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Asaridou SS, Cler GJ, Wiedemann A, Krishnan S, Smith HJ, Willis HE, Healy MP, Watkins KE. Microstructural Properties of the Cerebellar Peduncles in Children With Developmental Language Disorder. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2024; 5:774-794. [PMID: 39175782 PMCID: PMC11338306 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) struggle to learn their native language for no apparent reason. While research on the neurobiological underpinnings of the disorder has focused on the role of corticostriatal systems, little is known about the role of the cerebellum in DLD. Corticocerebellar circuits might be involved in the disorder as they contribute to complex sensorimotor skill learning, including the acquisition of spoken language. Here, we used diffusion-weighted imaging data from 77 typically developing and 54 children with DLD and performed probabilistic tractography to identify the cerebellum's white matter tracts: the inferior, middle, and superior cerebellar peduncles. Children with DLD showed lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in the inferior cerebellar peduncles (ICP), fiber tracts that carry motor and sensory input via the inferior olive to the cerebellum. Lower FA in DLD was driven by lower axial diffusivity. Probing this further with more sophisticated modeling of diffusion data, we found higher orientation dispersion but no difference in neurite density in the ICP of children with DLD. Reduced FA is therefore unlikely to be reflecting microstructural differences in myelination, rather the organization of axons in these pathways is disrupted. ICP microstructure was not associated with language or motor coordination performance in our sample. We also found no differences in the middle and superior peduncles, the main pathways connecting the cerebellum with the cortex. To conclude, it is not corticocerebellar but atypical olivocerebellar white matter connections that characterize DLD and suggest the involvement of the olivocerebellar system in speech and language acquisition and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salomi S. Asaridou
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Gabriel J. Cler
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Anna Wiedemann
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Saloni Krishnan
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Surrey, UK
| | - Harriet J. Smith
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hanna E. Willis
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Máiréad P. Healy
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kate E. Watkins
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Urrutia M, Sanhueza S, Marrero H, Pino EJ, Troncoso-Seguel M. Neural Correlates of Telicity in Spanish-Speaking Children with and without Developmental Language Disorder. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 11:982. [PMID: 39201917 PMCID: PMC11352432 DOI: 10.3390/children11080982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2024] [Revised: 08/10/2024] [Accepted: 08/12/2024] [Indexed: 09/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND It is broadly acknowledged that children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) show verb-related limitations. While most previous studies have focused on tense, the mastery of lexical aspect-particularly telicity-has not been the primary focus of much research. Lexical aspect refers to whether an action has a defined endpoint (telic verbs) or not (atelic verbs). OBJECTIVE This study investigates the effect of telicity on verb recognition in Chilean children with DLD compared to their typically developing (TD) peers using the Event-Related Potential (ERP) technique. METHOD The research design is a mixed factorial design with between-group factors of 2 (DLD/TD) and within-group factors of 2 (telic/atelic verbs) and 2 (coherent/incoherent sentences). The participants were 36 school-aged children (18 DLD, 18 TD) aged 7 to 7 years and 11 months. The task required subjects to listen to sentences that either matched or did not match an action in a video, with sentences including telic or atelic verbs. RESULTS The study found notable differences between groups in how they processed verbs (N400 and post-N400 components) and direct objects (N400 and P600 components). CONCLUSIONS Children with DLD struggled to differentiate telic and atelic verbs, potentially because they employed overgeneralization strategies consistent with the Event Structural Bootstrapping model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mabel Urrutia
- Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Concepción, Concepcion 4070386, Chile
| | - Soraya Sanhueza
- Facultad de Humanidades y Arte, Universidad de Concepción, Concepcion 4070386, Chile;
| | - Hipólito Marrero
- Facultad de Psicología y Logopedia, Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia de la Universidad de La Laguna (IUNE), Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain;
| | - Esteban J. Pino
- Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Concepción, Concepcion 4070386, Chile; (E.J.P.); (M.T.-S.)
| | - María Troncoso-Seguel
- Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Concepción, Concepcion 4070386, Chile; (E.J.P.); (M.T.-S.)
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Bahar N, Cler GJ, Krishnan S, Asaridou SS, Smith HJ, Willis HE, Healy MP, Watkins KE. Differences in Cortical Surface Area in Developmental Language Disorder. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2024; 5:288-314. [PMID: 38832358 PMCID: PMC11093399 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Approximately 7% of children have developmental language disorder (DLD), a neurodevelopmental condition associated with persistent language learning difficulties without a known cause. Our understanding of the neurobiological basis of DLD is limited. Here, we used FreeSurfer to investigate cortical surface area and thickness in a large cohort of 156 children and adolescents aged 10-16 years with a range of language abilities, including 54 with DLD, 28 with a history of speech-language difficulties who did not meet criteria for DLD, and 74 age-matched controls with typical language development (TD). We also examined cortical asymmetries in DLD using an automated surface-based technique. Relative to the TD group, those with DLD showed smaller surface area bilaterally in the inferior frontal gyrus extending to the anterior insula, in the posterior temporal and ventral occipito-temporal cortex, and in portions of the anterior cingulate and superior frontal cortex. Analysis of the whole cohort using a language proficiency factor revealed that language ability correlated positively with surface area in similar regions. There were no differences in cortical thickness, nor in asymmetry of these cortical metrics between TD and DLD. This study highlights the importance of distinguishing between surface area and cortical thickness in investigating the brain basis of neurodevelopmental disorders and suggests the development of cortical surface area to be of importance to DLD. Future longitudinal studies are required to understand the developmental trajectory of these cortical differences in DLD and how they relate to language maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nilgoun Bahar
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Gabriel J. Cler
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Saloni Krishnan
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Surrey, UK
| | - Salomi S. Asaridou
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Harriet J. Smith
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hanna E. Willis
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Máiréad P. Healy
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kate E. Watkins
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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4
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Derawi H, Roark CL, Gabay Y. Procedural auditory category learning is selectively disrupted in developmental language disorder. Psychon Bull Rev 2024; 31:1181-1192. [PMID: 37884775 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02398-9] [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] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Speech communication depends on accurate perception and identification of speech sounds, which vary across talkers and word or sentence contexts. The ability to map this variable input onto discrete speech sound representations relies on categorization. Recent research and theoretical models implicate the procedural learning system in the ability to learn novel speech and non-speech categories. This connection is particularly intriguing because several language disorders that demonstrate linguistic impairments are proposed to stem from procedural learning and memory dysfunction. One such disorder, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), affects 7.5% of children and persists into adulthood. While DLD is associated with general linguistic impairments, it is not yet clear how fundamental perceptual and cognitive processes supporting language are impacted, such as the ability to learn novel auditory categories. We examined auditory category learning in children with DLD and typically developed (TD) children using two well-matched nonspeech auditory category learning challenges to draw upon presumed procedural (information-integration) versus declarative (rule-based) learning systems. We observed impaired information-integration category learning and intact rule-based category learning in the DLD group. Quantitative model-based analyses revealed reduced use of, and slower shifting to, optimal procedural-based strategies in DLD and slower shifting to but similarly efficient use of optimal hypothesis-testing strategies. The dissociation is consistent with the Procedural Deficit Hypothesis of language disorders and supports the theoretical distinction of multiple category learning systems. These findings demonstrate that highly controlled experimental tasks assessing perceptual and cognitive abilities can relate to real-world challenges facing individuals with DLD in forming stable linguistic representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadeer Derawi
- Department of Special Education and the Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 31905, Haifa, Israel.
| | - Casey L Roark
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Yafit Gabay
- Department of Special Education and the Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 31905, Haifa, Israel.
