter-patient variability on AG symptomatology, the degree of recovery-related brain reorganisation needs to account for time post-stroke, demographics, therapy input, and pre-stroke differences in functional anatomy. (4) A better integration of the results from lesion and functional neuroimaging investigations of AG function is required, with only the latter so far considering AG function in terms of a hub within the default mode network. Overall, this review discusses why it is so difficult to fully characterize the AG syndrome from lesion data, and how this might be addressed with modern lesion-symptom mapping.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed L Seghier
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Healthcare Engineering Innovation Center (HEIC), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Thompson HE, Noonan KA, Halai AD, Hoffman P, Stampacchia S, Hallam G, Rice GE, De Dios Perez B, Lambon Ralph MA, Jefferies E. Damage to temporoparietal cortex is sufficient for impaired semantic control. Cortex 2022; 156:71-85. [PMID: 36183573 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Semantic control allows us to focus semantic activation on currently relevant aspects of knowledge, even in the face of competition or when the required information is weakly encoded. Diverse cortical regions, including left prefrontal and posterior temporal cortex, are implicated in semantic control, however; the relative contribution of these regions is unclear. For the first time, we compared semantic aphasia (SA) patients with damage restricted to temporoparietal cortex (TPC; N = 8) to patients with infarcts encompassing prefrontal cortex (PF+; N = 22), to determine if prefrontal lesions are necessary for semantic control deficits. These SA groups were also compared with semantic dementia (SD; N = 10), characterised by degraded semantic representations. We asked whether TPC cases with semantic impairment show controlled retrieval deficits equivalent to PF+ cases or conceptual degradation similar to patients with SD. Independent of lesion location, the SA subgroups showed similarities, whereas SD patients showed a qualitatively distinct semantic impairment. Relative to SD, both TPC and PF+ SA subgroups: (1) showed few correlations in performance across tasks with differing control demands, but a strong relationship between tasks of similar difficulty; (2) exhibited attenuated effects of lexical frequency and concept familiarity, (3) showed evidence of poor semantic regulation in their verbal output - performance on picture naming was substantially improved when provided with a phonological cue, and (4) showed effects of control demands, such as retrieval difficulty, which were equivalent in severity across TPC and PF+ groups. These findings show that semantic impairment in SA is underpinned by damage to a distributed semantic control network, instantiated across anterior and posterior cortical areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E Thompson
- School of Psychology and Counselling, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
| | - Krist A Noonan
- School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, UK
| | - Ajay D Halai
- MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Paul Hoffman
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sara Stampacchia
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging and Innovative Molecular Tracers (NIMTlab), Geneva University Neurocenter and Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, UK
| | - Glyn Hallam
- School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, UK
| | - Grace E Rice
- MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Blanca De Dios Perez
- Division of Psychiatry and Applied Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Elizabeth Jefferies
- Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, UK
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Vyshedskiy A. Language evolution is not limited to speech acquisition: a large study of language development in children with language deficits highlights the importance of the voluntary imagination component of language. RESEARCH IDEAS AND OUTCOMES 2022. [DOI: 10.3897/rio.8.e86401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Did the boy bite the cat or was it the other way around? When processing a sentence with several objects, one has to establish ‘who did what to whom’. When a sentence cannot be interpreted by recalling an image from memory, we rely on the special type of voluntary constructive imagination called Prefrontal synthesis (PFS). PFS is defined as the ability to juxtapose mental visuospatial objects at will. We hypothesised that PFS has fundamental importance for language acquisition. To test this hypothesis, we designed a PFS-targeting intervention and administered it to 6,454 children with language deficiencies (age 2 to 12 years). The results from the three-year-long study demonstrated that children who engaged with the PFS intervention showed 2.2-fold improvement in combinatorial language comprehension compared to children with similar initial evaluations. These findings suggest that language can be improved by training the PFS and exposes the importance of the visuospatial component of language. This manuscript reflects on the experimental findings from the point of view of human language evolution. When used as a proxy for evolutionary language acquisition, the study results suggest a dichotomy of language evolution, with its speech component and its visuospatial component developing in parallel. The study highlights the radical idea that evolutionary acquisition of language was driven primarily by improvements of voluntary imagination rather than by improvements in the speech apparatus.
