1
|
Zhang Y, Wu W, Mirman D, Hoffman P. Representation of event and object concepts in ventral anterior temporal lobe and angular gyrus. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad519. [PMID: 38185997 PMCID: PMC10839851 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Semantic knowledge includes understanding of objects and their features and also understanding of the characteristics of events. The hub-and-spoke theory holds that these conceptual representations rely on multiple information sources that are integrated in a central hub in the ventral anterior temporal lobes. The dual-hub theory expands this framework with the claim that the ventral anterior temporal lobe hub is specialized for object representation, while a second hub in angular gyrus is specialized for event representation. To test these ideas, we used representational similarity analysis, univariate and psychophysiological interaction analyses of fMRI data collected while participants processed object and event concepts (e.g. "an apple," "a wedding") presented as images and written words. Representational similarity analysis showed that angular gyrus encoded event concept similarity more than object similarity, although the left angular gyrus also encoded object similarity. Bilateral ventral anterior temporal lobes encoded both object and event concept structure, and left ventral anterior temporal lobe exhibited stronger coding for events. Psychophysiological interaction analysis revealed greater connectivity between left ventral anterior temporal lobe and right pMTG, and between right angular gyrus and bilateral ITG and middle occipital gyrus, for event concepts compared to object concepts. These findings support the specialization of angular gyrus for event semantics, though with some involvement in object coding, but do not support ventral anterior temporal lobe specialization for object concepts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yueyang Zhang
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Wei Wu
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Mirman
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Hoffman
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Metoki A, Wang Y, Olson IR. The Social Cerebellum: A Large-Scale Investigation of Functional and Structural Specificity and Connectivity. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:987-1003. [PMID: 34428293 PMCID: PMC8890001 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The cerebellum has been traditionally disregarded in relation to nonmotor functions, but recent findings indicate it may be involved in language, affective processing, and social functions. Mentalizing, or Theory of Mind (ToM), is the ability to infer mental states of others and this skill relies on a distributed network of brain regions. Here, we leveraged large-scale multimodal neuroimaging data to elucidate the structural and functional role of the cerebellum in mentalizing. We used functional activations to determine whether the cerebellum has a domain-general or domain-specific functional role, and effective connectivity and probabilistic tractography to map the cerebello-cerebral mentalizing network. We found that the cerebellum is organized in a domain-specific way and that there is a left cerebellar effective and structural lateralization, with more and stronger effective connections from the left cerebellar hemisphere to the right cerebral mentalizing areas, and greater cerebello-thalamo-cortical and cortico-ponto-cerebellar streamline counts from and to the left cerebellum. Our study provides novel insights to the network organization of the cerebellum, an overlooked brain structure, and mentalizing, one of humans' most essential abilities to navigate the social world.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Athanasia Metoki
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
- Department of Neurology,Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Yin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Ingrid R Olson
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Escitalopram modulates learning content-specific neuroplasticity of functional brain networks. Neuroimage 2021; 247:118829. [PMID: 34923134 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Learning-induced neuroplastic changes, further modulated by content and setting, are mirrored in brain functional connectivity (FC). In animal models, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been shown to facilitate neuroplasticity. This is especially prominent during emotional relearning, such as fear extinction, which may translate to clinical improvements in patients. To investigate a comparable modulation of neuroplasticity in humans, 99 healthy subjects underwent three weeks of emotional (matching faces) or non-emotional learning (matching Chinese characters to unrelated German nouns). Shuffled pairings of the original content were subsequently relearned for the same time. During relearning, subjects received either a daily dose of the SSRI escitalopram or placebo. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed before and after the (re-)learning phases. FC changes in a network comprising Broca's area, the medial prefrontal cortex, the right inferior temporal and left lingual gyrus were modulated by escitalopram intake. More specifically, it increased the bidirectional connectivity between medial prefrontal cortex and lingual gyrus for non-emotional and the connectivity from medial prefrontal cortex to Broca's area for emotional relearning. The context dependence of these effects together with behavioral correlations supports the assumption that SSRIs in clinical practice improve neuroplasticity rather than psychiatric symptoms per se. Beyond expanding the complexities of learning, these findings emphasize the influence of external factors on human neuroplasticity.