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5
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Ullman MT, Clark GM, Pullman MY, Lovelett JT, Pierpont EI, Jiang X, Turkeltaub PE. The neuroanatomy of developmental language disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nat Hum Behav 2024; 8:962-975. [PMID: 38491094 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01843-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder with adverse impacts that continue into adulthood. However, its neural bases remain unclear. Here we address this gap by systematically identifying and quantitatively synthesizing neuroanatomical studies of DLD using co-localization likelihood estimation, a recently developed neuroanatomical meta-analytic technique. Analyses of structural brain data (22 peer-reviewed papers, 577 participants) revealed highly consistent anomalies only in the basal ganglia (100% of participant groups in which this structure was examined, weighted by group sample sizes; 99.8% permutation-based likelihood the anomaly clustering was not due to chance). These anomalies were localized specifically to the anterior neostriatum (again 100% weighted proportion and 99.8% likelihood). As expected given the task dependence of activation, functional neuroimaging data (11 peer-reviewed papers, 414 participants) yielded less consistency, though anomalies again occurred primarily in the basal ganglia (79.0% and 95.1%). Multiple sensitivity analyses indicated that the patterns were robust. The meta-analyses elucidate the neuroanatomical signature of DLD, and implicate the basal ganglia in particular. The findings support the procedural circuit deficit hypothesis of DLD, have basic research and translational implications for the disorder, and advance our understanding of the neuroanatomy of language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael T Ullman
- Brain and Language Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA.
| | - Gillian M Clark
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mariel Y Pullman
- Brain and Language Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA
- Mount Sinai Beth Israel, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jarrett T Lovelett
- Brain and Language Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Elizabeth I Pierpont
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Xiong Jiang
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA
| | - Peter E Turkeltaub
- Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA
- Research Division, MedStar National Rehabilitation Network, Washington DC, USA
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Gul A, Baron LS, Black KB, Schafer AL, Arbel Y. Declarative Learning Mechanisms Support Declarative but Not Probabilistic Feedback-Based Learning in Children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Brain Sci 2023; 13:1649. [PMID: 38137097 PMCID: PMC10742330 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13121649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Declarative and probabilistic feedback-based learning was evaluated in 8-12-year-old school-age children with developmental language disorder (DLD; n = 14) and age-matched children with typical development (TD; n = 15). Children performed a visual two-choice word-learning task and a visual probabilistic classification task while their electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded non-invasively from the scalp. Behavioral measures of accuracy and response to feedback, and electrophysiological responses to feedback were collected and compared between the two groups. While behavioral data indicated poorer performance by children with DLD in both learning paradigms, and similar response patterns to positive and negative feedback, electrophysiological data highlighted processing patterns in the DLD group that differed by task. More specifically, in this group, feedback processing in the context of declarative learning, which is known to be dominated by the medial temporal lobe (MTL), was associated with enhanced N170, an event-related brain potential (ERP) associated with MTL activation. The N170 amplitude was found to be correlated with declarative task performance in the DLD group. During probabilistic learning, known to be governed by the striatal-based learning system, the feedback-related negativity (FRN) ERP, which is the product of the cortico-striatal circuit dominated feedback processing. Within the context of probabilistic learning, enhanced N170 was associated with poor learning in the TD group, suggesting that MTL activation during probabilistic learning disrupts learning. These results are interpreted within the context of a proposed feedback parity hypothesis suggesting that in children with DLD, the system that dominates learning (i.e., MTL during declarative learning and the striatum during probabilistic learning) dominates and supports feedback processing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Yael Arbel
- MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA 02129, USA; (A.G.); (L.S.B.); (K.B.B.); (A.L.S.)
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7
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Abbott N, Love T. Bridging the Divide: Brain and Behavior in Developmental Language Disorder. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1606. [PMID: 38002565 PMCID: PMC10670267 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13111606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a heterogenous neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a child's ability to comprehend and/or produce spoken and/or written language, yet it cannot be attributed to hearing loss or overt neurological damage. It is widely believed that some combination of genetic, biological, and environmental factors influences brain and language development in this population, but it has been difficult to bridge theoretical accounts of DLD with neuroimaging findings, due to heterogeneity in language impairment profiles across individuals and inconsistent neuroimaging findings. Therefore, the purpose of this overview is two-fold: (1) to summarize the neuroimaging literature (while drawing on findings from other language-impaired populations, where appropriate); and (2) to briefly review the theoretical accounts of language impairment patterns in DLD, with the goal of bridging the disparate findings. As will be demonstrated with this overview, the current state of the field suggests that children with DLD have atypical brain volume, laterality, and activation/connectivity patterns in key language regions that likely contribute to language difficulties. However, the precise nature of these differences and the underlying neural mechanisms contributing to them remain an open area of investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelle Abbott
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA;
- San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
| | - Tracy Love
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA;
- San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
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8
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Asaridou SS, Cler GJ, Wiedemann A, Krishnan S, Smith HJ, Willis HE, Healy MP, Watkins KE. Microstructural Properties of the Cerebellar Peduncles in Children with Developmental Language Disorder. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.13.548858. [PMID: 37503009 PMCID: PMC10370025 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.13.548858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) struggle to learn their native language for no apparent reason. While research on the neurobiological underpinnings of the disorder has focused on the role of cortico-striatal systems, little is known about the role of the cerebellum in DLD. Cortico-cerebellar circuits might be involved in the disorder as they contribute to complex sensorimotor skill learning, including the acquisition of spoken language. Here, we used diffusion-weighted imaging data from 77 typically developing and 54 children with DLD and performed probabilistic tractography to identify the cerebellum's white matter tracts: the inferior, middle, and superior cerebellar peduncles. Children with DLD showed lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in the inferior cerebellar peduncles (ICP), fiber tracts that carry motor and sensory input via the inferior olive to the cerebellum. Lower FA in DLD was driven by lower axial diffusivity. Probing this further with more sophisticated modeling of diffusion data, we found higher orientation dispersion but no difference in neurite density in the ICP of DLD. Reduced FA is therefore unlikely to be reflecting microstructural differences in myelination in this tract, rather the organization of axons in these pathways is disrupted. ICP microstructure was not associated with language or motor coordination performance in our sample. We also found no differences in the middle and superior peduncles, the main pathways connecting the cerebellum with the cortex. To conclude, it is not cortico-cerebellar but atypical olivocerebellar white matter connections that characterize DLD and suggest the involvement of the olivocerebellar system in speech acquisition and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salomi S. Asaridou
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Gabriel J. Cler
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Anna Wiedemann
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Saloni Krishnan
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Surrey, UK
| | - Harriet J. Smith
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hanna E. Willis
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Máiréad P. Healy
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kate E. Watkins
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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9
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Gul A, Baron LS, Arbel Y. The contribution of theta and delta to feedback processing in children with developmental language disorder. J Neurodev Disord 2023; 15:13. [PMID: 37069567 PMCID: PMC10108548 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-023-09481-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The study aimed at evaluating feedback processing at the electrophysiological level and its relation to learning in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) to further advance our understanding of the underlying neural mechanisms of feedback-based learning in children with this disorder. METHOD A feedback-based probabilistic learning task required children to classify novel cartoon animals into two categories that differ on five binary features, the probabilistic combination of which determined classification. The learning outcomes' variance in relation to time- and time-frequency measures of feedback processing were examined and compared between 20 children with developmental language disorder and 25 age-matched children with typical language development. RESULTS Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) performed poorer on the task when compared with their age-matched peers with typical language development (TD). The electrophysiological data in the time domain indicated no differences in the processing of positive and negative feedback among children with DLD. However, the time-frequency analysis revealed a strong theta activity in response to negative feedback in this group, suggesting an initial distinction between positive and negative feedback that was not captured by the ERP data. In the TD group, delta activity played a major role in shaping the FRN and P3a and was found to predict test performance. Delta did not contribute to the FRN and P3a in the DLD group. Additionally, theta and delta activities were not associated with the learning outcomes of children with DLD. CONCLUSION Theta activity, which is associated with the initial processing of feedback at the level of the anterior cingulate cortex, was detected in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) but was not associated with their learning outcomes. Delta activity, which is assumed to be generated by the striatum and to be linked to elaborate processing of outcomes and adjustment of future actions, contributed to processing and learning outcomes of children with typical language development but not of children with DLD. The results provide evidence for atypical striatum-based feedback processing in children with DLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asiya Gul
- MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Yael Arbel
- MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA, USA.
