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Yan X, Fu Y, Feng G, Li H, Su H, Liu X, Wu Y, Hua J, Cao F. Reading disability is characterized by reduced print-speech convergence. Child Dev 2024. [PMID: 39032033 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.14134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
Reading disability (RD) may be characterized by reduced print-speech convergence, which is the extent to which neurocognitive processes for reading and hearing words overlap. We examined how print-speech convergence changes from children (mean age: 11.07+0.48) to adults (mean age: 21.33+1.80) in 86 readers with or without RD. The participants were recruited in elementary schools and associate degree colleges in China (from 2020 to 2021). Three patterns of abnormalities were revealed: (1) persistent reduction of print-speech convergence in the left inferior parietal cortex in both children and adults with RD, suggesting a neural signature of RD; (2) reduction of print-speech convergence in the left inferior frontal gyrus only evident in children but not adults with RD, suggesting a developmental delay; and (3) increased print-speech convergence in adults with RD than typical adults in the bilateral cerebella/fusiform, suggesting compensations. It provides insights into developmental differences in brain functional abnormalities in RD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui Yan
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Lab of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Yang Fu
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Lab of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Guoyan Feng
- Guangzhou Xinhua University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hui Li
- Anyang Preschool Education College, Anyang, China
| | - Haibin Su
- The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
| | - Xinhong Liu
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu Wu
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Lab of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Jia Hua
- Instrumental Analysis and Research Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fan Cao
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Lab of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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2
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Gurunandan K, Carreiras M, Paz-Alonso PM. Verbal production dynamics and plasticity: functional contributions of language and executive control systems. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:740-753. [PMID: 35271700 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Bilingual language production requires both language knowledge and language control in order to communicate in a target language. Learning or improving a language in adulthood is an increasingly common undertaking, and this has complex effects on the cognitive and neural processes underlying language production. The current functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment investigated the functional plasticity of verbal production in adult language learners, and examined the dynamics of word retrieval in order to dissociate the contributions of language knowledge and executive control. Thirty four adults who were either intermediate or advanced language learners, underwent MRI scanning while performing verbal fluency tasks in their native and new languages. A multipronged analytical approach revealed (i) time-varying contributions of language knowledge and executive control to verbal fluency performance, (ii) learning-related changes in the functional correlates of verbal fluency in both the native and new languages, (iii) no effect of learning on lateralization, and (iv) greater functional coupling between language and language control regions with greater second language experience. Collectively, our results point to significant functional plasticity in adult language learners that impacts the neural correlates of production in both the native and new languages, and provide new insight into the widely used verbal fluency task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kshipra Gurunandan
- BCBL Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Paseo Mikeletegi 69, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain
| | - Manuel Carreiras
- BCBL Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Paseo Mikeletegi 69, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain.,IKERBASQUE Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 5, 48013 Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain.,Department of Basque Language and Communication, EHU/UPV, Barrio Sarriena, 48940 Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Pedro M Paz-Alonso
- BCBL Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Paseo Mikeletegi 69, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain.,IKERBASQUE Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 5, 48013 Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain
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3
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Quiñones I, Amoruso L, Pomposo Gastelu IC, Gil-Robles S, Carreiras M. What Can Glioma Patients Teach Us about Language (Re)Organization in the Bilingual Brain: Evidence from fMRI and MEG. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:2593. [PMID: 34070619 PMCID: PMC8198785 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13112593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that the presence of brain tumors (e.g., low-grade gliomas) triggers language reorganization. Neuroplasticity mechanisms called into play can transfer linguistic functions from damaged to healthy areas unaffected by the tumor. This phenomenon has been reported in monolingual patients, but much less is known about the neuroplasticity of language in the bilingual brain. A central question is whether processing a first or second language involves the same or different cortical territories and whether damage results in diverse recovery patterns depending on the language involved. This question becomes critical for preserving language areas in bilingual brain-tumor patients to prevent involuntary pathological symptoms following resection. While most studies have focused on intraoperative mapping, here, we go further, reporting clinical cases for five bilingual patients tested before and after tumor resection, using a novel multimethod approach merging neuroimaging information from fMRI and MEG to map the longitudinal reshaping of the language system. Here, we present four main findings. First, all patients preserved linguistic function in both languages after surgery, suggesting that the surgical intervention with intraoperative language mapping was successful in preserving cortical and subcortical structures necessary for brain plasticity at the functional level. Second, we found reorganization of the language network after tumor resection in both languages, mainly reflected by a shift of activity to right hemisphere nodes and the recruitment of ipsilesional left nodes. Third, we found that this reorganization varied according to the language involved, indicating that L1 and L2 follow different reshaping patterns after surgery. Fourth, oscillatory longitudinal effects were correlated with BOLD laterality changes in superior parietal and middle frontal areas. These findings may reflect that neuroplasticity impacts on the compensatory involvement of executive control regions, supporting the allocation of cognitive resources as a consequence of increased attentional demands. Furthermore, these results hint at the complementary role of this neuroimaging approach in language mapping, with fMRI offering excellent spatial localization and MEG providing optimal spectrotemporal resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ileana Quiñones
- Neurobiology of Language Group, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain; (L.A.); (M.C.)
