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Matchin W, Mollasaraei ZK, Bonilha L, Rorden C, Hickok G, den Ouden D, Fridriksson J. Verbal working memory and syntactic comprehension segregate into the dorsal and ventral streams. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.05.592577. [PMID: 38746328 PMCID: PMC11092776 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.05.592577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Syntactic processing and verbal working memory are both essential components to sentence comprehension. Nonetheless, the separability of these systems in the brain remains unclear. To address this issue, we performed causal-inference analyses based on lesion and connectome network mapping using MRI and behavioral testing in 103 individuals with chronic post-stroke aphasia. We employed a rhyme judgment task with heavy working memory load without articulatory confounds, controlling for the overall ability to match auditory words to pictures and to perform a metalinguistic rhyme judgment, isolating the effect of working memory load. We assessed noncanonical sentence comprehension, isolating syntactic processing by incorporating residual rhyme judgment performance as a covariate for working memory load. Voxel-based lesion analyses and structural connectome-based lesion symptom mapping controlling for total lesion volume were performed, with permutation testing to correct for multiple comparisons (4,000 permutations). We observed that effects of working memory load localized to dorsal stream damage: posterior temporal-parietal lesions and frontal-parietal white matter disconnections. These effects were differentiated from syntactic comprehension deficits, which were primarily associated with ventral stream damage: lesions to temporal lobe and temporal-parietal white matter disconnections, particularly when incorporating the residual measure of working memory load as a covariate. Our results support the conclusion that working memory and syntactic processing are associated with distinct brain networks, largely loading onto dorsal and ventral streams, respectively.
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Hayakawa S, Marian V. Sound-meaning associations allow listeners to infer the meaning of foreign language words. COMMUNICATIONS PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 1:30. [PMID: 38152075 PMCID: PMC10751683 DOI: 10.1038/s44271-023-00030-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
An attribute of human language is the seemingly arbitrary association between a word's form and meaning. We provide evidence that the meaning of foreign words can be partially deduced from phonological form. Monolingual English speakers listened to 45 antonym word pairs in nine foreign languages and judged which English words corresponded to these words' respective meanings. Despite no proficiency in the foreign language tested, participants' accuracy was higher than chance in each language. Words that shared meaning across languages were more likely to share phonological form. Accuracy in judging meaning from form was associated with participants' verbal working memory and with how consistently phonological and semantic features of words covaried across unrelated languages. A follow-up study with native Spanish speakers replicated the results. We conclude that sound maps to meaning in natural languages with some regularity, and sensitivity to form-meaning mappings indexes broader cognitive functions.
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Zhao J, Zhao Y, Song Z, Thiebaut de Schotten M, Altarelli I, Ramus F. Adaptive compensation of arcuate fasciculus lateralization in developmental dyslexia. Cortex 2023; 167:1-11. [PMID: 37515830 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have reported anomalies in the arcuate fasciculus (AF) lateralization in developmental dyslexia (DD). Still, the relationship between AF lateralization and literacy skills in DD remains largely unknown. The purpose of our study is to investigate the relationship between lateralization of three segments of AF (AF anterior segment (AFAS), AF long segment (AFLS), and AF posterior segment (AFPS)) and literacy skills in DD. A total of 26 children with dyslexia and 31 age-matched control children were included in this study. High angular diffusion imaging, combined with spherical deconvolution tractography, was used to reconstruct the AF. Connectivity measures of hindrance-modulated orientational anisotropy (HMOA) were computed for each of the three segments of the AF. The lateralization index (LI) of each AF segment was calculated by (right HMOA - left HMOA)/(right HMOA + left HMOA). Results showed that the LIs of AFAS and AFLS were positively correlated with reading accuracy in children with dyslexia. Specifically, the LI of AFAS was positively correlated with nonword and meaningless text reading accuracy, while the LI of AFLS accounted for word reading accuracy. The results suggest adaptive compensation of arcuate fasciculus lateralization in developmental dyslexia and functional dissociation of the anterior segment and long segment in the compensation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Zhao
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University and Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China.
| | - Yueye Zhao
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University and Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China
| | - Zujun Song
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University and Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China
| | - Michel Thiebaut de Schotten
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives-UMR5293, CNRS, CEA, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France; Brain Connectivity and Behavior Laboratory, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France
| | - Irene Altarelli
- LaPsyDÉ Laboratory (UMR 8240), Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Franck Ramus
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique (ENS, EHESS, CNRS), Département D'Etudes Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL University, Paris, France.