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10
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Tseng YT, Hsu HJ. Not only motor skill performance but also haptic function is impaired in children with developmental language disorder. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2023; 134:104412. [PMID: 36638673 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies have found an association between motor immaturity and developmental language impairment in children. However, systematic investigations of somatosensory dysfunctions that might be linked to motor deficits in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) are lacking. AIMS Examined haptic perception and motor skills in school-age children with DLD and typically-developing (TD) children. METHODS Sixteen children with DLD and sixteen age-matched TD children performed a curvature detection task measuring haptic sensitivity and a curvature discrimination task measuring haptic acuity. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd edition (MABC-2) was also conducted to evaluate children's motor ability. RESULTS The results revealed elevated thresholds of both haptic detection (67.5%) and haptic discrimination (67.9%) in the DLD group when compared to the TD group. In addition, the children with DLD performed significantly less well on the manual dexterity of MABC-2. Finally, a lower haptic acuity was associated with poorer manual dexterity scores of MABC-2. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates for the first time that not only motor skills, but also haptic function is altered in children with DLD. The observed association between manual dexterity and haptic acuity suggests a close relationship between haptic and motor skills in school-age children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ting Tseng
- Department of Kinesiology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu City, Taiwan; Research Center for Education and Mind Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu City, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Jen Hsu
- Department of Special Education, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu City, Taiwan; Research Center for Education and Mind Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu City, Taiwan.
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11
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Krishnan S, Cler GJ, Smith HJ, Willis HE, Asaridou SS, Healy MP, Papp D, Watkins KE. Quantitative MRI reveals differences in striatal myelin in children with DLD. eLife 2022; 11:e74242. [PMID: 36164824 PMCID: PMC9514847 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by receptive or expressive language difficulties or both. While theoretical frameworks and empirical studies support the idea that there may be neural correlates of DLD in frontostriatal loops, findings are inconsistent across studies. Here, we use a novel semiquantitative imaging protocol - multi-parameter mapping (MPM) - to investigate microstructural neural differences in children with DLD. The MPM protocol allows us to reproducibly map specific indices of tissue microstructure. In 56 typically developing children and 33 children with DLD, we derived maps of (1) longitudinal relaxation rate R1 (1/T1), (2) transverse relaxation rate R2* (1/T2*), and (3) Magnetization Transfer saturation (MTsat). R1 and MTsat predominantly index myelin, while R2* is sensitive to iron content. Children with DLD showed reductions in MTsat values in the caudate nucleus bilaterally, as well as in the left ventral sensorimotor cortex and Heschl's gyrus. They also had globally lower R1 values. No group differences were noted in R2* maps. Differences in MTsat and R1 were coincident in the caudate nucleus bilaterally. These findings support our hypothesis of corticostriatal abnormalities in DLD and indicate abnormal levels of myelin in the dorsal striatum in children with DLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saloni Krishnan
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Dept of Experimental Psychology, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham HillLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Gabriel J Cler
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Dept of Experimental Psychology, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of WashingtonSeattleUnited States
| | - Harriet J Smith
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Dept of Experimental Psychology, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Hanna E Willis
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Dept of Experimental Psychology, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe HospitalOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Salomi S Asaridou
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Dept of Experimental Psychology, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Máiréad P Healy
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Dept of Experimental Psychology, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Daniel Papp
- NeuroPoly Lab, Biomedical Engineering Department, Polytechnique MontrealMontrealCanada
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Kate E Watkins
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Dept of Experimental Psychology, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
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12
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Gul A, Baron L, Arbel Y. Feedback Processing During Probabilistic Learning in Children With Developmental Language Disorder: An Event-Related Potential Study. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:2272-2287. [PMID: 35512302 PMCID: PMC9567367 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-21-00612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine feedback processing within the context of probabilistic learning in children with and without developmental language disorder (DLD). METHOD The probabilistic category learning task required 28 children ages 8-13 years old to classify novel cartoon animals that differed in five binary features into one of two categories. Performance feedback guided incremental learning of the stimuli classifications. Feedback processing was compared between children with DLD and age-matched children with typical development (TD) by measuring the magnitude of feedback-related event-related potentials. Additionally, the likelihood of each group to repeat a classification of a stimulus following positive feedback ("stay" behavior) and change a classification following negative feedback ("switch" behavior) served as a measure of the consequence of feedback processing. RESULTS Children with DLD achieved lower classification accuracy on all learning outcomes compared to their peers with TD. Children with DLD were less likely than those with TD to demonstrate "stay" behavior or to repeat a correct response following positive feedback. "Switch" behavior or changing an incorrect response following negative feedback was found to be at chance level in both groups. Electrophysiological data indicated that children with DLD had a smaller feedback-related negativity effect (i.e., smaller differential processing of positive and negative feedback) when compared to children with TD. Although no differences were found between the two groups in the amplitude of the P3a, strong positive correlations were found between "stay/switch" behavior and the P3a for children in the TD group only. CONCLUSIONS Children with DLD do not appear to benefit from incremental corrective feedback to the same extent as their peers with TD. Processing differences are captured in the initial stages of feedback evaluation and in translating information carried by the feedback to inform future actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asiya Gul
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA
| | - Lauren Baron
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA
| | - Yael Arbel
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA
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13
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He L, Li H, Chen M, Wang J, Altaye M, Dillman JR, Parikh NA. Deep Multimodal Learning From MRI and Clinical Data for Early Prediction of Neurodevelopmental Deficits in Very Preterm Infants. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:753033. [PMID: 34675773 PMCID: PMC8525883 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.753033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of disabled survivors of prematurity has increased dramatically in the past 3 decades. These survivors, especially, very preterm infants (VPIs), born ≤ 32 weeks gestational age, are at high risk for neurodevelopmental impairments. Early and clinically effective personalized prediction of outcomes, which forms the basis for early treatment decisions, is urgently needed during the peak neuroplasticity window—the first couple of years after birth—for at-risk infants, when intervention is likely to be most effective. Advances in MRI enable the noninvasive visualization of infants' brains through acquired multimodal images, which are more informative than unimodal MRI data by providing complementary/supplementary depicting of brain tissue characteristics and pathology. Thus, analyzing quantitative multimodal MRI features affords unique opportunities to study early postnatal brain development and neurodevelopmental outcome prediction in VPIs. In this study, we investigated the predictive power of multimodal MRI data, including T2-weighted anatomical MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, resting-state functional MRI, and clinical data for the prediction of neurodevelopmental deficits. We hypothesize that integrating multimodal MRI and clinical data improves the prediction over using each individual data modality. Employing the aforementioned multimodal data, we proposed novel end-to-end deep multimodal models to predict neurodevelopmental (i.e., cognitive, language, and motor) deficits independently at 2 years corrected age. We found that the proposed models can predict cognitive, language, and motor deficits at 2 years corrected age with an accuracy of 88.4, 87.2, and 86.7%, respectively, significantly better than using individual data modalities. This current study can be considered as proof-of-concept. A larger study with external validation is important to validate our approach to further assess its clinical utility and overall generalizability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili He