Collapse
|
4
|
Volfart A, Rice GE, Lambon Ralph MA, Rossion B. Implicit, automatic semantic word categorisation in the left occipito-temporal cortex as revealed by fast periodic visual stimulation. Neuroimage 2021; 238:118228. [PMID: 34082118 PMCID: PMC7613186 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Conceptual knowledge allows the categorisation of items according to their meaning beyond their physical similarities. This ability to respond to different stimuli (e.g., a leek, a cabbage, etc.) based on similar semantic representations (e.g., belonging to the vegetable category) is particularly important for language processing, because word meaning and the stimulus form are unrelated. The neural basis of this core human ability is debated and is complicated by the strong reliance of most neural measures on explicit tasks, involving many non-semantic processes. Here we establish an implicit method, i.e., fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) coupled with electroencephalography (EEG), to study neural conceptual categorisation processes with written word stimuli. Fourteen neurotypical participants were presented with different written words belonging to the same semantic category (e.g., different animals) alternating at 4 Hz rate. Words from a different semantic category (e.g., different cities) appeared every 4 stimuli (i.e., at 1 Hz). Following a few minutes of recording, objective electrophysiological responses at 1 Hz, highlighting the human brain’s ability to implicitly categorize stimuli belonging to distinct conceptual categories, were found over the left occipito-temporal region. Topographic differences were observed depending on whether the periodic change involved living items, associated with relatively more ventro-temporal activity as compared to non-living items associated with relatively more dorsal posterior activity. Overall, this study demonstrates the validity and high sensitivity of an implicit frequency-tagged marker of word-based semantic memory abilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Angelique Volfart
- University of Louvain, Psychological Sciences Research Institute, B-1348 Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium; Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | - Grace E Rice
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, CB2 7EF Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew A Lambon Ralph
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, CB2 7EF Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| | - Bruno Rossion
- University of Louvain, Psychological Sciences Research Institute, B-1348 Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium; Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, F-54000 Nancy, France; Université de Lorraine, CHRU-Nancy, Service de Neurologie, F-54000 Nancy, France.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Bakos S, Mehlhase H, Landerl K, Bartling J, Schulte-Körne G, Moll K. Naming processes in reading and spelling disorders: An electrophysiological investigation. Clin Neurophysiol 2019; 131:351-360. [PMID: 31865136 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2019.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Revised: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Reading fluency deficits characteristic for reading disorders (RD; F81.0) have been shown to be strongly associated with slow naming speed (e.g. in rapid automatized naming tasks). In contrast, children with an isolated spelling disorder in the context of unimpaired reading skills (iSD; F81.1) show naming speed task performances that are similar to typically developing (TD) children. However, the exact nature of the naming speed deficit and its relation to RD and the question whether children with iSD are also on the neurophysiological level similar to TD children is still unresolved. METHODS The time-course and scalp topography of event-related potentials (ERP) activity recorded during a delayed digit-naming task was investigated in ten-year-old children with RD and iSD compared to a TD group. RESULTS ERP activity differed between the RD and the TD group at around 300 ms after stimulus presentation (left occipito-temporal P2). In contrast, there were no neurophysiological differences between the TD and the iSD group. The P2 component correlated with behavioural performance on the RAN task. CONCLUSIONS Slow naming speed in RD might result from a slowed-down access and prolonged processing of the word (lexical) form. SIGNIFICANCE The study establishes a relation between neurophysiological processes of naming tasks and RD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarolta Bakos
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 8a, 80336 Munich, Germany.
| | - Heike Mehlhase
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 8a, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Karin Landerl
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2/DG, 8010 Graz, Austria; Institute of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jürgen Bartling
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 8a, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Gerd Schulte-Körne
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 8a, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Kristina Moll
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 8a, 80336 Munich, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Chen Y, Chen K, Ding J, Zhang Y, Yang Q, Lv Y, Guo Q, Han Z. Neural substrates of amodal and modality-specific semantic processing within the temporal lobe: A lesion-behavior mapping study of semantic dementia. Cortex 2019; 120:78-91. [PMID: 31280071 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2018] [Revised: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Although the human temporal lobe has been documented to participate in semantic processing of both verbal and nonverbal stimuli, the exact neural basis underlying the common and unique processing of the two modalities is unclear. Semantic dementia (SD), a disease with a semantic-selective deficit due to predominant temporal lobe atrophy is an ideal lesion model to address this issue. However, many previous studies of SD used an impure patient sample or did not appropriately control for common components between tasks. To overcome these limitations, the present study aims to identify amodal semantic hubs and modality-specific regions in the temporal lobe by investigating behavioral performance on a verbal modality task (word associative matching) and a nonverbal modality task (picture associative matching) and neuroimaging data in 33 SD patients. We found that the left anterior fusiform gyrus was an amodal semantic hub whose gray matter volume correlated significantly with both modalities. We also observed two verbal modality-specific regions (the left posterior inferior temporal gyrus and the left middle superior temporal gyrus) and a nonverbal modality-specific region (the right lateral anterior middle temporal gyrus) whose gray matter volume correlated significantly with one modality when performance on the other modality was partialled out. The results remained significant when we excluded a wide range of potential confounding variables. Furthermore, to confirm the observed effects, we compared the performance of left- and right-hemispheric-predominant atrophic patients on the verbal and nonverbal tasks. The left-predominant patients showed more severe deficits in performance of the verbal task than the right-predominant patients, whereas the two groups of patients presented comparable deficits in the performance of the nonverbal task. These findings refined the structure of semantic network in the temporal lobe, deepening our understanding of the critical role of the temporal lobe in semantic processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, 100875, China; College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Zhejiang University, 310027, China
| | - Keliang Chen
- Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, 200040, China
| | - Junhua Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, 100875, China
| | - Yumei Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, 100050, China
| | - Qing Yang
- Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, 200040, China
| | - Yingru Lv
- Department of Radiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, 200040, China
| | - Qihao Guo
- Department of Gerontology, Shanghai Jiaotong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, 200233, China
| | - Zaizhu Han
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, 100875, China.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Rice GE, Caswell H, Moore P, Hoffman P, Lambon Ralph MA. The Roles of Left Versus Right Anterior Temporal Lobes in Semantic Memory: A Neuropsychological Comparison of Postsurgical Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Patients. Cereb Cortex 2018; 28:1487-1501. [PMID: 29351584 PMCID: PMC6093325 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence and degree of specialization between the anterior temporal lobes (ATLs) is a key issue in debates about the neural architecture of semantic memory. Here, we comprehensively assessed multiple aspects of semantic cognition in a large group of postsurgical temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients with left versus right anterior temporal lobectomy (n = 40). Both subgroups showed deficits in expressive and receptive verbal semantic tasks, word and object recognition, naming and recognition of famous faces and perception of faces and emotions. Graded differences in performance between the left and right groups were secondary to the overall mild semantic impairment; primarily, left resected TLE patients showed weaker performance on tasks that required naming or accessing semantic information from a written word. Right resected TLE patients were relatively more impaired at recognizing famous faces as familiar, although this effect was observed less consistently. These findings unify previous partial, inconsistent results and also align directly with fMRI and transcranial magnetic stimulation results in neurologically intact participants. Taken together, these data support a model in which the 2 ATLs act as a coupled bilateral system for the representation of semantic knowledge, and in which graded hemispheric specializations emerge as a consequence of differential connectivity to lateralized speech production and face perception regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grace E Rice
- Neuroscience and Aphasia Research Unit (NARU), University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Helen Caswell
- Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, Salford Royal Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | - Perry Moore
- Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | - Paul Hoffman
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE), Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Garcin B, Urbanski M, Thiebaut de Schotten M, Levy R, Volle E. Anterior Temporal Lobe Morphometry Predicts Categorization Ability. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:36. [PMID: 29467637 PMCID: PMC5808329 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Categorization is the mental operation by which the brain classifies objects and events. It is classically assessed using semantic and non-semantic matching or sorting tasks. These tasks show a high variability in performance across healthy controls and the cerebral bases supporting this variability remain unknown. In this study we performed a voxel-based morphometry study to explore the relationships between semantic and shape categorization tasks and brain morphometric differences in 50 controls. We found significant correlation between categorization performance and the volume of the gray matter in the right anterior middle and inferior temporal gyri. Semantic categorization tasks were associated with more rostral temporal regions than shape categorization tasks. A significant relationship was also shown between white matter volume in the right temporal lobe and performance in the semantic tasks. Tractography revealed that this white matter region involved several projection and association fibers, including the arcuate fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, and inferior longitudinal fasciculus. These results suggest that categorization abilities are supported by the anterior portion of the right temporal lobe and its interaction with other areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Béatrice Garcin
- Frontlab, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), UPMC UMRS 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris, France.,Department of Neurology, Salpêtrière Hospital AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Marika Urbanski
- Frontlab, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), UPMC UMRS 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris, France.,Service de Médecine et Réadaptation, Hôpitaux de Saint-Maurice, Saint-Maurice, France.,Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Group, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Paris, France
| | - Michel Thiebaut de Schotten
- Frontlab, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), UPMC UMRS 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris, France.,Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Group, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Paris, France.,Centre de NeuroImagerie de Recherche, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Paris, France
| | - Richard Levy
- Frontlab, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), UPMC UMRS 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris, France.,Department of Neurology, Salpêtrière Hospital AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Emmanuelle Volle
- Frontlab, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), UPMC UMRS 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris, France.,Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Group, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Hoffman P, Lambon Ralph MA. From percept to concept in the ventral temporal lobes: Graded hemispheric specialisation based on stimulus and task. Cortex 2018; 101:107-118. [PMID: 29475076 PMCID: PMC5885984 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Revised: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The left and right ventral anterior temporal lobes (vATL) have been implicated as key regions for the representation of conceptual knowledge. However, the nature and degree of hemispheric specialisation in their function is unclear. To address this issue, we investigated hemispheric specialisation in the ventral temporal lobes using a distortion-corrected spin-echo fMRI protocol that enhanced signal in vATL. We employed an orthogonal manipulation of stimulus (written words vs pictured objects) and task (naming vs recognition). Words elicited left-lateralised vATL activation while objects elicited bilateral activation with no hemispheric bias. In contrast, posterior ventral temporal cortex exhibited a rightward bias for objects as well as a leftward bias for words. Naming tasks produced left-lateralised activation in vATL while activity for recognition was equal in left and right vATLs. These findings are incompatible with proposals that left and right ATLs are strongly modular in function, since these predict rightward as well as leftward biases. Instead, they support an alternative model in which (a) left and right ATL together form a bilateral, integrated system for the representation of concepts and (b) within this system, graded hemispheric specialisation emerges as a consequence of differential connectivity with other neural systems. On this view, greater left vATL activation for written word processing develops as a consequence of the inputs this region receives from left-lateralised visual word processing system in posterior temporal cortex. Greater left vATL activation during naming tasks is most likely due to connectivity with left-lateralised speech output systems in prefrontal and motor cortices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Hoffman
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE), Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK; Neuroscience and Aphasia Research Unit (NARU), Division of Neuroscience & Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, UK.