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Vavassori L, Venturini M, Zigiotto L, Annicchiarico L, Corsini F, Avesani P, Petit L, De Benedictis A, Sarubbo S. The arcuate fasciculus: Combining structure and function into surgical considerations. Brain Behav 2023; 13:e3107. [PMID: 37280786 PMCID: PMC10454270 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Two Centuries from today, Karl Friedrich Burdach attributed the nomenclature "arcuate fasciculus" to a white matter (WM) pathway connecting the frontal to the temporal cortices by arching around the Sylvian fissure. Although this label remained essentially unvaried, the concepts related to it and the characterization of the structural properties of this bundle evolved along with the methodological progress of the past years. Concurrently, the functional relevance of the arcuate fasciculus (AF) classically restricted to the linguistic domain has extended to further cognitive abilities. These features make it a relevant structure to consider in a large variety of neurosurgical procedures. OBJECTIVE Herein, we build on our previous review uncovering the connectivity provided by the Superior Longitudinal System, including the AF, and provide a handy representation of the structural organization of the AF by considering the frequency of defined reports in the literature. By adopting the same approach, we implement an account of which functions are mediated by this WM bundle. We highlight how this information can be transferred to the neurosurgical field by presenting four surgical cases of glioma resection requiring the evaluation of the relationship between the AF and the nearby structures, and the safest approaches to adopt. CONCLUSIONS Our cumulative overview reports the most common wiring patterns and functional implications to be expected when approaching the study of the AF, while still considering seldom descriptions as an account of interindividual variability. Given its extension and the variety of cortical territories it reaches, the AF is a pivotal structure for different cognitive functions, and thorough understanding of its structural wiring and the functions it mediates is necessary for preserving the patient's cognitive abilities during glioma resection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Vavassori
- Department of NeurosurgeryAzienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari (APSS), “S. Chiara” HospitalTrento Provincia Autonoma di TrentoItaly
- Center for Mind and Brain Sciences (CIMeC)University of TrentoTrento Provincia Autonoma di TrentoItaly
| | - Martina Venturini
- Department of NeurosurgeryAzienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari (APSS), “S. Chiara” HospitalTrento Provincia Autonoma di TrentoItaly
| | - Luca Zigiotto
- Department of NeurosurgeryAzienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari (APSS), “S. Chiara” HospitalTrento Provincia Autonoma di TrentoItaly
| | - Luciano Annicchiarico
- Department of NeurosurgeryAzienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari (APSS), “S. Chiara” HospitalTrento Provincia Autonoma di TrentoItaly
| | - Francesco Corsini
- Department of NeurosurgeryAzienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari (APSS), “S. Chiara” HospitalTrento Provincia Autonoma di TrentoItaly
| | - Paolo Avesani
- Center for Mind and Brain Sciences (CIMeC)University of TrentoTrento Provincia Autonoma di TrentoItaly
- Neuroinfrmatics Laboratory (NiLab)Bruno Kessler FoundationPovo Provincia Autonoma di TrentoItaly
| | - Laurent Petit
- Groupe d'Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives (GIN‐IMN), UMR5293, CNRS, CEAUniversity of BordeauxBordeauxFrance
| | | | - Silvio Sarubbo
- Department of NeurosurgeryAzienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari (APSS), “S. Chiara” HospitalTrento Provincia Autonoma di TrentoItaly
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Olivé G, Peñaloza C, Vaquero L, Laine M, Martin N, Rodriguez-Fornells A. The right uncinate fasciculus supports verbal short-term memory in aphasia. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:875-893. [PMID: 37005932 PMCID: PMC10147778 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02628-9] [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] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023]
Abstract
Verbal short-term memory (STM) deficits are associated with language processing impairments in people with aphasia. Importantly, the integrity of STM can predict word learning ability and anomia therapy gains in aphasia. While the recruitment of perilesional and contralesional homologous brain regions has been proposed as a possible mechanism for aphasia recovery, little is known about the white-matter pathways that support verbal STM in post-stroke aphasia. Here, we investigated the relationships between the language-related white matter tracts and verbal STM ability in aphasia. Nineteen participants with post-stroke chronic aphasia completed a subset of verbal STM subtests of the TALSA battery including nonword repetition (phonological STM), pointing span (lexical-semantic STM without language output) and repetition span tasks (lexical-semantic STM with language output). Using a manual deterministic tractography approach, we investigated the micro- and macrostructural properties of the structural language network. Next, we assessed the relationships between individually extracted tract values and verbal STM scores. We found significant correlations between volume measures of the right Uncinate Fasciculus and all three verbal STM scores, with the association between the right UF volume and nonword repetition being the strongest one. These findings suggest that the integrity of the right UF is associated with phonological and lexical-semantic verbal STM ability in aphasia and highlight the potential compensatory role of right-sided ventral white matter language tracts in supporting verbal STM after aphasia-inducing left hemisphere insult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillem Olivé
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Claudia Peñaloza
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lucía Vaquero
- Legal Medicine, Psychiatry and Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Center for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Matti Laine
- Department of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Nadine Martin
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Eleanor M. Saffran Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
- Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, ICREA, 08010, Barcelona, Spain.