- Imaging Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States.,Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States.,Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Hailong Li
- Imaging Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States.,Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Ming Chen
- Imaging Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States.,Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States.,Department of Electronic Engineering and Computing Systems, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Jinghua Wang
- Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Mekibib Altaye
- Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Jonathan R Dillman
- Imaging Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States.,Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States.,Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Nehal A Parikh
- The Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
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14
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Lum JAG, Clark GM. Implicit manual and oculomotor sequence learning in developmental language disorder. Dev Sci 2021; 25:e13156. [PMID: 34240500 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Procedural memory functioning in developmental language disorder (DLD) has largely been investigated by examining implicit sequence learning by the manual motor system. This study examined whether poor sequence learning in DLD is present in the oculomotor domain. Twenty children with DLD and 20 age-matched typically developing (TD) children were presented with a serial reaction time (SRT) task. On the task, a visual stimulus repeatedly appears in different positions on a computer display which prompts a manual response. The children were unaware that on the first three blocks and final block of trials, the visual stimulus followed a sequence. On the fourth block, the stimulus appeared in random positions. Manual reaction times (RT) and saccadic amplitudes were recorded, which assessed sequence learning in the manual and oculomotor domains, respectively. Manual RT were sensitive to sequence learning for the TD group, but not the DLD group. For the TD group, manual RT increased when the random block was presented. This was not the case for the DLD group. In the oculomotor domain, sequence learning was present in both groups. Specifically, sequence learning was found to modulate saccadic amplitudes resulting in both DLD and TD children being able to anticipate the location of the visual stimulus. Overall, the study indicates that not all aspects of the procedural memory system are equally impaired in DLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarrad A G Lum
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
| | - Gillian M Clark
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
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15
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The Neurological Basis of Developmental Dyslexia and Related Disorders: A Reappraisal of the Temporal Hypothesis, Twenty Years on. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11060708. [PMID: 34071786 PMCID: PMC8229928 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
In a now-classic article published a couple of decades ago (Brain, 2000; 123: 2373-2399), I proposed an "extended temporal processing deficit hypothesis of dyslexia", suggesting that a deficit in temporal processing could explain not only language-related peculiarities usually noticed in dyslexic children, but also a wider range of symptoms related to impaired processing of time in general. In the present review paper, I will revisit this "historical" hypothesis both in the light of a new clinical perspective, including the central yet poorly explained notion of comorbidity, and also taking a new look at the most recent experimental work, mainly focusing on brain imaging data. First, consistent with daily clinical practice, I propose to distinguish three groups of children who fail to learn to read, of fairly equal occurrence, who share the same initial presentation (difficulty in mastering the rules of grapheme-phoneme correspondence) but with differing associated signs and/or comorbid conditions (language disorders in the first group, attentional deficits in the second one, and motor coordination problems in the last one), thus suggesting, at least in part, potentially different triggering mechanisms. It is then suggested, in the light of brain imaging information available to date, that the three main clinical presentations/associations of cognitive impairments that compromise reading skills acquisition correspond to three distinct patterns of miswiring or "disconnectivity" in specific brain networks which have in common their involvement in the process of learning and their heavy reliance on temporal features of information processing. With reference to the classic temporal processing deficit of dyslexia and to recent evidence of an inability of the dyslexic brain to achieve adequate coupling of oscillatory brain activity to the temporal features of external events, a general model is proposed according to which a common mechanism of temporal uncoupling between various disconnected-and/or mis-wired-processors may account for distinct forms of specific learning disorders, with reading impairment being a more or less constant feature. Finally, the potential therapeutic implications of such a view are considered, with special emphasis on methods seeking to enhance cross-modal connectivity between separate brain systems, including those using rhythmic and musical training in dyslexic patients.
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16
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Arbel Y, Fitzpatrick I, He X. Learning With and Without Feedback in Children With Developmental Language Disorder. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:1696-1711. [PMID: 33877883 PMCID: PMC8608225 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-20-00499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Intervention provided to school-age children with developmental language disorder often relies on the provision of performance feedback, yet it is unclear whether children with this disorder benefit from feedback-based learning. The study evaluates the effect of performance feedback on learning in children with developmental language disorder. Method Thirteen 8- to 12-year-old children with developmental language disorder and 14 age- and gender-matched children with typical language development completed two learning tasks whose objective was to pair nonword novel names with novel objects. The two tasks differed in the presence of performance feedback to guide learning. Learning outcomes on immediate and follow-up tests were compared between the feedback-based and feedback-free tasks. Additionally, an electrophysiological marker of feedback processing was compared between children with and without developmental language disorder. Results Children with developmental language disorder demonstrated poorer learning outcomes on both tasks when compared with their peers, but both groups achieved better accuracy on the feedback-free task when compared with the feedback-based task. Within the feedback-based task, children were more likely to repeat a correct response than to change it after positive feedback but were as likely to repeat an error as they were to correct it after receiving negative feedback. While children with typical language elicited a feedback-related negativity with greater amplitude to negative feedback, this event-related potential had no amplitude differences between positive and negative feedback in children with developmental language disorder. Conclusions Findings indicate that 8- to 12-year-old children benefit more from a feedback-free learning environment and that negative feedback is not as effective as positive feedback in facilitating learning in children. The behavioral and electrophysiological data provide evidence that feedback processing is impaired in children with developmental language disorders. Future research should evaluate feedback-based learning in children with this disorder using other learning paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yael Arbel
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA
| | - Isabel Fitzpatrick
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA
| | - Xinyi He
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA
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17
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Earle FS, Ullman MT. Deficits of Learning in Procedural Memory and Consolidation in Declarative Memory in Adults With Developmental Language Disorder. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:531-541. [PMID: 33524264 PMCID: PMC8632504 DOI: 10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Purpose This study examined procedural and declarative learning and consolidation abilities in adults with developmental language disorder (DLD) relative to their typical language (TD) peers. Method A total of 100 young adults (age 18-24 years) with (n = 21) and without (n = 79) DLD participated across two sites. Performance measures on a recognition memory task and a serial reaction time task were used to assess declarative and procedural memory, respectively. Performance was measured shortly after learning (8 a.m.) and again after a 12-hr, overnight delay (8 a.m.). Results Linear mixed-effects modeling was used to examine the effects of time and group membership on task performance. For the serial reaction time task, there were significant effects of group (TD > DLD) and time (Day 1 > Day 2), but no interaction between them. For the recognition memory task, there was a significant interaction between group and time, driven by overnight gains in the TD group, combined with stable performance across days by those with DLD. Conclusions In procedural memory, adults with DLD demonstrate a learning deficit relative to adults without DLD, but appear to have comparable retention of learned information. In declarative memory, adults with DLD demonstrate a deficit in the overnight enhancement of memory retrieval, despite typical-like learning exhibited when tested shortly after encoding. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13626485.