Collapse
|
4
|
Mahdy Ali K, Avesani P. The vertical superior longitudinal fascicle and the vertical occipital fascicle. J Neurosurg Sci 2022; 65:581-589. [PMID: 35128919 DOI: 10.23736/s0390-5616.21.05368-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Association fibers of the human brain have long been considered to exclusively follow an anterior-posterior direction. Using magnetic resonance imaging techniques that allow in-vivo fiber dissection, vertically oriented association fibers have been rediscovered or newly described. Aside from the frontal aslant tract (FAT) in the frontal lobe, the vertical occipital fascicle (VOF) and the vertical portion of the superior longitudinal fascicle system (vSLF) have been studied in recent years. The aim of this review was to give an overview on the current knowledge regarding these two fiber tracts. A review of the available literature in the Medline database was conducted to gather all available publications dealing with either the VOF or the vSLF. One thousand two hundred seventy-three articles were obtained from the literature search of which a total of 71 articles met the final inclusion criteria of this review. We describe the history of the discovery of the respective fiber tract, its anatomical course and its boundaries integrating blunt fiber dissection studies and functional MRI/tractography studies. We discuss the functional properties of the respective fiber tract and its relevance in neurosurgery. The VOF is a fiber tract that has been discovered in the late XIX century and long been forgotten before being rediscovered in the 1970's. It lies lateral to the fibers of the sagittal stratum and mainly connects the superior and inferior occipital lobe. It plays a major role in reading and visual word and language comprehension and is said to be the main link between dorsal and ventral visual streams. The vSLF has many synonyms and is part of the superior longitudinal fascicle system. Recent studies were able to provide more insight into this set of fiber tracts showing distinct connections running from the superior and inferior parietal lobule to the posterior part of the temporal lobe. Its functional role is still not completely cleared. It is said to play a role in visual and auditory semantic language comprehension. It lies directly lateral to the arcuate fascicle. The VOF and the vSLF are vertically oriented fiber tracts connecting the temporo-parieto-occipital region and play a major role in the communication of dorsal and ventral visual streams (VOF), reading (VOF, vSLF) and visual and auditory semantic language comprehension (vSLF). They can consistently be identified using ex vivo blunt dissection techniques and in-vivo fiber tractography. Because of their localization and orientation these two fiber tracts can be combined to a fiber bundle system called posterior transverse system (PTS).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kariem Mahdy Ali
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria -
| | - Paolo Avesani
- Center for Information Technology, Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Trento, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ivanova MV, Malyutina S, Dragoy O. Advancing Neurolinguistics in Russia: Experience and Implications of Building Experimental Research and Evidence-Based Practices. Front Psychol 2021; 12:702038. [PMID: 34539503 PMCID: PMC8446267 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.702038] [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: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Russia has rich theoretical and behavioral research traditions in neurolinguistics and neuropsychology, but at the beginning of the twenty-first century contemporary experimental research in these disciplines remained limited, leading to proliferation of non-evidence-based approaches in education, healthcare, and public beliefs. An academic response to this was the establishment of the Center for Language and Brain at the HSE University, Moscow, which focused on experimental psycho- and neurolinguistic research and related evidence-based practices. The Center has grown from a small group of young researchers to a large interdisciplinary unit that conducts cutting-edge research utilizing multi-site settings and novel structural and functional neuroimaging methods. The overarching aim of the Center's research is to promote scientifically grounded treatment of the language-brain relationship in the educational, clinical, and industry settings. Specifically, translational research at the Center is contributing to the advancement of clinical practice in Russia: from providing the first standardized aphasia language test to implementing protocols for intraoperative language mapping in neurosurgery departments across the country. Within research projects, a new generation of scientists is successfully being fostered, while a broader student audience is reached via courses taught by staff of the Center to students of different majors. Notable examples of public outreach programs at the Center are the Annual Summer Neurolinguistics School attracting hundreds of attendees from different countries each year, and community projects focused on raising awareness about aphasia. Together, these efforts aim to increase scientific knowledge in a multi-professional audience. In this paper, we will share our joint experiences in establishing, building, and promoting a neurolinguistics research center in Russia and the impact that this work has had on the broader public. We will delineate specific milestones of this journey and focus on the main pillars that have contributed to our progress: research, clinical work, teaching, and public outreach programs. We hope that this critical appraisal of our experiences can serve simultaneously as an inspiration and a practical guide for other groups developing research, clinical, and educational programs in different neuroscientific disciplines across the globe and aiming to improve the quality of the neuroscientific information available to the public.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria V. Ivanova
- Aphasia Recovery Lab, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkley, Berkley, CA, United States
- Center for Language and Brain, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Olga Dragoy