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6
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Huber E, Corrigan NM, Yarnykh VL, Ferjan Ramírez N, Kuhl PK. Language Experience during Infancy Predicts White Matter Myelination at Age 2 Years. J Neurosci 2023; 43:1590-1599. [PMID: 36746626 PMCID: PMC10008053 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1043-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Parental input is considered a key predictor of language achievement during the first years of life, yet relatively few studies have assessed the effects of parental language input and parent-infant interactions on early brain development. We examined the relationship between measures of parent and child language, obtained from naturalistic home recordings at child ages 6, 10, 14, 18, and 24 months, and estimates of white matter myelination, derived from quantitative MRI at age 2 years (mean = 26.30 months, SD = 1.62, N = 22). Analysis of the white matter focused on dorsal pathways associated with expressive language development and long-term language ability, namely, the left arcuate fasciculus (AF) and superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). Frequency of parent-infant conversational turns (CT) uniquely predicted myelin density estimates in both the AF and SLF. Moreover, the effect of CT remained significant while controlling for total adult speech and child speech-related utterances, suggesting a specific role for interactive language experience, rather than simply speech exposure or production. An exploratory analysis of 18 additional tracts, including the right AF and SLF, indicated a high degree of anatomic specificity. Longitudinal analyses of parent and child language variables indicated an effect of CT as early as 6 months of age, as well as an ongoing effect over infancy. Together, these results link parent-infant conversational turns to white matter myelination at age 2 years, and suggest that early, interactive experiences with language uniquely contribute to the development of white matter associated with long-term language ability.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Children's earliest experiences with language are thought to have profound and lasting developmental effects. Recent studies suggest that intervention can increase the quality of parental language input and improve children's learning outcomes. However, important questions remain about the optimal timing of intervention, and the relationship between specific aspects of language experience and brain development. We report that parent-infant turn-taking during home language interactions correlates with myelination of language related white matter pathways through age 2 years. Effects were independent of total speech exposure and infant vocalizations and evident starting at 6 months of age, suggesting that structured language interactions throughout infancy may uniquely support the ongoing development of brain systems critical to long-term language ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Huber
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
- Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
| | - Neva M Corrigan
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
- Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
| | - Vasily L Yarnykh
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
| | - Naja Ferjan Ramírez
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
- Department of Linguistics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
| | - Patricia K Kuhl
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
- Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
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7
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Horne A, Ding J, Schnur TT, Martin RC. White Matter Correlates of Domain-Specific Working Memory. Brain Sci 2022; 13:19. [PMID: 36672001 PMCID: PMC9856066 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13010019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Prior evidence suggests domain-specific working memory (WM) buffers for maintaining phonological (i.e., speech sound) and semantic (i.e., meaning) information. The phonological WM buffer's proposed location is in the left supramarginal gyrus (SMG), whereas semantic WM has been related to the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and the angular gyrus (AG). However, less is known about the white matter correlates of phonological and semantic WM. We tested 45 individuals with left hemisphere brain damage on single word processing, phonological WM, and semantic WM tasks and obtained T1 and diffusion weighted neuroimaging. Virtual dissections were performed for each participants' arcuate fasciculus (AF), inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), middle longitudinal fasciculus (MLF), and uncinate fasciculus (UF), which connect the proposed domain-specific WM buffers with perceptual or processing regions. The results showed that the left ILF, MLF, IFOF, and the direct segment of the AF were related to semantic WM performance. Phonological WM was related to both the left ILF and the MLF. This work informs our understanding of the white matter correlates of WM, especially semantic WM, which has not previously been investigated. In addition, this work helps to adjudicate between theories of verbal WM, providing some evidence for separate pathways supporting phonological and semantic WM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Autumn Horne
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Junhua Ding
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, UK
| | - Tatiana T. Schnur
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Randi C. Martin
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
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8
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Baboyan V, Basilakos A, Yourganov G, Rorden C, Bonilha L, Fridriksson J, Hickok G. Isolating the white matter circuitry of the dorsal language stream: Connectome-Symptom Mapping in stroke induced aphasia. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:5689-5702. [PMID: 34469044 PMCID: PMC8559486 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The application of ℓ1-regularized machine learning models to high-dimensional connectomes offers a promising methodology to assess clinical-anatomical correlations in humans. Here, we integrate the connectome-based lesion-symptom mapping framework with sparse partial least squares regression (sPLS-R) to isolate elements of the connectome associated with speech repetition deficits. By mapping over 2,500 connections of the structural connectome in a cohort of 71 stroke-induced cases of aphasia presenting with varying left-hemisphere lesions and repetition impairment, sPLS-R was trained on 50 subjects to algorithmically identify connectomic features on the basis of their predictive value. The highest ranking features were subsequently used to generate a parsimonious predictive model for speech repetition whose predictions were evaluated on a held-out set of 21 subjects. A set of 10 short- and long-range parieto-temporal connections were identified, collectively delineating the broader circuitry of the dorsal white matter network of the language system. The strongest contributing feature was a short-range connection in the supramarginal gyrus, approximating the cortical localization of area Spt, with parallel long-range pathways interconnecting posterior nodes in supramarginal and superior temporal cortex with anterior nodes in both ventral and-notably-in dorsal premotor cortex, respectively. The collective disruption of these pathways indexed repetition performance in the held-out set of participants, suggesting that these impairments might be characterized as a parietotemporal disconnection syndrome impacting cortical area Spt and its associated white matter circuits of the frontal lobe as opposed to being purely a disconnection of the arcuate fasciculus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vatche Baboyan