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Affiliation(s)
- F. Sayako Earle
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Delaware, Newark
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18
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Krishnan S, Asaridou SS, Cler GJ, Smith HJ, Willis HE, Healy MP, Thompson PA, Bishop DVM, Watkins KE. Functional organisation for verb generation in children with developmental language disorder. Neuroimage 2020; 226:117599. [PMID: 33285329 PMCID: PMC7836232 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental language disorder (DLD) is characterised by difficulties in learning one's native language for no apparent reason. These language difficulties occur in 7% of children and are known to limit future academic and social achievement. Our understanding of the brain abnormalities associated with DLD is limited. Here, we used a simple four-minute verb generation task (children saw a picture of an object and were instructed to say an action that goes with that object) to test children between the ages of 10-15 years (DLD N = 50, typically developing N = 67). We also tested 26 children with poor language ability who did not meet our criteria for DLD. Contrary to our registered predictions, we found that children with DLD did not have (i) reduced activity in language relevant regions such as the left inferior frontal cortex; (ii) dysfunctional striatal activity during overt production; or (iii) a reduction in left-lateralised activity in frontal cortex. Indeed, performance of this simple language task evoked activity in children with DLD in the same regions and to a similar level as in typically developing children. Consistent with previous reports, we found sub-threshold group differences in the left inferior frontal gyrus and caudate nuclei, but only when analysis was limited to a subsample of the DLD group (N = 14) who had the poorest performance on the task. Additionally, we used a two-factor model to capture variation in all children studied (N = 143) on a range of neuropsychological tests and found that these language and verbal memory factors correlated with activity in different brain regions. Our findings indicate a lack of support for some neurological models of atypical language learning, such as the procedural deficit hypothesis or the atypical lateralization hypothesis, at least when using simple language tasks that children can perform. These results also emphasise the importance of controlling for and monitoring task performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saloni Krishnan
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK; Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK.
| | - Salomi S Asaridou
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Gabriel J Cler
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Harriet J Smith
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK; MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Hannah E Willis
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK; Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Máiréad P Healy
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Paul A Thompson
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Dorothy V M Bishop
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Kate E Watkins
- Department of Experimental Psychology & Wellcome Trust Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
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19
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Lee JC, Dick AS, Tomblin JB. Altered brain structures in the dorsal and ventral language pathways in individuals with and without developmental language disorder (DLD). Brain Imaging Behav 2020; 14:2569-2586. [PMID: 31933046 PMCID: PMC7354888 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-019-00209-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulty learning and using language, and this difficulty cannot be attributed to other developmental conditions. The aim of the current study was to examine structural differences in dorsal and ventral language pathways between adolescents and young adults with and without DLD (age range: 14-27 years) using anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Results showed age-related structural brain differences in both dorsal and ventral pathways in individuals with DLD. These findings provide evidence for neuroanatomical correlates of persistent language deficits in adolescents/young adults with DLD, and further suggest that this brain-language relationship in DLD is better characterized by taking account the dynamic course of the disorder along development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna C Lee
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
| | | | - J Bruce Tomblin
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
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20
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Lee JC, Nopoulos PC, Tomblin JB. Procedural and declarative memory brain systems in developmental language disorder (DLD). BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2020; 205:104789. [PMID: 32240854 PMCID: PMC7161705 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the current study was to examine microstructural differences in white matter relevant to procedural and declarative memory between adolescents/young adults with and without Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The findings showed atypical age-related changes in white matter structures in the corticostriatal system, in the corticocerebellar system, and in the medial temporal region in individuals with DLD. Results highlight the importance of considering the age factor in research on DLD. Future studies are needed to examine the developmental relationship between long-term memory and individual differences in language development and learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna C Lee
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - Peggy C Nopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa, The Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - J Bruce Tomblin
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
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21
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Abstract
Developmental language disorders (DLD) are prevalent and persistent among school-age children but are often underrecognized. This chapter discusses the ways in which the various components of communication are impacted by these disorders and outlines the differences in expression seen in different languages. Research on biological and psychologic roots of the syndrome is also reviewed. As yet, no single definitive cause has been identified; the disorders are likely to result from a constellation of genetic, biological, and cognitive weaknesses that are influenced by environmental experiences. Basic methods of assessment and differential diagnosis are presented and the principles guiding the development of intervention programs are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhea Paul
- Department of Communication Disorders, College of Health Professions, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, United States.
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22
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Pigdon L, Willmott C, Reilly S, Conti-Ramsden G, Gaser C, Connelly A, Morgan AT. Grey matter volume in developmental speech and language disorder. Brain Struct Funct 2019; 224:3387-3398. [PMID: 31732792 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-019-01978-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Developmental language disorder (DLD) and developmental speech disorder (DSD) are common, yet their etiologies are not well understood. Atypical volume of the inferior and posterior language regions and striatum have been reported in DLD; however, variability in both methodology and study findings limits interpretations. Imaging research within DSD, on the other hand, is scarce. The present study compared grey matter volume in children with DLD, DSD, and typically developing speech and language. Compared to typically developing controls, children with DLD had larger volume in the right cerebellum, possibly associated with the procedural learning deficits that have been proposed in DLD. Children with DSD showed larger volume in the left inferior occipital lobe compared to controls, which may indicate a compensatory role of the visual processing regions due to sub-optimal auditory-perceptual processes. Overall, these findings suggest that different neural systems may be involved in the specific deficits related to DLD and DSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Pigdon
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Catherine Willmott
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.,Monash-Epworth Rehabilitation Research Centre, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Sheena Reilly
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, G40 Level 8.86, Mount Gravatt, QLD, 4222, Australia
| | - Gina Conti-Ramsden
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.,The University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Christian Gaser
- Jena University Hospital, Am Klinikum 1, 07747, Jena, Germany
| | - Alan Connelly
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, 245 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg, VIC, 3084, Australia.,University of Melbourne, Grattan Street, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Angela T Morgan
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia. .,University of Melbourne, Grattan Street, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia. .,Royal Children's Hospital, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.