| | - Matthew A Lambon Ralph
- Neuroscience and Aphasia Research Unit (NARU), Division of Neuroscience & Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, UK
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Laterality of anterior temporal lobe repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation determines the degree of disruption in picture naming. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 222:3749-3759. [PMID: 28756485 PMCID: PMC5676810 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-017-1430-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2016] [Accepted: 04/19/2017] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The bilateral anterior temporal lobes play a key role in semantic representation. This is clearly demonstrated by the performance of patients with semantic dementia, a disorder characterised by a progressive and selective decline in semantic memory over all modalities as a result of anterior temporal atrophy. Although all patients exhibit a progressive decline in both single-word production and comprehension, those with greater atrophy to the left anterior temporal lobe show a stronger decline in word production than comprehension. This asymmetry has been attributed to the greater connectivity of the left anterior temporal lobe with left-lateralised speech production mechanisms. Virtual lesioning of the left ATL using offline repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been shown to disrupt picture naming, but, the impact of right ATL rTMS is yet to be explored. We tested the prediction that disruption of picture naming in normal participants by rTMS should be greater for the left than the right ATL. We found a significant increase in picture naming latencies specifically for stimulation of the left ATL only. Neither left nor right ATL TMS slowed performance in a number naming control task. These results support the hypothesis that although both temporal lobes are part of a widespread semantic network in the human brain, the left anterior temporal lobe possesses a stronger connection to left-lateralised speech production areas than the right temporal lobe.
Collapse
|
11
|
Gainotti G. The Differential Contributions of Conceptual Representation Format and Language Structure to Levels of Semantic Abstraction Capacity. Neuropsychol Rev 2017; 27:134-145. [DOI: 10.1007/s11065-016-9339-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
12
|
Likova LT. Addressing long-standing controversies in conceptual knowledge representation in the temporal pole: A cross-modal paradigm. IS&T INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ELECTRONIC IMAGING 2017; 2017:268-272. [PMID: 31423471 PMCID: PMC6697259 DOI: 10.2352/issn.2470-1173.2017.14.hvei-155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Conceptual knowledge allows us to comprehend the multisensory stimulation impinging on our senses. Its representation in the anterior temporal lobe is a subject of considerable debate, with the "enigmatic" temporal pole (TP) being at the center of that debate. The controversial models of the organization of knowledge representation in TP range from unilateral to fully unified bilateral representational systems. To address the multitude of mutually exclusive options, we developed a novel cross-modal approach in a multifactorial brain imaging study of the blind, manipulating the modality (verbal vs pictorial) of both the reception source (reading text/verbal vs images/pictorial) and the expression (writing text/verbal vs drawing/pictorial) of conceptual knowledge. Furthermore, we also varied the level of familiarity. This study is the first to investigate the functional organization of (amodal) conceptual knowledge in TP in the blind, as well as, the first study of drawing based on the conceptual knowledge from memory of sentences delivered through Braille reading. Through this paradigm, we were able to functionally identify two novel subdivisions of the temporal pole - the TPa, at the apex, and the TPdm - dorso-medially. Their response characteristics revealed a complex interplay of non-visual specializations within the temporal pole, with a diversity of excitatory/inhibitory inversions as a function of hemisphere, task-domain and familiarity, which motivate an expanded neurocognitive analysis of conceptual knowledge. The interplay of inter-hemispheric specializations found here accounts for the variety of seemingly conflicting models in previous research for conceptual knowledge representation, reconciling them through the set of factors we have investigated: the two main knowledge domains (verbal and pictorial/sensory-motor) and the two main knowledge processing modes (receptive and expressive), including the level of familiarity as a modifier. Furthermore, the interplay of these factors allowed us to also reveal for the first time a system of complementary symmetries, asymmetries and unexpected anti-symmetries in the TP organization. Thus, taken together these results constitute a unifying explanation of the conflicting models in previous research on conceptual knowledge representation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lora T Likova
- Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, CA USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Rice GE, Lambon Ralph MA, Hoffman P. The Roles of Left Versus Right Anterior Temporal Lobes in Conceptual Knowledge: An ALE Meta-analysis of 97 Functional Neuroimaging Studies. Cereb Cortex 2015; 25:4374-91. [PMID: 25771223 PMCID: PMC4816787 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhv024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The roles of the right and left anterior temporal lobes (ATLs) in conceptual knowledge are a source of debate between 4 conflicting accounts. Possible ATL specializations include: (1) Processing of verbal versus non-verbal inputs; (2) the involvement of word retrieval; and (3) the social content of the stimuli. Conversely, the "hub-and-spoke" account holds that both ATLs form a bilateral functionally unified system. Using activation likelihood estimation (ALE) to compare the probability of left and right ATL activation, we analyzed 97 functional neuroimaging studies of conceptual knowledge, organized according to the predictions of the three specialized hypotheses. The primary result was that ATL activation was predominately bilateral and highly overlapping for all stimulus types. Secondary to this bilateral representation, there were subtle gradations both between and within the ATLs. Activations were more likely to be left lateralized when the input was a written word or when word retrieval was required. These data are best accommodated by a graded version of the hub-and-spoke account, whereby representation of conceptual knowledge is supported through bilateral yet graded connectivity between the ATLs and various modality-specific sensory, motor, and limbic cortices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grace E Rice
- Neuroscience and Aphasia Research Unit (NARU), School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Matthew A Lambon Ralph
- Neuroscience and Aphasia Research Unit (NARU), School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Paul Hoffman
- Neuroscience and Aphasia Research Unit (NARU), School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Abstract
Considerable evidence from different methodologies has identified the anterior temporal lobes (ATLs) as key regions for the representation of semantic knowledge. Research interest is now shifting to investigate the roles of different ATL subregions in semantic representation, with particular emphasis on the functions of the left versus right ATLs. In this review, we provide evidence for graded specializations both between and within the ATLs. We argue (1) that multimodal, pan-category semantic representations are supported jointly by both left and right ATLs, yet (2) that the ATLs are not homogeneous in their function. Instead, subtle functional gradations both between and within the ATLs emerge as a consequence of differential connectivity with primary sensory/motor/limbic regions. This graded specialization account of semantic representation provides a compromise between theories that posit no differences between the functions of the left and right ATLs and those that posit that the left and right ATLs are entirely segregated in function. Evidence for this graded account comes from converging sources, and its benefits have been exemplified in formal computational models. We propose that this graded principle is not only a defining feature of the ATLs but is also a more general neurocomputational principle found throughout the temporal lobes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grace E Rice
- Neuroscience and Aphasia Research Unit (NARU), University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Hoffman
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE), Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew A Lambon Ralph
- Neuroscience and Aphasia Research Unit (NARU), University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Gainotti G. Is the difference between right and left ATLs due to the distinction between general and social cognition or between verbal and non-verbal representations? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 51:296-312. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2014] [Revised: 12/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
|
16
|
Aichelburg C, Urbanski M, Thiebaut de Schotten M, Humbert F, Levy R, Volle E. Morphometry of Left Frontal and Temporal Poles Predicts Analogical Reasoning Abilities. Cereb Cortex 2014; 26:915-932. [PMID: 25331605 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhu254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Analogical reasoning is critical for making inferences and adapting to novelty. It can be studied experimentally using tasks that require creating similarities between situations or concepts, i.e., when their constituent elements share a similar organization or structure. Brain correlates of analogical reasoning have mostly been explored using functional imaging that has highlighted the involvement of the left rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (rlPFC) in healthy subjects. However, whether inter-individual variability in analogical reasoning ability in a healthy adult population is related to differences in brain architecture is unknown. We investigated this question by employing linear regression models of performance in analogy tasks and voxel-based morphometry in 54 healthy subjects. Our results revealed that the ability to reason by analogy was associated with structural variability in the left rlPFC and the anterior part of the inferolateral temporal cortex. Tractography of diffusion-weighted images suggested that these 2 regions have a different set of connections but may exchange information via the arcuate fasciculus. These results suggest that enhanced integrative and semantic abilities supported by structural variation in these areas (or their connectivity) may lead to more efficient analogical reasoning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Clarisse Aichelburg
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France.,Inserm, U 1127, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France.,CNRS, UMR 7225, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Marika Urbanski
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France.,Inserm, U 1127, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France.,CNRS, UMR 7225, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France.,Service de Médecine et Réadaptation, Hôpitaux de Saint-Maurice, 94410 Saint-Maurice, France
| | - Michel Thiebaut de Schotten
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France.,Inserm, U 1127, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France.,CNRS, UMR 7225, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France.,Natbrainlab, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
| | - Frederic Humbert