- Center for Language and Brain, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Experimental Study of Speech, Institute of Linguistics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ivanova MV, Zhong A, Turken A, Baldo JV, Dronkers NF. Functional Contributions of the Arcuate Fasciculus to Language Processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:672665. [PMID: 34248526 PMCID: PMC8267805 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.672665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Current evidence strongly suggests that the arcuate fasciculus (AF) is critical for language, from spontaneous speech and word retrieval to repetition and comprehension abilities. However, to further pinpoint its unique and differential role in language, its anatomy needs to be explored in greater detail and its contribution to language processing beyond that of known cortical language areas must be established. We address this in a comprehensive evaluation of the specific functional role of the AF in a well-characterized cohort of individuals with chronic aphasia (n = 33) following left hemisphere stroke. To evaluate macro- and microstructural integrity of the AF, tractography based on the constrained spherical deconvolution model was performed. The AF in the left and right hemispheres were then manually reconstructed using a modified 3-segment model (Catani et al., 2005), and a modified 2-segment model (Glasser and Rilling, 2008). The normalized volume and a measure of microstructural integrity of the long and the posterior segments of the AF were significantly correlated with language indices while controlling for gender and lesion volume. Specific contributions of AF segments to language while accounting for the role of specific cortical language areas – inferior frontal, inferior parietal, and posterior temporal – were tested using multiple regression analyses. Involvement of the following tract segments in the left hemisphere in language processing beyond the contribution of cortical areas was demonstrated: the long segment of the AF contributed to naming abilities; anterior segment – to fluency and naming; the posterior segment – to comprehension. The results highlight the important contributions of the AF fiber pathways to language impairments beyond that of known cortical language areas. At the same time, no clear role of the right hemisphere AF tracts in language processing could be ascertained. In sum, our findings lend support to the broader role of the left AF in language processing, with particular emphasis on comprehension and naming, and point to the posterior segment of this tract as being most crucial for supporting residual language abilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria V Ivanova
- Aphasia Recovery Lab, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States.,Center for Language, Imaging, Mind & Brain, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA, United States
| | - Allison Zhong
- Center for Language, Imaging, Mind & Brain, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA, United States.,School of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, United States
| | - And Turken
- Center for Language, Imaging, Mind & Brain, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA, United States
| | - Juliana V Baldo
- Center for Language, Imaging, Mind & Brain, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA, United States
| | - Nina F Dronkers
- Aphasia Recovery Lab, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States.,Center for Language, Imaging, Mind & Brain, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA, United States.,Department of Neurology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wilmskoetter J, Fridriksson J, Basilakos A, Phillip Johnson L, Marebwa B, Rorden C, Warner G, Hickok G, Hillis AE, Bonilha L. Indirect White Matter Pathways Are Associated With Treated Naming Improvement in Aphasia. Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2021; 35:346-355. [PMID: 33719732 DOI: 10.1177/1545968321999052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND White matter disconnection of language-specific brain regions associates with worse aphasia recovery. Despite a loss of direct connections, many stroke survivors may maintain indirect connections between brain regions. OBJECTIVE To determine (1) whether preserved direct connections between language-specific brain regions relate to better poststroke naming treatment outcomes compared to no direct connections and (2) whether for individuals with a loss of direct connections, preserved indirect connections are associated with better treatment outcomes compared to individuals with no connections. METHODS We computed structural whole-brain connectomes from 69 individuals with chronic left-hemisphere stroke and aphasia who completed a 3-week-long language treatment that was supplemented by either anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (A-tDCS) or sham stimulation (S-tDCS). We determined differences in naming improvement between individuals with direct, indirect, and no connections using 1-way analyses of covariance and multivariable linear regressions. RESULTS Independently of tDCS modality, direct or indirect connections between the inferior frontal gyrus pars opercularis and angular gyrus were both associated with a greater increase in correct naming compared to no connections (P = .027 and P = .039, respectively). Participants with direct connections between the inferior frontal gyrus pars opercularis and middle temporal gyrus who received S-tDCS and participants with indirect connections who received A-tDCS significantly improved in naming accuracy. CONCLUSIONS Poststroke preservation of indirect white matter connections is associated with better treated naming improvement in aphasia even when direct connections are damaged. This mechanistic information can be used to stratify and predict treated naming recovery in individuals with aphasia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Graham Warner
- Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Imagination in Autism: A Chance to Improve Early Language Therapy. Healthcare (Basel) 2021; 9:healthcare9010063. [PMID: 33440627 PMCID: PMC7826637 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare9010063] [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: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Children with autism often have difficulties in imaginative play, Theory of Mind, and playing out different scenarios in their minds. Research shows that the root of these problems may be the voluntary imagination network that involves the lateral prefrontal cortex and its long frontoposterior connections to the temporal-parietal-occipital area. Previously disconnected visuospatial issues (stimulus overselectivity and tunnel vision) and language issues (lack of comprehension of spatial prepositions and complex recursive sentences) may be explained by the same voluntary imagination deficit. This review highlights the new insights into the mechanism of voluntary imagination, its difference from involuntary imagination, and its unusually strong critical period. Clearer developmental terminology and a better understanding of voluntary imagination have the potential to facilitate communication between therapists and parents, and improve therapy outcomes in children.