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23
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McMurray B, Klein-Packard J, Tomblin JB. A real-time mechanism underlying lexical deficits in developmental language disorder: Between-word inhibition. Cognition 2019; 191:104000. [PMID: 31234114 PMCID: PMC6988176 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2018] [Revised: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Eight to 11% of children have a clinical disorder in oral language (Developmental Language Disorder, DLD). Language deficits in DLD can affect all levels of language and persist through adulthood. Word-level processing may be critical as words link phonology, orthography, syntax and semantics. Thus, a lexical deficit could cascade throughout language. Cognitively, word recognition is a competition process: as the input (e.g., lizard) unfolds, multiple candidates (liver, wizard) compete for recognition. Children with DLD do not fully resolve this competition, but it is unclear what cognitive mechanisms underlie this. We examined lexical inhibition-the ability of more active words to suppress competitors-in 79 adolescents with and without DLD. Participants heard words (e.g. net) in which the onset was manipulated to briefly favor a competitor (neck). This was predicted to inhibit the target, slowing recognition. Word recognition was measured using a task in which participants heard the stimulus, and clicked on a picture of the item from an array of competitors, while eye-movements were monitored as a measure of how strongly the participant was committed to that interpretation over time. TD listeners showed evidence of inhibition with greater interference for stimuli that briefly activated a competitor word. DLD listeners did not. This suggests deficits in DLD may stem from a failure to engage lexical inhibition. This in turn could have ripple effects throughout the language system. This supports theoretical approaches to DLD that emphasize lexical-level deficits, and deficits in real-time processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob McMurray
- Dept. of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, United States; Dept. of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Iowa, United States; Dept. of Linguistics, University of Iowa, United States; Dept. of Otolaryngology, University of Iowa, United States; DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, United States.
| | | | - J Bruce Tomblin
- Dept. of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Iowa, United States; DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, United States
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24
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Cooper HE, Kaden E, Halliday LF, Bamiou DE, Mankad K, Peters C, Clark CA. White matter microstructural abnormalities in children with severe congenital hypothyroidism. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 24:101980. [PMID: 31446316 PMCID: PMC6713841 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2018] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
This study assessed white matter microstructural integrity and behavioral correlates for children with severe congenital hypothyroidism (CH) who were identified and treated early following newborn screening. Eighteen children with severe CH and 21 healthy controls underwent a battery of behavioral measures of hearing, language and communication, along with diffusion MR imaging. Tract-based spatial statistics were performed on standard diffusion parameters of fractional anisotropy and diffusivity metrics. Microscopic diffusion anisotropy mapping based on the Spherical Mean Technique was also used to evaluate biologically specific metrics. Compared with age-matched controls, children with severe CH had poorer hearing and communication skills, albeit generally within normal limits. Children with severe CH had fractional anisotropy that was significantly lower in the cerebellum, bilateral thalami and right temporal lobe, and radial diffusivity that was significantly higher in the cerebellum and bilateral thalami. Microscopic fractional anisotropy and intra-neurite volume fraction were also significantly decreased, and transverse microscopic diffusivity was significantly increased, in the CH group in areas including the cerebellum, thalamus, occipital lobe, and corpus callosum, and in the white matter adjacent to sensorimotor cortex, particularly in the left hemisphere. Significant and widespread correlations were observed between behavioral measures and measures of white matter microstructural integrity in children with CH. The results indicate that children with severe CH who are identified through newborn screening may have significant brain white matter microstructural abnormalities despite early treatment. Children with severe CH show reductions in white matter microstructural integrity. Hearing and communication abilities are impaired for some children with severe CH. White matter abnormalities are associated with communication abilities in CH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E Cooper
- Developmental Imaging and Biophysics Section, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK; Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Reading, UK.
| | - Enrico Kaden
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Lorna F Halliday
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Doris-Eva Bamiou
- UCL Ear Institute, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK; National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK
| | - Kshitij Mankad
- Department of Neuroradiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK
| | - Catherine Peters
- Department of Endocrinology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK
| | - Christopher A Clark
- Developmental Imaging and Biophysics Section, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
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Left hemisphere enhancement of auditory activation in language impaired children. Sci Rep 2019; 9:9087. [PMID: 31235763 PMCID: PMC6591383 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45597-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Specific language impairment (SLI) is a developmental disorder linked to deficient auditory processing. In this magnetoencephalography (MEG) study we investigated a specific prolonged auditory response (N250m) that has been reported predominantly in children and is associated with level of language skills. We recorded auditory responses evoked by sine-wave tones presented alternately to the right and left ear of 9-10-year-old children with SLI (n = 10) and children with typical language development (n = 10). Source analysis was used to isolate the N250m response in the left and right hemisphere. In children with language impairment left-hemisphere N250m responses were enhanced compared to those of controls, while no group difference was found in the right hemisphere. Consequently, language impaired children lacked the typical right-ward asymmetry that was found in control children. Furthermore, left but not right hemisphere N250m responses correlated positively with performance on a phonological processing task in the SLI group exclusively, possibly signifying a compensatory mechanism for delayed maturation of language processing. These results suggest that enhanced left-hemisphere auditory activation reflects a core neurophysiological manifestation of developmental language disorders, and emphasize the relevance of this developmentally specific activation pattern for competent language development.
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Scheppele M, Evans JL, Brown TT. Patterns of structural lateralization in cortical language areas of older adolescents. Laterality 2018; 24:450-481. [DOI: 10.1080/1357650x.2018.1543312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Meredith Scheppele
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Texas-Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Julia L. Evans
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Texas-Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Timothy T. Brown
- Department of Neurosciences and Center for Multimodal Imaging and Genetics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Lee JC. Episodic memory retrieval in adolescents with and without developmental language disorder (DLD). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2018; 53:271-281. [PMID: 29119716 PMCID: PMC5835159 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Revised: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 08/13/2017] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Two reasons may explain the discrepant findings regarding declarative memory in developmental language disorder (DLD) in the literature. First, standardized tests are one of the primary tools used to assess declarative memory in previous studies. It is possible they are not sensitive enough to subtle memory impairment. Second, the system underlying declarative memory is complex, and thus results may vary depending on the types of encoding and retrieval processes measured (e.g., item specific or relational) and/or task demands (e.g., recall or recognition during memory retrieval). AIMS To adopt an experimental paradigm to examine episodic memory functioning in adolescents with and without DLD, with the focus on memory recognition of item-specific and relational information. METHODS & PROCEDURES Two groups of adolescents, one with DLD (n = 23; mean age = 16.73 years) and the other without (n = 23; mean age = 16.75 years), participated in the study. The Relational and Item-Specific Encoding (RISE) paradigm was used to assess the effect of different encoding processes on episodic memory retrieval in DLD. The advantage of using the RISE task is that both item-specific and relational encoding/retrieval can be examined within the same learning paradigm. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Adolescents with DLD and those with typical language development showed comparable engagement during the encoding phase. The DLD group showed significantly poorer item recognition than the comparison group. Associative recognition was not significantly different between the two groups; however, there was a non-significant trend for to be poorer in the DLD group than in the comparison group, suggesting a possible impairment in associative recognition in individuals with DLD, but to a lesser magnitude. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS These results indicate that adolescents with DLD have difficulty with episodic memory retrieval when stimuli are encoded and retrieved without support from contextual information. Associative recognition is relatively less affected than item recognition in adolescents with DLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna C Lee
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
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Covington NV, Brown-Schmidt S, Duff MC. The Necessity of the Hippocampus for Statistical Learning. J Cogn Neurosci 2018; 30:680-697. [PMID: 29308986 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Converging evidence points to a role for the hippocampus in statistical learning, but open questions about its necessity remain. Evidence for necessity comes from Schapiro and colleagues who report that a single patient with damage to hippocampus and broader medial temporal lobe cortex was unable to discriminate new from old sequences in several statistical learning tasks. The aim of the current study was to replicate these methods in a larger group of patients who have either damage localized to hippocampus or broader medial temporal lobe damage, to ascertain the necessity of the hippocampus in statistical learning. Patients with hippocampal damage consistently showed less learning overall compared with healthy comparison participants, consistent with an emerging consensus for hippocampal contributions to statistical learning. Interestingly, lesion size did not reliably predict performance. However, patients with hippocampal damage were not uniformly at chance and demonstrated above-chance performance in some task variants. These results suggest that hippocampus is necessary for statistical learning levels achieved by most healthy comparison participants but significant hippocampal pathology alone does not abolish such learning.