- Centre de Neuroimagerie de Recherche CENIR, ICM, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Richard Levy
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France.,Inserm, U 1127, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France.,CNRS, UMR 7225, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France.,Behavioral Neuropsychiatry Unit (UNPC), Neurology Ward, Salpetriere Hospital-AP-HP, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Emmanuelle Volle
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France.,Inserm, U 1127, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France.,CNRS, UMR 7225, 47 boulevard de l'hopital, 75013 Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Schintu S, Hadj-Bouziane F, Dal Monte O, Knutson KM, Pardini M, Wassermann EM, Grafman J, Krueger F. Object and space perception – Is it a matter of hemisphere? Cortex 2014; 57:244-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2014.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2013] [Revised: 03/03/2014] [Accepted: 04/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
18
|
Henseler I, Regenbrecht F, Obrig H. Lesion correlates of patholinguistic profiles in chronic aphasia: comparisons of syndrome-, modality- and symptom-level assessment. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 137:918-30. [PMID: 24525451 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awt374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
One way to investigate the neuronal underpinnings of language competence is to correlate patholinguistic profiles of aphasic patients to corresponding lesion sites. Constituting the beginnings of aphasiology and neurolinguistics over a century ago, this approach has been revived and refined in the past decade by statistical approaches mapping continuous variables (providing metrics that are not simply categorical) on voxel-wise lesion information (voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping). Here we investigate whether and how voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping allows us to delineate specific lesion patterns for differentially fine-grained clinical classifications. The latter encompass 'classical' syndrome-based approaches (e.g. Broca's aphasia), more symptom-oriented descriptions (e.g. agrammatism) and further refinement to linguistic sub-functions (e.g. lexico-semantic deficits for inanimate versus animate items). From a large database of patients treated for aphasia of different aetiologies (n = 1167) a carefully selected group of 102 first ever ischaemic stroke patients with chronic aphasia (∅ 12 months) were included in a VLSM analysis. Specifically, we investigated how performance in the Aachen Aphasia Test-the standard clinical test battery for chronic aphasia in German-relates to distinct brain lesions. The Aachen Aphasia Test evaluates aphasia on different levels: a non-parametric discriminant procedure yields probabilities for the allocation to one of the four 'standard' syndromes (Broca, Wernicke, global and amnestic aphasia), whereas standardized subtests target linguistic modalities (e.g. repetition), or even more specific symptoms (e.g. phoneme repetition). Because some subtests of the Aachen Aphasia Test (e.g. for the linguistic level of lexico-semantics) rely on rather coarse and heterogeneous test items we complemented the analysis with a number of more detailed clinically used tests in selected mostly mildly affected subgroups of patients. Our results indicate that: (i) Aachen Aphasia Test-based syndrome allocation allows for an unexpectedly concise differentiation between 'Broca's' and 'Wernicke's' aphasia corresponding to non-overlapping anterior and posterior lesion sites; whereas (ii) analyses for modalities and specific symptoms yielded more circumscribed but partially overlapping lesion foci, often cutting across the above syndrome territories; and (iii) especially for lexico-semantic capacities more specialized clinical test-batteries are required to delineate precise lesion patterns at this linguistic level. In sum this is the first report on a successful lesion-delineation of syndrome-based aphasia classification highlighting the relevance of vascular distribution for the syndrome level while confirming and extending a number of more linguistically motivated differentiations, based on clinically used tests. We consider such a comprehensive view reaching from the syndrome to a fine-grained symptom-oriented assessment mandatory to converge neurolinguistic, patholinguistic and clinical-therapeutic knowledge on language-competence and impairment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ilona Henseler
- 1 Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neurology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Why are the right and left hemisphere conceptual representations different? Behav Neurol 2014; 2014:603134. [PMID: 24803728 PMCID: PMC4006601 DOI: 10.1155/2014/603134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2013] [Accepted: 06/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The present survey develops a previous position paper, in which I suggested that the multimodal semantic impairment observed in advanced stages of semantic dementia is due to the joint disruption of pictorial and verbal representations, subtended by the right and left anterior temporal lobes, rather than to the loss of a unitary, amodal semantic system. The main goals of the present review are (a) to survey a larger set of data, in order to confirm the differences in conceptual representations at the level of the right and left hemispheres, (b) to examine if language-mediated information plays a greater role in left hemisphere semantic knowledge than sensory-motor information in right hemisphere conceptual knowledge, and (c) to discuss the models that could explain both the differences in conceptual representations at the hemispheric level and the prevalence of the left hemisphere language-mediated semantic knowledge over the right hemisphere perceptually based conceptual representations.