Collapse
|
9
|
Vyshedskiy A, Khokhlovich E, Dunn R, Faisman A, Elgart J, Lokshina L, Gankin Y, Ostrovsky S, deTorres L, Edelson SM, Ilyinskii PO. Novel Prefrontal Synthesis Intervention Improves Language in Children with Autism. Healthcare (Basel) 2020; 8:healthcare8040566. [PMID: 33339269 PMCID: PMC7765988 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare8040566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Prefrontal synthesis (PFS) is defined as the ability to juxtapose mental visuospatial objects at will. Paralysis of PFS may be responsible for the lack of comprehension of spatial prepositions, semantically-reversible sentences, and recursive sentences observed in 30 to 40% of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this report we present data from a three-year-long clinical trial of 6454 ASD children age 2 to 12 years, which were administered a PFS-targeting intervention. Tablet-based verbal and nonverbal exercises emphasizing mental-juxtaposition-of-objects were organized into an application called Mental Imagery Therapy for Autism (MITA). The test group included participants who completed more than one thousand exercises and made no more than one error per exercise. The control group was selected from the rest of participants by a matching procedure. Each test group participant was matched to the control group participant by age, gender, expressive language, receptive language, sociability, cognitive awareness, and health score at first evaluation using propensity score analysis. The test group showed a 2.2-fold improvement in receptive language score vs. control group (p < 0.0001) and a 1.4-fold improvement in expressive language (p = 0.0144). No statistically significant change was detected in other subscales not targeted by the exercises. These findings show that language acquisition improves after training PFS and that a further investigation of the PFS-targeting intervention in a randomized controlled study is warranted.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Vyshedskiy
- Biology Department, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- ImagiRation, Boston, MA 02135, USA; (R.D.); (J.E.); (L.L.); (S.O.); (L.d.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(617)-433-7724
| | | | - Rita Dunn
- ImagiRation, Boston, MA 02135, USA; (R.D.); (J.E.); (L.L.); (S.O.); (L.d.)
| | | | - Jonah Elgart
- ImagiRation, Boston, MA 02135, USA; (R.D.); (J.E.); (L.L.); (S.O.); (L.d.)
| | - Lisa Lokshina
- ImagiRation, Boston, MA 02135, USA; (R.D.); (J.E.); (L.L.); (S.O.); (L.d.)
| | | | - Simone Ostrovsky
- ImagiRation, Boston, MA 02135, USA; (R.D.); (J.E.); (L.L.); (S.O.); (L.d.)
| | - Lauren deTorres
- ImagiRation, Boston, MA 02135, USA; (R.D.); (J.E.); (L.L.); (S.O.); (L.d.)