- Department of Cognitive ScienceUniversity of CaliforniaIrvineCaliforniaUSA
| | - Alexandra Basilakos
- Department of Communication Sciences and DisordersUniversity of South CarolinaColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Grigori Yourganov
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of South CarolinaColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Chris Rorden
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of South CarolinaColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Leonardo Bonilha
- Department of NeurologyMedical University of South CarolinaColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Julius Fridriksson
- Department of Communication Sciences and DisordersUniversity of South CarolinaColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Gregory Hickok
- Department of Cognitive ScienceUniversity of CaliforniaIrvineCaliforniaUSA
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9
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Henke L, Meyer L. Endogenous Oscillations Time-Constrain Linguistic Segmentation: Cycling the Garden Path. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:4289-4299. [PMID: 33949654 PMCID: PMC8328215 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Speech is transient. To comprehend entire sentences, segments consisting of multiple words need to be memorized for at least a while. However, it has been noted previously that we struggle to memorize segments longer than approximately 2.7 s. We hypothesized that electrophysiological processing cycles within the delta band (<4 Hz) underlie this time constraint. Participants’ EEG was recorded while they listened to temporarily ambiguous sentences. By manipulating the speech rate, we aimed at biasing participants’ interpretation: At a slow rate, segmentation after 2.7 s would trigger a correct interpretation. In contrast, at a fast rate, segmentation after 2.7 s would trigger a wrong interpretation and thus an error later in the sentence. In line with the suggested time constraint, the phase of the delta-band oscillation at the critical point in the sentence mirrored segmentation on the level of single trials, as indicated by the amplitude of the P600 event-related brain potential (ERP) later in the sentence. The correlation between upstream delta-band phase and downstream P600 amplitude implies that segmentation took place when an underlying neural oscillator had reached a specific angle within its cycle, determining comprehension. We conclude that delta-band oscillations set an endogenous time constraint on segmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Henke
- Research Group Language Cycles, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lars Meyer
- Research Group Language Cycles, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Clinic for Phoniatrics and Pedaudiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
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10
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Ivanova MV, Zhong A, Turken A, Baldo JV, Dronkers NF. Functional Contributions of the Arcuate Fasciculus to Language Processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:672665. [PMID: 34248526 PMCID: PMC8267805 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.672665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Current evidence strongly suggests that the arcuate fasciculus (AF) is critical for language, from spontaneous speech and word retrieval to repetition and comprehension abilities. However, to further pinpoint its unique and differential role in language, its anatomy needs to be explored in greater detail and its contribution to language processing beyond that of known cortical language areas must be established. We address this in a comprehensive evaluation of the specific functional role of the AF in a well-characterized cohort of individuals with chronic aphasia (n = 33) following left hemisphere stroke. To evaluate macro- and microstructural integrity of the AF, tractography based on the constrained spherical deconvolution model was performed. The AF in the left and right hemispheres were then manually reconstructed using a modified 3-segment model (Catani et al., 2005), and a modified 2-segment model (Glasser and Rilling, 2008). The normalized volume and a measure of microstructural integrity of the long and the posterior segments of the AF were significantly correlated with language indices while controlling for gender and lesion volume. Specific contributions of AF segments to language while accounting for the role of specific cortical language areas – inferior frontal, inferior parietal, and posterior temporal – were tested using multiple regression analyses. Involvement of the following tract segments in the left hemisphere in language processing beyond the contribution of cortical areas was demonstrated: the long segment of the AF contributed to naming abilities; anterior segment – to fluency and naming; the posterior segment – to comprehension. The results highlight the important contributions of the AF fiber pathways to language impairments beyond that of known cortical language areas. At the same time, no clear role of the right hemisphere AF tracts in language processing could be ascertained. In sum, our findings lend support to the broader role of the left AF in language processing, with particular emphasis on comprehension and naming, and point to the posterior segment of this tract as being most crucial for supporting residual language abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria V Ivanova
- Aphasia Recovery Lab, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States.,Center for Language, Imaging, Mind & Brain, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA, United States
| | - Allison Zhong
- Center for Language, Imaging, Mind & Brain, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA, United States.,School of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, United States
| | - And Turken
- Center for Language, Imaging, Mind & Brain, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA, United States
| | - Juliana V Baldo
- Center for Language, Imaging, Mind & Brain, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA, United States
| | - Nina F Dronkers
- Aphasia Recovery Lab, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States.,Center for Language, Imaging, Mind & Brain, VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA, United States.,Department of Neurology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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11
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Lee J, Ju G, Son JW, Shin CJ, Lee SI, Park H, Kim S. White matter integrity in alcohol-dependent patients with long-term abstinence. Medicine (Baltimore) 2021; 100:e26078. [PMID: 34032740 PMCID: PMC8154411 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000026078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Based on association studies on amounts of alcohol consumed and cortical and subcortical structural shrinkage, we investigated the effect of chronic alcohol consumption on white matter pathways using probabilistic tractography.Twenty-three alcohol-dependent men (with an average sobriety of 13.1 months) from a mental health hospital and 22 age-matched male healthy social drinkers underwent 3T magnetic resonance imaging. Eighteen major white matter pathways were reconstructed using the TRActs Constrained by UnderLying Anatomy tool (provided by the FreeSurfer). The hippocampal volumes were estimated using an automated procedure. The lifetime drinking history interview, Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, Brief Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test, and pack-years of smoking were also evaluated.Analysis of covariance controlling for age, cigarette smoking, total motion index indicated that there was no definite difference of diffusion parameters between the 2 groups after multiple comparison correction. As hippocampal volume decreased, the fractional anisotropy of the right cingulum-angular bundle decreased. Additionally, the axial diffusivity of right cingulum-angular bundle was positively correlated with the alcohol abstinence period.The results imply resilience of white matter in patients with alcohol dependence. Additional longitudinal studies with multimodal methods and neuropsychological tests may improve our findings of the changes in white matter pathways in patients with alcohol dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeonghwan Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University Hospital