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Lee JC. Insensitivity to response-contingent feedback in adolescents with developmental language disorder (DLD). BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2017; 174:112-118. [PMID: 28841425 PMCID: PMC5610091 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2017.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Revised: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate the efficiency of the use of response-contingent feedback in adolescents with and without developmental language disorder (DLD) by using the balloon analogue risk task (BART). The BIS/BAS scales were also used to evaluate a participant's responses to reward- or punishment-related events in everyday situations. The results showed that adolescents with DLD performed on the BART at a suboptimal level due to inefficient use of response-contingent feedback. Findings of the BIS/BAS scales also generate a possible hypothesis of reduced motivational salience for larger monetary outcomes in DLD. Given that dopamine plays an important role in modulating BART responding through the corticostriatal pathways, these behavioral findings implicate an association between dopamine and individual differences in language, including DLD. Future studies are needed to directly test whether people with DLD have reduced level of dopamine in striatal neural synapses, leading to dopamine-dependent learning difficulty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna C Lee
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242, USA.
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Subcortical Brain and Behavior Phenotypes Differentiate Infants With Autism Versus Language Delay. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2017; 2:664-672. [PMID: 29560900 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2017.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are themselves at increased risk for ASD and other developmental concerns. It is unclear if infants who display developmental concerns, but are unaffected by ASD, share similar or dissimilar behavioral and brain phenotypes to infants with ASD. Most individuals with ASD exhibit heterogeneous difficulties with language, and their receptive-expressive language profiles are often atypical. Yet, little is known about the neurobiology that contributes to these language difficulties. METHODS In this study, we used behavioral assessments and structural magnetic resonance imaging to investigate early brain structures and associations with later language skills. High-risk infants who were later diagnosed with ASD (n = 86) were compared with high-risk infants who showed signs of early language delay (n = 41) as well as with high- and low-risk infants who did not have ASD or language delay (n = 255 and 143, respectively). RESULTS Results indicated that diminished language skills were evident at 12 months in infants with ASD and infants with early language delay. At 24 months of age, only the infants with ASD displayed atypical receptive-expressive language profiles. Associations between 12-month subcortical volumes and 24-month language skills were moderated by group status, indicating disordinal brain-behavior associations among infants with ASD and infants with language delay. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that there are different brain mechanisms influencing language development in infants with ASD and infants with language delay, and that the two groups likely experience unique sets of genetic and environmental risk factors.
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[Influence of home nurture environment on language development and social emotion in children with developmental language disorder]. ZHONGGUO DANG DAI ER KE ZA ZHI = CHINESE JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY PEDIATRICS 2017. [PMID: 28506348 PMCID: PMC7389138 DOI: 10.7499/j.issn.1008-8830.2017.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the influence of home nurture environment on language development and social emotion in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). METHODS The 1-3 Years Child Home Nurture Environment Scale, Gesell Developmental Scale, and Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment Scale were used for the evaluation of 125 children with DLD. A total of 130 children with normal language development matched for age and sex were enrolled as control group. RESULTS Compared with the control group, the DLD group had a significantly higher proportion of children in a bad home nurture environment and significantly lower scores of all domains of home nurture environment (P<0.05). In children with DLD, the home nurture environment score was positively correlated with the level of language development (r=0.536, P<0.01) and the score of ability domain in social emotion (r=0.397, P<0.01) and was negatively correlated with the scores of the domains of explicit behavior, covert behavior, and imbalance in social emotion (r=-0.455, -0.438, and -0.390 respectively, P<0.01). Home nurture environment had direct influence on language development in children with DLD and affected their language development via the mediating effect of social emotion. CONCLUSIONS Home nurture environment influences language development and social emotion in children with DLD, and social emotion has a partial mediating effect between home nurture environment and language development.
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Li GK, Liu GH, Qian QF, Ge P, Xie YQ, Yang MY, Wang ZQ, Ou P. [Influence of home nurture environment on language development and social emotion in children with developmental language disorder]. ZHONGGUO DANG DAI ER KE ZA ZHI = CHINESE JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY PEDIATRICS 2017; 19:555-559. [PMID: 28506348 PMCID: PMC7389138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the influence of home nurture environment on language development and social emotion in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). METHODS The 1-3 Years Child Home Nurture Environment Scale, Gesell Developmental Scale, and Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment Scale were used for the evaluation of 125 children with DLD. A total of 130 children with normal language development matched for age and sex were enrolled as control group. RESULTS Compared with the control group, the DLD group had a significantly higher proportion of children in a bad home nurture environment and significantly lower scores of all domains of home nurture environment (P<0.05). In children with DLD, the home nurture environment score was positively correlated with the level of language development (r=0.536, P<0.01) and the score of ability domain in social emotion (r=0.397, P<0.01) and was negatively correlated with the scores of the domains of explicit behavior, covert behavior, and imbalance in social emotion (r=-0.455, -0.438, and -0.390 respectively, P<0.01). Home nurture environment had direct influence on language development in children with DLD and affected their language development via the mediating effect of social emotion. CONCLUSIONS Home nurture environment influences language development and social emotion in children with DLD, and social emotion has a partial mediating effect between home nurture environment and language development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Kai Li
- Department of Infection Control, Fujian Provincial Maternity and Children's Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350001, China.
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Early neuroimaging markers of FOXP2 intragenic deletion. Sci Rep 2016; 6:35192. [PMID: 27734906 PMCID: PMC5062117 DOI: 10.1038/srep35192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
FOXP2 is the major gene associated with severe, persistent, developmental speech and language disorders. While studies in the original family in which a FOXP2 mutation was found showed volume reduction and reduced activation in core language and speech networks, there have been no imaging studies of different FOXP2 mutations. We conducted a multimodal MRI study in an eight-year-old boy (A-II) with a de novo FOXP2 intragenic deletion. A-II showed marked bilateral volume reductions in the hippocampus, thalamus, globus pallidus, and caudate nucleus compared with 26 control males (effect sizes from −1 to −3). He showed no detectable functional MRI activity when repeating nonsense words. The hippocampus is implicated for the first time in FOXP2 diseases. We conclude that FOXP2 anomaly is either directly or indirectly associated with atypical development of widespread subcortical networks early in life.