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Gerstmann (left angular gyrus) syndrome includes the tetrad of finger agnosia (inability to distinguish, name, and recognize the fingers), agraphia (acquired disturbance in the ability to write), acalculia (loss of the ability to perform arithmetical operations and use numerical concepts), and right-left disorientation (right-left discrimination defect when using language). There is some disagreement regarding its exact localization, but it most likely involves the left angular gyrus with a probable subcortical extension. This article reviews recent research on the clinical aspects of this syndrome. RECENT FINDINGS During the last years, just some few new reports of Gerstmann syndrome are found in neurological and neuropsychological literature. Most of the reports are single-case reports. An association between Gerstmann syndrome and the so-called semantic aphasia has been pointed out. Two different explanations to this unusual syndrome have been recently proposed: (1) the pathological process is located in the left parietal white matter disconnecting separate cortical networks and (2) it represents a disturbance in the ability to verbally mediate some spatial knowledge. Although Gerstmann syndrome continues as a controversial syndrome, and most of the reports are single case reports, recently two different explanations have been advance the understanding of this polemic but fascinating syndrome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Ardila
- Institute of Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia. .,Psychology Doctoral Program, Albizu University, 12230 NW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33182, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Consistently inconsistent: Multimodal episodic deficits in semantic aphasia. Neuropsychologia 2020; 140:107392. [PMID: 32061831 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Semantic Aphasia (SA) patients have difficulty accessing semantic knowledge in both verbal and non-verbal tasks appropriately for the current context. Automatically activated semantic knowledge overwhelms the system, because it is no longer able to inhibit interference from dominant meanings in order to select weaker alternatives. Episodic memory, like semantic memory, requires control to select relevant memories amongst competing episodes. For example, our memory for what we ate for breakfast last Saturday is affected by competition from numerous other breakfast meals eaten on other days. Where one is unable to guide retrieval, we may rely on automatically activated knowledge about "breakfast foods", and therefore experience false memories. Brain systems that support semantic control are also implicated in episodic control, and therefore deficits in semantic control are likely to cause more widespread problems. Despite this, nearly all research to date focuses on semantic performance alone. This study explored the impact of this semantic impairment on episodic recall. We used a verbal and non-verbal episodic memory task: participants remembered nursery rhymes in the verbal condition and logos and their associated products in the visual condition (e.g. bowl of cereal and coco-pops). For both tasks, we manipulated a) congruency with pre-existing knowledge (e.g. expectancy of trials: baa baa blackbuild - instead of sheep) and b) whether these trial types were blocked by congruency or mixed, as well as (c) distractor strength. If SA patients experience overwhelming automatic activation, they should find incongruent items more difficult to suppress, particularly when presented in an unpredictable task format. A total of 13 SA patients were compared to 33 controls across three experiments. In line with our predictions, SA patients found it more difficult to retrieve episodic memories which were in conflict with pre-existing semantic knowledge. This was true across modalities. Moreover, these deficits were accentuated when the congruency was presented in a mixed fashion, and so unpredictable across trials. Evidence of these episodic control impairments in SA cases supports the idea of a shared mechanism for semantic and episodic memory control.
Collapse
|
12
|
Ardila A, Akhutina TV, Mikadze YV. A.R. Luria's contribution to studies of the brain organization of language. NEUROLOGY, NEUROPSYCHIATRY, PSYCHOSOMATICS 2020. [DOI: 10.14412/2074-2711-2020-1-4-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. Ardila
- Albizu University, Miami, Florida;
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Ministry of Health of Russia
| | - T. V. Akhutina
- Faculty of Psychology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University
| | - Yu. V. Mikadze
- Faculty of Psychology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University;
N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia;
Federal Center for Cerebrovascular Pathology and Stroke, Ministry of Health of Russia
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Lanzoni L, Thompson H, Beintari D, Berwick K, Demnitz-King H, Raspin H, Taha M, Stampacchia S, Smallwood J, Jefferies E. Emotion and location cues bias conceptual retrieval in people with deficient semantic control. Neuropsychologia 2019; 131:294-305. [PMID: 31163176 PMCID: PMC6667741 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Visuo-spatial context and emotional valence are powerful cues to episodic retrieval, but the contribution of these inputs to semantic cognition has not been widely investigated. We examined the impact of visuo-spatial, facial emotion and prosody cues and miscues on the retrieval of dominant and subordinate meanings of ambiguous words. Cue photographs provided relevant visuo-spatial or emotional information, consistent with the interpretation of the ambiguous word being probed, while miscues were consistent with an alternative interpretation. We compared the impact of these cues in healthy controls and semantic aphasia patients with deficient control over semantic retrieval following left-hemisphere stroke. Patients showed greater deficits in retrieving the subordinate meanings of ambiguous words, and stronger effects of cueing and miscuing relative to healthy controls. These findings suggest that contextual cues that guide retrieval to the appropriate semantic information reduce the need to constrain semantic retrieval internally, while miscues that are not aligned with the task increase the need for semantic control. Moreover, both valence and visuo-spatial context can prime particular semantic interpretations, in line with theoretical frameworks that argue meaning is computed through the integration of these features. In semantic aphasia, residual comprehension relies heavily on facial expressions and visuospatial cues. This has important implications for patients, their families and clinicians when developing new or more effective modes of communication.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Harriet Demnitz-King