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, South Korea
| | - Gawon Ju
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University Hospital
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, South Korea
| | - Jung-Woo Son
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University Hospital
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, South Korea
| | - Chul-Jin Shin
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University Hospital
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, South Korea
| | - Sang Ick Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University Hospital
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, South Korea
| | - Hyemi Park
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University Hospital
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, South Korea
| | - Siekyeong Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University Hospital
- Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, South Korea
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12
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Har-shai Yahav P, Zion Golumbic E. Linguistic processing of task-irrelevant speech at a cocktail party. eLife 2021; 10:e65096. [PMID: 33942722 PMCID: PMC8163500 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Paying attention to one speaker in a noisy place can be extremely difficult, because to-be-attended and task-irrelevant speech compete for processing resources. We tested whether this competition is restricted to acoustic-phonetic interference or if it extends to competition for linguistic processing as well. Neural activity was recorded using Magnetoencephalography as human participants were instructed to attend to natural speech presented to one ear, and task-irrelevant stimuli were presented to the other. Task-irrelevant stimuli consisted either of random sequences of syllables, or syllables structured to form coherent sentences, using hierarchical frequency-tagging. We find that the phrasal structure of structured task-irrelevant stimuli was represented in the neural response in left inferior frontal and posterior parietal regions, indicating that selective attention does not fully eliminate linguistic processing of task-irrelevant speech. Additionally, neural tracking of to-be-attended speech in left inferior frontal regions was enhanced when competing with structured task-irrelevant stimuli, suggesting inherent competition between them for linguistic processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paz Har-shai Yahav
- The Gonda Center for Multidisciplinary Brain Research, Bar Ilan UniversityRamat GanIsrael
| | - Elana Zion Golumbic
- The Gonda Center for Multidisciplinary Brain Research, Bar Ilan UniversityRamat GanIsrael
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13
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Nakajima R, Kinoshita M, Shinohara H, Nakada M. The superior longitudinal fascicle: reconsidering the fronto-parietal neural network based on anatomy and function. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 14:2817-2830. [PMID: 31468374 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-019-00187-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Due primarily to the extensive disposition of fibers and secondarily to the methodological preferences of researchers, the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) subdivisions have multiple names, complicating SLF research. Here, we collected and reassessed existing knowledge regarding the SLF, which we used to propose a four-term classification of the SLF based mainly on function: dorsal SLF, ventral SLF, posterior SLF, and arcuate fasciculus (AF); these correspond to the traditional SLF II, SLF III or anterior AF, temporoparietal segment of the SLF or posterior AF, and AF or AF long segment, respectively. Each segment has a distinct functional role. The dorsal SLF is involved in visuospatial attention and motor control, while the ventral SLF is associated with language-related networks, auditory comprehension, and articulatory processing in the left hemisphere. The posterior SLF is involved in language-related processing, including auditory comprehension, reading, and lexical access, while the AF is associated with language-related activities, such as phonological processing; the right AF plays a role in social cognition and visuospatial attention. This simple proposed classification permits a better understanding of the SLF and may comprise a convenient classification for use in research and clinical practice relating to brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riho Nakajima
- Department of Occupational therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Masashi Kinoshita
- Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-8641, Japan
| | | | - Mitsutoshi Nakada
- Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-8641, Japan.
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14
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Cerebral white matter connectivity, cognition, and age-related macular degeneration. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 30:102594. [PMID: 33662707 PMCID: PMC7930609 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common retina disease associated with cognitive impairment in older adults. The mechanism(s) that account for the link between AMD and cognitive decline remain unclear. Here we aim to shed light on this issue by investigating whether relationships between cognition and white matter in the brain differ by AMD status. In a direct group comparison of brain connectometry maps from diffusion weighted images, AMD patients showed significantly weaker quantitative anisotropy (QA) than healthy controls, predominantly in the splenium and left optic radiation. The QA of these tracts, however, did not correlate with the visual acuity measure, indicating that this group effect is not directly driven by visual loss. The AMD and control groups did not differ significantly in cognitive performance.Across all participants, better cognitive performance (e.g. verbal fluency) is associated with stronger connectivity strength in white matter tracts including the splenium and the left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus/inferior longitudinal fasciculus. However, there were significant interactions between group and cognitive performance (verbal fluency, memory), suggesting that the relation between QA and cognitive performance was weaker in AMD patients than in controls.This may be explained by unmeasured determinants of performance that are more common or impactful in AMD or by a recruitment bias whereby the AMD group had higher cognitive reserve. In general, our findings suggest that neural degeneration in the brain might occur in parallel to AMD in the eyes, although the participants studied here do not (yet) exhibit overt cognitive declines per standard assessments.