Collapse
|
20
|
Fridriksson J, Guo D, Fillmore P, Holland A, Rorden C. Damage to the anterior arcuate fasciculus predicts non-fluent speech production in aphasia. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 136:3451-60. [PMID: 24131592 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awt267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Non-fluent aphasia implies a relatively straightforward neurological condition characterized by limited speech output. However, it is an umbrella term for different underlying impairments affecting speech production. Several studies have sought the critical lesion location that gives rise to non-fluent aphasia. The results have been mixed but typically implicate anterior cortical regions such as Broca's area, the left anterior insula, and deep white matter regions. To provide a clearer picture of cortical damage in non-fluent aphasia, the current study examined brain damage that negatively influences speech fluency in patients with aphasia. It controlled for some basic speech and language comprehension factors in order to better isolate the contribution of different mechanisms to fluency, or its lack. Cortical damage was related to overall speech fluency, as estimated by clinical judgements using the Western Aphasia Battery speech fluency scale, diadochokinetic rate, rudimentary auditory language comprehension, and executive functioning (scores on a matrix reasoning test) in 64 patients with chronic left hemisphere stroke. A region of interest analysis that included brain regions typically implicated in speech and language processing revealed that non-fluency in aphasia is primarily predicted by damage to the anterior segment of the left arcuate fasciculus. An improved prediction model also included the left uncinate fasciculus, a white matter tract connecting the middle and anterior temporal lobe with frontal lobe regions, including the pars triangularis. Models that controlled for diadochokinetic rate, picture-word recognition, or executive functioning also revealed a strong relationship between anterior segment involvement and speech fluency. Whole brain analyses corroborated the findings from the region of interest analyses. An additional exploratory analysis revealed that involvement of the uncinate fasciculus adjudicated between Broca's and global aphasia, the two most common kinds of non-fluent aphasia. In summary, the current results suggest that the anterior segment of the left arcuate fasciculus, a white matter tract that lies deep to posterior portions of Broca's area and the sensory-motor cortex, is a robust predictor of impaired speech fluency in aphasic patients, even when motor speech, lexical processing, and executive functioning are included as co-factors. Simply put, damage to those regions results in non-fluent aphasic speech; when they are undamaged, fluent aphasias result.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julius Fridriksson
- 1 The Aphasia Lab, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, 915 Greene St., Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Jefferies E. The neural basis of semantic cognition: Converging evidence from neuropsychology, neuroimaging and TMS. Cortex 2013; 49:611-25. [PMID: 23260615 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2012.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 310] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2011] [Revised: 10/24/2011] [Accepted: 01/09/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
22
|
The format of conceptual representations disrupted in semantic dementia: A position paper. Cortex 2012; 48:521-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2011.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2011] [Revised: 06/06/2011] [Accepted: 06/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
23
|
Cleret de Langavant L, Trinkler I, Remy P, Thirioux B, McIntyre J, Berthoz A, Dupoux E, Bachoud-Lévi AC. Viewing another person's body as a target object: a behavioural and PET study of pointing. Neuropsychologia 2012; 50:1801-13. [PMID: 22579967 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2011] [Revised: 03/19/2012] [Accepted: 04/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Humans usually point at objects to communicate with other persons, although they generally avoid pointing at the other's body. Moreover, patients with heterotopagnosia after left parietal damage cannot point at another person's body parts, although they can point at objects and at their own body parts and although they can grasp the others' body parts. Strikingly, their performance gradually improves for figurative human body targets. Altogether, this suggests that the body of another real person holds a specific status in communicative pointing. Here, we test in healthy individuals whether performance for communicative pointing is influenced by the communicative capacity of the target. In Experiment 1, pointing at another real person's body parts was compared to pointing at objects, and in Experiment 2, the person was replaced by a manikin. While reaction times for pointing at objects were shorter compared to pointing at other person's body parts, they were similar for objects and manikin body parts. By adapting Experiment 1 to PET-scan imaging (Experiment 3), we showed that, compared to pointing at objects, the brain network for pointing at other person's body parts involves the left posterior intraparietal sulcus, lesion of which could cause heterotopagnosia. Taken together, our results indicate that the specificity of pointing at another person's body goes beyond the visuo-spatial features of the human body and might rather rely on its communicative capacity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Cleret de Langavant
- INSERM U955-Equipe 1, Neuropsychologie Interventionnelle, Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, Créteil, France
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Demeyere N, Rotshtein P, Humphreys GW. The Neuroanatomy of Visual Enumeration: Differentiating Necessary Neural Correlates for Subitizing versus Counting in a Neuropsychological Voxel-based Morphometry Study. J Cogn Neurosci 2012; 24:948-64. [PMID: 22220729 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