- Department of Psychology, University of York, UK; Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, UK
| | | | - Maria Taha
- Department of Psychology, University of York, UK
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Catani
- NatBrainLab, Department of Neuroimaging and Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Catani M, Robertsson N, Beyh A, Huynh V, de Santiago Requejo F, Howells H, Barrett RLC, Aiello M, Cavaliere C, Dyrby TB, Krug K, Ptito M, D'Arceuil H, Forkel SJ, Dell'Acqua F. Short parietal lobe connections of the human and monkey brain. Cortex 2017; 97:339-357. [PMID: 29157936 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Revised: 10/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The parietal lobe has a unique place in the human brain. Anatomically, it is at the crossroad between the frontal, occipital, and temporal lobes, thus providing a middle ground for multimodal sensory integration. Functionally, it supports higher cognitive functions that are characteristic of the human species, such as mathematical cognition, semantic and pragmatic aspects of language, and abstract thinking. Despite its importance, a comprehensive comparison of human and simian intraparietal networks is missing. In this study, we used diffusion imaging tractography to reconstruct the major intralobar parietal tracts in twenty-one datasets acquired in vivo from healthy human subjects and eleven ex vivo datasets from five vervet and six macaque monkeys. Three regions of interest (postcentral gyrus, superior parietal lobule and inferior parietal lobule) were used to identify the tracts. Surface projections were reconstructed for both species and results compared to identify similarities or differences in tract anatomy (i.e., trajectories and cortical projections). In addition, post-mortem dissections were performed in a human brain. The largest tract identified in both human and monkey brains is a vertical pathway between the superior and inferior parietal lobules. This tract can be divided into an anterior (supramarginal gyrus) and a posterior (angular gyrus) component in both humans and monkey brains. The second prominent intraparietal tract connects the postcentral gyrus to both supramarginal and angular gyri of the inferior parietal lobule in humans but only to the supramarginal gyrus in the monkey brain. The third tract connects the postcentral gyrus to the anterior region of the superior parietal lobule and is more prominent in monkeys compared to humans. Finally, short U-shaped fibres in the medial and lateral aspects of the parietal lobe were identified in both species. A tract connecting the medial parietal cortex to the lateral inferior parietal cortex was observed in the monkey brain only. Our findings suggest a consistent pattern of intralobar parietal connections between humans and monkeys with some differences for those areas that have cytoarchitectonically distinct features in humans. The overall pattern of intraparietal connectivity supports the special role of the inferior parietal lobule in cognitive functions characteristic of humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Catani
- NatBrainLab, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; NatBrainLab, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Naianna Robertsson
- NatBrainLab, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; NatBrainLab, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ahmad Beyh
- NatBrainLab, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; NatBrainLab, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Vincent Huynh
- NatBrainLab, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; NatBrainLab, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Spinal Cord Injury Center, Research, University of Zurich, Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Francisco de Santiago Requejo
- NatBrainLab, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; NatBrainLab, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Henrietta Howells
- NatBrainLab, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; NatBrainLab, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Rachel L C Barrett
- NatBrainLab, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; NatBrainLab, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Marco Aiello
- NAPLab, IRCCS SDN Istituto di Ricerca Diagnostica e Nucleare, Naples, Italy
| | - Carlo Cavaliere
- NAPLab, IRCCS SDN Istituto di Ricerca Diagnostica e Nucleare, Naples, Italy
| | - Tim B Dyrby
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark; Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Kristine Krug
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Maurice Ptito
- Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, Psychiatric Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Ecole d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Helen D'Arceuil
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, USA
| | - Stephanie J Forkel
- NatBrainLab, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; NatBrainLab, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Flavio Dell'Acqua
- NatBrainLab, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; NatBrainLab, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|