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15
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Chen Y, Lv C, Li X, Zhang J, Chen K, Liu Z, Li H, Fan J, Qin T, Luo L, Zhang Z. The positive impacts of early-life education on cognition, leisure activity, and brain structure in healthy aging. Aging (Albany NY) 2020; 11:4923-4942. [PMID: 31315089 PMCID: PMC6682517 DOI: 10.18632/aging.102088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Education in people's early lives are positively related to their cognitive function, but its modulating effects on detailed cognition domains, its interaction with leisure activities and the associated brain changes have yet to be investigated. This report used data from 659 cognitively normal community dwelling elderly who completed neuropsychological tests, leisure activities measurement, and 78 of them underwent structural and diffusion MRI scans. We found that: (i) the highly educated elderly had a better cognitive functioning in multi-domains, higher frequencies of participation in knowledge-related leisure activities, and slower age-related reductions of executive function; (ii) the intellectual and social types of leisure activities mediated the association between education and multiple cognitive domains, including memory, language, attention and executive function; (iii) there was a significant age by education interaction on the gray matter volume of the anterior brain regions and white matter integrity; and (iv) the interaction between age and education affected cognition indirectly through white matter integrity analyzed using structural equation model. Overall, our results revealed that high education in early life served as a protective factor in aging that may help to postpone cognitive and brain reserve decline in cognitively normal aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaojing Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.,BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Chenlong Lv
- Teaching and Research Section, Graduate School, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Xin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.,BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Junying Zhang
- BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.,Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Kewei Chen
- Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Phoenix, AZ 85006, USA
| | - Zhongwan Liu
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - He Li
- BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.,Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Jialing Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.,BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Ting Qin
- BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Liang Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Zhanjun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.,BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China
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16
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Cheng Q, Roth A, Halgren E, Mayberry RI. Effects of Early Language Deprivation on Brain Connectivity: Language Pathways in Deaf Native and Late First-Language Learners of American Sign Language. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:320. [PMID: 31607879 PMCID: PMC6761297 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous research has identified ventral and dorsal white matter tracts as being crucial for language processing; their maturation correlates with increased language processing capacity. Unknown is whether the growth or maintenance of these language-relevant pathways is shaped by language experience in early life. To investigate the effects of early language deprivation and the sensory-motor modality of language on white matter tracts, we examined the white matter connectivity of language-relevant pathways in congenitally deaf people with or without early access to language. We acquired diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data from two groups of individuals who experienced language from birth, twelve deaf native signers of American Sign Language, and twelve hearing L2 signers of ASL (native English speakers), and from three, well-studied individual cases who experienced minimal language during childhood. The results indicate that the sensory-motor modality of early language experience does not affect the white matter microstructure between crucial language regions. Both groups with early language experience, deaf and hearing, show leftward laterality in the two language-related tracts. However, all three cases with early language deprivation showed altered white matter microstructure, especially in the left dorsal arcuate fasciculus (AF) pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Cheng
- Department of Linguistics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Austin Roth
- Department of Linguistics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Eric Halgren
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Rachel I. Mayberry
- Department of Linguistics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
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17
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Right Structural and Functional Reorganization in Four-Year-Old Children with Perinatal Arterial Ischemic Stroke Predict Language Production. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0447-18.2019. [PMID: 31383726 PMCID: PMC6749144 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0447-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain imaging methods have contributed to shed light on the mechanisms of recovery after early brain insult. The assumption that the unaffected right hemisphere can take over language functions after left perinatal stroke is still under debate. Here, we report how patterns of brain structural and functional reorganization were associated with language outcomes in a group of four-year-old children with left perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (PAIS). Specifically, we gathered specific fine-grained developmental measures of receptive and productive aspects of language as well as standardized measures of cognitive development. We also collected structural neuroimaging data as well as functional activations during a passive listening story-telling fMRI task and a resting state session (rs-fMRI). Children with a left perinatal stroke showed larger lateralization indices of both structural and functional connectivity of the dorsal language pathway towards the right hemisphere that, in turn, were associated with better language outcomes. Importantly, the pattern of structural asymmetry was significantly more right-lateralized in children with a left perinatal brain insult than in a group of matched healthy controls. These results strongly suggest that early lesions of the left dorsal pathway and the associated perisylvian regions can induce the interhemispheric transfer of language functions to right homolog regions. This study provides combined evidence of structural and functional brain reorganization of language networks after early stroke with strong implications for neurobiological models of language development.
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18
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Elmer S, Hänggi J, Vaquero L, Cadena GO, François C, Rodríguez-Fornells A. Tracking the microstructural properties of the main white matter pathways underlying speech processing in simultaneous interpreters. Neuroimage 2019; 191:518-528. [PMID: 30831314 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.02.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to the high linguistic and cognitive demands placed on real-time language translation, professional simultaneous interpreters (SIs) have previously been proposed to serve as a reasonable model for evaluating experience-dependent brain properties. However, currently it is still unknown whether intensive language training during adulthood might be reflected in microstructural changes in language-related white matter pathways contributing to sound-to-meaning mapping, auditory-motor integration, and verbal memory functions. Accordingly, we used a fully automated probabilistic tractography algorithm and compared the white matter microstructure of the bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), uncinate fasciculus (UF), and arcuate fasciculus (AF, long and anterior segments) between professional SIs and multilingual control participants. In addition, we classically re-evaluated the three constitutional elements of the AF (long, anterior, and posterior segments) using a deterministic manual dissection procedure. Automated probabilistic tractography demonstrated overall reduced mean fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased radial diffusivity (RD) in SIs in the fiber tracts of the left hemisphere (LH). Furthermore, SIs exhibited reduced mean FA in the bilateral AF. However, according to manual dissection, this effect was limited to the anterior AF segment and accompanied by increased mean RD. Deterministic AF reconstruction also uncovered increased mean FA in the right and RD in the left long AF segment in SIs compared to controls. These results point to a relationship between simultaneous interpreting and white matter organization of pathways underlying speech and language processing in the language-dominant LH as well as of the AF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Elmer
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Jürgen Hänggi
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Lucía Vaquero
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Cognition, Development and Education Pychology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron, 171, 08035, Barcelona, Spain; Laboratory of Motor learning and Neural Plasticity, Concordia University, 7141 Rue Sherbrooke West, H4B 1R6, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| | - Guillem Olivé Cadena
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Campus Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Clément François
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Campus Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Recerca Pediàtrica Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain; Aix Marseille University, CNRS, LPL, Aix-en-Provence, France.
| | - Antoni Rodríguez-Fornells
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Campus Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, ICREA, 08010, Barcelona, Spain.