This study is the first to assess lesion–symptom relations for subitizing and counting impairments in a large sample of neuropsychological patients (41 patients) using an observer-independent voxel-based approach. We tested for differential effects of enumerating small versus large numbers of items while controlling for hemianopia and visual attention deficits. Overall impairments in the enumeration of any numbers (small or large) were associated with an extended network, including bilateral occipital and fronto-parietal regions. Within this network, severe impairments in accuracy when enumerating small sets of items (in the subitizing range) were associated with damage to the left posterior occipital cortex, bilateral lateral occipital and right superior frontal cortices. Lesions to the right calcarine extending to the precuneus led to patients serially counting even small numbers of items (indicated by a steep response slope), again demonstrating an impaired subitizing ability. In contrast, impairments in counting large numerosities were associated with damage to the left intraparietal sulcus. The data support the argument for some distinctive processes and neural areas necessary to support subitization and counting with subitizing relying on processes of posterior occipital cortex and with counting associated with processing in the parietal cortex.
Collapse
|
25
|
Hsieh S, Hornberger M, Piguet O, Hodges JR. Neural basis of music knowledge: evidence from the dementias. Brain 2011; 134:2523-34. [DOI: 10.1093/brain/awr190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
|
26
|
Gainotti G. What the study of voice recognition in normal subjects and brain-damaged patients tells us about models of familiar people recognition. Neuropsychologia 2011; 49:2273-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2011.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2011] [Revised: 04/21/2011] [Accepted: 04/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
27
|
Gainotti G. The organization and dissolution of semantic-conceptual knowledge: is the 'amodal hub' the only plausible model? Brain Cogn 2011; 75:299-309. [PMID: 21211892 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2010.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2010] [Revised: 11/09/2010] [Accepted: 12/01/2010] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, the anatomical and functional bases of conceptual activity have attracted a growing interest. In particular, Patterson and Lambon-Ralph have proposed the existence, in the anterior parts of the temporal lobes, of a mechanism (the 'amodal semantic hub') supporting the interactive activation of semantic representations in all modalities and for all semantic categories. The aim of then present paper is to discuss this model, arguing against the notion of an 'amodal' semantic hub, because we maintain, in agreement with the Damasio's construct of 'higher-order convergence zone', that a continuum exists between perceptual information and conceptual representations, whereas the 'amodal' account views perceptual informations only as a channel through which abstract semantic knowledge can be activated. According to our model, semantic organization can be better explained by two orthogonal higher-order convergence systems, concerning, on one hand, the right vs. left hemisphere and, on the other hand, the ventral vs. dorsal processing pathways. This model posits that conceptual representations may be mainly based upon perceptual activities in the right hemisphere and upon verbal mediation in the left side of the brain. It also assumes that conceptual knowledge based on the convergence of highly processed visual information with other perceptual data (and mainly concerning living categories) may be bilaterally represented in the anterior parts of the temporal lobes, whereas knowledge based on the integration of visual data with action schemata (namely knowledge of actions, body parts and artefacts) may be more represented in the left fronto-temporo-parietal areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guido Gainotti
- Department of Neurosciences, Policlinico Gemelli, Catholic University of Rome, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Leff AP, Schofield TM, Crinion JT, Seghier ML, Grogan A, Green DW, Price CJ. The left superior temporal gyrus is a shared substrate for auditory short-term memory and speech comprehension: evidence from 210 patients with stroke. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 132:3401-10. [PMID: 19892765 PMCID: PMC2792373 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awp273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 191] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Competing theories of short-term memory function make specific predictions about the functional anatomy of auditory short-term memory and its role in language comprehension. We analysed high-resolution structural magnetic resonance images from 210 stroke patients and employed a novel voxel based analysis to test the relationship between auditory short-term memory and speech comprehension. Using digit span as an index of auditory short-term memory capacity we found that the structural integrity of a posterior region of the superior temporal gyrus and sulcus predicted auditory short-term memory capacity, even when performance on a range of other measures was factored out. We show that the integrity of this region also predicts the ability to comprehend spoken sentences. Our results therefore support cognitive models that posit a shared substrate between auditory short-term memory capacity and speech comprehension ability. The method applied here will be particularly useful for modelling structure-function relationships within other complex cognitive domains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander P Leff
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, UCL,12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|