| | - Lucia Amoruso
- Neurobiology of Language Group, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain; (L.A.); (M.C.)
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
| | | | - Santiago Gil-Robles
- BioCruces Research Institute, 48015 Bilbao, Spain;
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Quironsalud, 28223 Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Carreiras
- Neurobiology of Language Group, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain; (L.A.); (M.C.)
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
- Department of Basque Language and Communication, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, 48940 Bilbao, Spain
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4
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Steber S, Rossi S. The challenge of learning a new language in adulthood: Evidence from a multi-methodological neuroscientific approach. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0246421. [PMID: 33606715 PMCID: PMC7894913 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Being proficient in several foreign languages is an essential part of every-day life. In contrast to childhood, learning a new language can be highly challenging for adults. The present study aims at investigating neural mechanisms supporting very initial foreign language learning in adulthood. For this reason, subjects underwent an implicit semantic associative training in which they had to learn new pseudoword-picture pairings. Learning success was measured via a recognition experiment presenting learned versus new pseudoword-picture pairings. Neural correlates were assessed by an innovative multi-methodological approach simultaneously applying electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Results indicate memory-related processes based on familiarity and mechanisms of cognitive control to be present during initial vocabulary learning. Findings underline the fascinating plasticity of the adult brain during foreign language learning, even after a short semantic training of only 18 minutes as well as the importance of comparing evidence from different neuroscientific methods and behavioral data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Steber
- ICONE—Innsbruck Cognitive Neuroscience, Department for Hearing, Speech, and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Sonja Rossi
- ICONE—Innsbruck Cognitive Neuroscience, Department for Hearing, Speech, and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- * E-mail:
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Brice H, Frost SJ, Bick AS, Molfese PJ, Rueckl JG, Pugh KR, Frost R. Tracking second language immersion across time: Evidence from a bi-directional longitudinal cross-linguistic fMRI study. Neuropsychologia 2021; 154:107796. [PMID: 33610615 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Parallel cohorts of Hebrew speakers learning English in the U.S., and American-English speakers learning Hebrew in Israel were tracked over the course of two years of immersion in their L2. We utilised a functional MRI semantic judgement task with print and speech tokens, as well as a battery of linguistic and cognitive behavioural measures prior to and after immersion, to track changes in both L1 and L2 processing. fMRI activation for print tokens produced a similar network of activation in both English and Hebrew, irrespective of L1 or L2 status. Significant convergence of print and speech processing was also observed in both languages across a network of left-hemisphere regions joint for both L1 and L2. Despite significant increases in behavioural measures of L2 proficiency, only a few signs of longitudinal change in L2 brain activation were found. In contrast, L1 showed widespread differences in processing across time, suggesting that the neurobiological footprint of reading is dynamic and plastic even in adults, with L2 immersion impacting L1 processing. Print/speech convergence showed little longitudinal change, suggesting that it is a stable marker of the differences in L1 and L2 processing across L2 proficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Atira Sara Bick
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel; Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Centre, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | - Jay G Rueckl
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA; University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Kenneth R Pugh
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA; Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Ram Frost
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel; Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA; Basque Centre on Cognition, Brain and Language, San Sebastian, Spain
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Gurunandan K, Arnaez-Telleria J, Carreiras M, Paz-Alonso PM. Converging Evidence for Differential Specialization and Plasticity of Language Systems. J Neurosci 2020. [PMID: 33168623 DOI: 10.1523/jneur0sci.0851-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional specialization and plasticity are fundamental organizing principles of the brain. Since the mid-1800s, certain cognitive functions have been known to be lateralized, but the provenance and flexibility of hemispheric specialization remain open questions. Language is a uniquely human phenomenon that requires a delicate balance between neural specialization and plasticity, and language learning offers the perfect window to study these principles in the human brain. In the current study, we conducted two separate functional MRI experiments with language learners (male and female), one cross-sectional and one longitudinal, involving