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19
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Samara A, Feng K, Pivik RT, Jarratt KP, Badger TM, Ou X. White Matter Microstructure Correlates with Memory Performance in Healthy Children: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study. J Neuroimaging 2018; 29:233-241. [DOI: 10.1111/jon.12580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Amjad Samara
- Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center; Little Rock AR
- Department of Pediatrics; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Little Rock AR
| | - Kaiyang Feng
- Arkansas Children's Research Institute; Little Rock AR
| | - R. Terry Pivik
- Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center; Little Rock AR
- Department of Pediatrics; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Little Rock AR
| | - Kelly P. Jarratt
- Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center; Little Rock AR
- Department of Pediatrics; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Little Rock AR
| | - Thomas M. Badger
- Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center; Little Rock AR
- Department of Pediatrics; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Little Rock AR
| | - Xiawei Ou
- Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center; Little Rock AR
- Department of Pediatrics; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Little Rock AR
- Department of Radiology; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Little Rock AR
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20
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Murray LL. Sentence Processing in Aphasia: An Examination of Material-Specific and General Cognitive Factors. JOURNAL OF NEUROLINGUISTICS 2018; 48:26-46. [PMID: 30686860 PMCID: PMC6345386 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroling.2018.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to characterize further the nature of sentence processing deficits in acquired aphasia. Adults with aphasia and age-and education-matched adults with no brain damage completed a battery of formal cognitive-linguistic tests and an experimental sentence judgment task, which was performed alone and during focused attention and divided attention or dual-task conditions. The specific aims were to determine whether (a) increased extra-linguistic cognitive demands (i.e., focused and divided conditions) differentially affected the sentence judgement performances of the aphasic and control groups, (b) increased extra- linguistic cognitive demands interact with stimulus parameters (i.e., syntactic complexity, number of propositions) known to influence sentence processing, and (c) syntactic- or material specific resource limitations (e.g., sentence judgment in isolation), general cognitive abilities (e.g., short-term and working memory test scores), or both share a significant relationship with dual-task outcomes. Accuracy, grammatical sensitivity, and reaction time findings were consistent with resource models of aphasia and processing accounts of aphasic syntactic limitations, underscoring the theoretical and clinical importance of acknowledging and specifying the strength and nature of interactions between linguistic and extra-linguistic cognitive processes in not only individuals with aphasia, but also other patient and typical aging populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura L Murray
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders Western University
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21
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Sammler D, Cunitz K, Gierhan SME, Anwander A, Adermann J, Meixensberger J, Friederici AD. White matter pathways for prosodic structure building: A case study. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2018; 183:1-10. [PMID: 29758365 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2018.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2017] [Revised: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The relevance of left dorsal and ventral fiber pathways for syntactic and semantic comprehension is well established, while pathways for prosody are little explored. The present study examined linguistic prosodic structure building in a patient whose right arcuate/superior longitudinal fascicles and posterior corpus callosum were transiently compromised by a vasogenic peritumoral edema. Compared to ten matched healthy controls, the patient's ability to detect irregular prosodic structure significantly improved between pre- and post-surgical assessment. This recovery was accompanied by an increase in average fractional anisotropy (FA) in right dorsal and posterior transcallosal fiber tracts. Neither general cognitive abilities nor (non-prosodic) syntactic comprehension nor FA in right ventral and left dorsal fiber tracts showed a similar pre-post increase. Together, these findings suggest a contribution of right dorsal and inter-hemispheric pathways to prosody perception, including the right-dorsal tracking and structuring of prosodic pitch contours that is transcallosally informed by concurrent syntactic information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Sammler
- Otto Hahn Group "Neural Bases of Intonation in Speech and Music", Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Katrin Cunitz
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Ulm, Steinhövelstraße 5, 89075 Ulm, Germany
| | - Sarah M E Gierhan
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt University Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - Alfred Anwander
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jens Adermann
- University Hospital Leipzig, Clinic and Policlinic for Neurosurgery, Liebigstraße 20, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jürgen Meixensberger
- University Hospital Leipzig, Clinic and Policlinic for Neurosurgery, Liebigstraße 20, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt University Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
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22
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Meyer L, Henry MJ, Gaston P, Schmuck N, Friederici AD. Linguistic Bias Modulates Interpretation of Speech via Neural Delta-Band Oscillations. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:4293-4302. [PMID: 27566979 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Accepted: 07/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Language comprehension requires that single words be grouped into syntactic phrases, as words in sentences are too many to memorize individually. In speech, acoustic and syntactic grouping patterns mostly align. However, when ambiguous sentences allow for alternative grouping patterns, comprehenders may form phrases that contradict speech prosody. While delta-band oscillations are known to track prosody, we hypothesized that linguistic grouping bias can modulate the interpretational impact of speech prosody in ambiguous situations, which should surface in delta-band oscillations when grouping patterns chosen by comprehenders differ from those indicated by prosody. In our auditory electroencephalography study, the interpretation of ambiguous sentences depended on whether an identical word was either followed by a prosodic boundary or not, thereby signaling the ending or continuation of the current phrase. Delta-band oscillatory phase at the critical word should reflect whether participants terminate a phrase despite a lack of acoustic boundary cues. Crossing speech prosody with participants' grouping choice, we observed a main effect of grouping choice-independent of prosody. An internal linguistic bias for grouping words into phrases can thus modulate the interpretational impact of speech prosody via delta-band oscillatory phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Meyer