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Neurobiological Basis of Language Learning Difficulties. Trends Cogn Sci 2016; 20:701-714. [PMID: 27422443 PMCID: PMC4993149 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2016.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2016] [Revised: 06/18/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In this paper we highlight why there is a need to examine subcortical learning systems in children with language impairment and dyslexia, rather than focusing solely on cortical areas relevant for language. First, behavioural studies find that children with these neurodevelopmental disorders perform less well than peers on procedural learning tasks that depend on corticostriatal learning circuits. Second, fMRI studies in neurotypical adults implicate corticostriatal and hippocampal systems in language learning. Finally, structural and functional abnormalities are seen in the striatum in children with language disorders. Studying corticostriatal networks in developmental language disorders could offer us insights into their neurobiological basis and elucidate possible modes of compensation for intervention. Individuals with SLI and dyslexia have impaired or immature learning mechanisms; this hampers their extraction of structure in complex learning environments. These learning difficulties are not general or confined to language. Problems are specific to tasks that involve implicitly learning sequential structure or complex cue–outcome relationships. Such learning is thought to depend upon corticostriatal circuits. In language learning studies, the striatum is recruited when adults extract sequential information from auditory-verbal sequences and as they learn complex motor routines relevant for speech. Neuroimaging studies indicate striatal abnormalities in individuals with language disorders. There is a need to probe the integrity of neural learning systems in developmental language disorders using tasks relevant for language learning which place specific demands on the striatum/MTL.
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Burgaleta M, Sanjuán A, Ventura-Campos N, Sebastian-Galles N, Ávila C. Bilingualism at the core of the brain. Structural differences between bilinguals and monolinguals revealed by subcortical shape analysis. Neuroimage 2016; 125:437-445. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.09.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2015] [Revised: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 09/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
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Lee JC, Mueller KL, Tomblin JB. Examining Procedural Learning and Corticostriatal Pathways for Individual Differences in Language: Testing Endophenotypes of DRD2/ANKK1. LANGUAGE, COGNITION AND NEUROSCIENCE 2016; 31:1098-1114. [PMID: 31768398 PMCID: PMC6876848 DOI: 10.1080/23273798.2015.1089359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the study was to explore whether genetic variation in the dopaminergic system is associated with procedural learning and the corticostriatal pathways in individuals with developmental language impairment (DLI). We viewed these two systems as endophenotypes and hypothesized that they would be more sensitive indicators of genetic effects than the language phenotype itself. Thus, we genotyped two SNPs in the DRD2/ANKK1 gene complex, and tested for their associations to the phenotype of DLI and the two endophenotypes. Results showed that individuals with DLI revealed poor procedural learning abilities and abnormal structures of the basal ganglia. Genetic variation in DRD2/ANKK1 was associated with procedural learning abilities and with microstructural differences of the caudate nucleus. The association of the language phenotype with these DRD2/ANKK1 polymorphisms was not significant, but the phenotype was significantly associated with the two endophenotypes. We suggest that procedural learning and the corticostriatal pathways could be used as effective endophenotypes to aid molecular genetic studies searching for genes predisposing to DLI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna C. Lee
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Kathryn L. Mueller
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - J. Bruce Tomblin
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
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fMRI brain response during sentence reading comprehension in children with benign epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes. Epilepsy Res 2015; 117:42-51. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2015.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2015] [Revised: 07/30/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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38
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Lee JC, Tomblin JB. Procedural Learning and Individual Differences in Language. LANGUAGE LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT 2015; 11:215-236. [PMID: 26190949 PMCID: PMC4504686 DOI: 10.1080/15475441.2014.904168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the current study was to examine different aspects of procedural memory in young adults who varied with regard to their language abilities. We selected a sample of procedural memory tasks, each of which represented a unique type of procedural learning, and has been linked, at least partially, to the functionality of the corticostriatal system. The findings showed that variance in language abilities is associated with performance on different domains of procedural memory, including the motor domain (as shown in the pursuit rotor task), the cognitive domain (as shown in the weather prediction task), and the linguistic domain (as shown in the nonword repetition priming task). These results implicate the corticostriatal system in individual differences in language.
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Liégeois F, Mayes A, Morgan A. Neural Correlates of Developmental Speech and Language Disorders: Evidence from Neuroimaging. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS REPORTS 2014. [PMID: 25057455 DOI: 10.1007/s40474-014-0019-1)] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Disorders of speech and language arise out of a complex interaction of genetic, environmental, and neural factors. Little is understood about the neural bases of these disorders. Here we systematically reviewed neuroimaging findings in Speech disorders (SD) and Language disorders (LD) over the last five years (2008-2013; 10 articles). In participants with SD, structural and functional anomalies in the left supramarginal gyrus suggest a possible deficit in sensory feedback or integration. In LD, cortical and subcortical anomalies were reported in a widespread language network, with little consistency across studies except in the superior temporal gyri. In summary, both functional and structural anomalies are associated with LD and SD, including greater activity and volumes relative to controls. The variability in neuroimaging approach and heterogeneity within and across participant samples restricts our full understanding of the neurobiology of these conditions- reducing the potential for devising novel interventions targeted at the underlying pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédérique Liégeois
- UCL Institute of Child Health, Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH UK
| | - Angela Mayes
- Language & Literacy Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Flemington Road, Parkville, Victoria Australia
| | - Angela Morgan
- Language & Literacy Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Flemington Road, Parkville, Victoria Australia ; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria Australia
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Liégeois F, Mayes A, Morgan A. Neural Correlates of Developmental Speech and Language Disorders: Evidence from Neuroimaging. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS REPORTS 2014; 1:215-227. [PMID: 25057455 PMCID: PMC4104164 DOI: 10.1007/s40474-014-0019-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Disorders of speech and language arise out of a complex interaction of genetic, environmental, and neural factors. Little is understood about the neural bases of these disorders. Here we systematically reviewed neuroimaging findings in Speech disorders (SD) and Language disorders (LD) over the last five years (2008–2013; 10 articles). In participants with SD, structural and functional anomalies in the left supramarginal gyrus suggest a possible deficit in sensory feedback or integration. In LD, cortical and subcortical anomalies were reported in a widespread language network, with little consistency across studies except in the superior temporal gyri. In summary, both functional and structural anomalies are associated with LD and SD, including greater activity and volumes relative to controls. The variability in neuroimaging approach and heterogeneity within and across participant samples restricts our full understanding of the neurobiology of these conditions— reducing the potential for devising novel interventions targeted at the underlying pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédérique Liégeois
- UCL Institute of Child Health, Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH UK
| | - Angela Mayes
- Language & Literacy Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Flemington Road, Parkville, Victoria Australia
| | - Angela Morgan
- Language & Literacy Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Flemington Road, Parkville, Victoria Australia ; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria Australia
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