distinct populations and languages, and examined hemispheric lateralization and learning-dependent plasticity of the following three language systems: reading, speech comprehension, and verbal production. A multipronged analytic approach revealed a highly consistent pattern of results across the two experiments, showing (1) that in both native and non-native languages, while language production was left lateralized, lateralization for language comprehension was highly variable across individuals; and (2) that with increasing non-native language proficiency, reading and speech comprehension displayed substantial changes in hemispheric dominance, with languages tending to lateralize to opposite hemispheres, while production showed negligible change and remained left lateralized. These convergent results shed light on the long-standing debate of neural organization of language by establishing robust principles of lateralization and plasticity of the main language systems. Findings further suggest involvement of the sensorimotor systems in language lateralization and its plasticity.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The human brain exhibits a remarkable ability to support a vast variety of languages that may be acquired at different points in the life span. Language is a complex construct involving linguistic as well as visual, auditory, and motor processes. Using functional MRI, we examined hemispheric specialization and learning-dependent plasticity of three language systems-reading, speech comprehension, and verbal production-in cross-sectional and longitudinal experiments in language learners. A multipronged analytic approach revealed converging evidence for striking differences in hemispheric specialization and plasticity among the language systems. The results have major theoretical and practical implications for our understanding of fundamental principles of neural organization of language, language testing and recovery in patients, and language learning in healthy populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kshipra Gurunandan
- BCBL. Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Jaione Arnaez-Telleria
- BCBL. Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Manuel Carreiras
- BCBL. Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
- Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
- Department of Basque Language and Communication, University of the Basque Country, 48015 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Pedro M Paz-Alonso
- BCBL. Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
- Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
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7
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Converging Evidence for Differential Specialization and Plasticity of Language Systems. J Neurosci 2020; 40:9715-9724. [PMID: 33168623 PMCID: PMC7726546 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0851-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional specialization and plasticity are fundamental organizing principles of the brain. Since the mid-1800s, certain cognitive functions have been known to be lateralized, but the provenance and flexibility of hemispheric specialization remain open questions. Language is a uniquely human phenomenon that requires a delicate balance between neural specialization and plasticity, and language learning offers the perfect window to study these principles in the human brain. In the current study, we conducted two separate functional MRI experiments with language learners (male and female), one cross-sectional and one longitudinal, involving distinct populations and languages, and examined hemispheric lateralization and learning-dependent plasticity of the following three language systems: reading, speech comprehension, and verbal production. A multipronged analytic approach revealed a highly consistent pattern of results across the two experiments, showing (1) that in both native and non-native languages, while language production was left lateralized, lateralization for language comprehension was highly variable across individuals; and (2) that with increasing non-native language proficiency, reading and speech comprehension displayed substantial changes in hemispheric dominance, with languages tending to lateralize to opposite hemispheres, while production showed negligible change and remained left lateralized. These convergent results shed light on the long-standing debate of neural organization of language by establishing robust principles of lateralization and plasticity of the main language systems. Findings further suggest involvement of the sensorimotor systems in language lateralization and its plasticity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The human brain exhibits a remarkable ability to support a vast variety of languages that may be acquired at different points in the life span. Language is a complex construct involving linguistic as well as visual, auditory, and motor processes. Using functional MRI, we examined hemispheric specialization and learning-dependent plasticity of three language systems—reading, speech comprehension, and verbal production—in cross-sectional and longitudinal experiments in language learners. A multipronged analytic approach revealed converging evidence for striking differences in hemispheric specialization and plasticity among the language systems. The results have major theoretical and practical implications for our understanding of fundamental principles of neural organization of language, language testing and recovery in patients, and language learning in healthy populations.
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