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04303 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Molly J Henry
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada N6G 1H1
| | - Phoebe Gaston
- Department of Linguistics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD20742-7505, USA
| | - Noura Schmuck
- Department of English and Linguistics, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04303 Leipzig, Germany
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23
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Theta Coherence Asymmetry in the Dorsal Stream of Musicians Facilitates Word Learning. Sci Rep 2018; 8:4565. [PMID: 29545619 PMCID: PMC5854697 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22942-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 03/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Word learning constitutes a human faculty which is dependent upon two anatomically distinct processing streams projecting from posterior superior temporal (pST) and inferior parietal (IP) brain regions toward the prefrontal cortex (dorsal stream) and the temporal pole (ventral stream). The ventral stream is involved in mapping sensory and phonological information onto lexical-semantic representations, whereas the dorsal stream contributes to sound-to-motor mapping, articulation, complex sequencing in the verbal domain, and to how verbal information is encoded, stored, and rehearsed from memory. In the present source-based EEG study, we evaluated functional connectivity between the IP lobe and Broca's area while musicians and non-musicians learned pseudowords presented in the form of concatenated auditory streams. Behavioral results demonstrated that musicians outperformed non-musicians, as reflected by a higher sensitivity index (d'). This behavioral superiority was paralleled by increased left-hemispheric theta coherence in the dorsal stream, whereas non-musicians showed stronger functional connectivity in the right hemisphere. Since no between-group differences were observed in a passive listening control condition nor during rest, results point to a task-specific intertwining between musical expertise, functional connectivity, and word learning.
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24
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Piai V, Meyer L, Dronkers NF, Knight RT. Neuroplasticity of language in left-hemisphere stroke: Evidence linking subsecond electrophysiology and structural connections. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 38:3151-3162. [PMID: 28345282 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Revised: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The understanding of neuroplasticity following stroke is predominantly based on neuroimaging measures that cannot address the subsecond neurodynamics of impaired language processing. We combined behavioral and electrophysiological measures and structural-connectivity estimates to characterize neuroplasticity underlying successful compensation of language abilities after left-hemispheric stroke. We recorded the electroencephalogram from patients with stroke lesions to the left temporal lobe and from matched controls during context-driven word retrieval. Participants heard lead-in sentences that either constrained the final word ("He locked the door with the") or not ("She walked in here with the"). The last word was shown as a picture to be named. Individual-participant analyses were conducted, focusing on oscillatory power as a subsecond indicator of a brain region's functional neurophysiological computations. All participants named pictures faster following constrained than unconstrained sentences, except for two patients, who had extensive damage to the left temporal lobe. Left-lateralized alpha-beta oscillatory power decreased in controls pre-picture presentation for constrained relative to unconstrained contexts. In patients, the alpha-beta power decreases were observed with the same time course as in controls but were lateralized to the intact right hemisphere. The right lateralization depended on the probability of white-matter connections between the bilateral temporal lobes. The two patients who performed poorly behaviorally showed no alpha-beta power decreases. Our findings suggest that incorporating direct measures of neural activity into investigations of neuroplasticity can provide important neural markers to help predict language recovery, assess the progress of neurorehabilitation, and delineate targets for therapeutic neuromodulation. Hum Brain Mapp 38:3151-3162, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitória Piai
- Radboud University, Donders Centre for Cognition, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.,Radboudumc, Department of Medical Psychology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.,Department of Psychology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California.,Center for Aphasia and Related Disorders, Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, California
| | - Lars Meyer
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nina F Dronkers
- Center for Aphasia and Related Disorders, Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, California.,Department of Neurology, University of California, Davis, California.,Neurolinguistics Laboratory, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Robert T Knight
- Department of Psychology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California
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Kuhnke P, Meyer L, Friederici AD, Hartwigsen G. Left posterior inferior frontal gyrus is causally involved in reordering during sentence processing. Neuroimage 2017; 148:254-263. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Revised: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
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Parlatini V, Radua J, Dell'Acqua F, Leslie A, Simmons A, Murphy DG, Catani M, Thiebaut de Schotten M. Functional segregation and integration within fronto-parietal networks. Neuroimage 2016; 146:367-375. [PMID: 27639357 PMCID: PMC5312783 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.08.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2016] [Revised: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 08/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental data on monkeys and functional studies in humans support the existence of a complex fronto-parietal system activating for cognitive and motor tasks, which may be anatomically supported by the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). Advanced tractography methods have recently allowed the separation of the three branches of the SLF but are not suitable for their functional investigation. In order to gather comprehensive information about the functional organisation of these fronto-parietal connections, we used an innovative method, which combined tractography of the SLF in the largest dataset so far (129 participants) with 14 meta-analyses of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. We found that frontal and parietal functions can be clustered into a dorsal spatial/motor network associated with the SLF I, and a ventral non-spatial/motor network associated with the SLF III. Further, all the investigated functions activated a middle network mostly associated with the SLF II. Our findings suggest that dorsal and ventral fronto-parietal networks are segregated but also share regions of activation, which may support flexible response properties or conscious processing. In sum, our novel combined approach provided novel findings on the functional organisation of fronto-parietal networks, and may be successfully applied to other brain connections. We used a novel approach to investigate fronto-parietal functions. These are segregated into a dorsal spatial and a ventral non-spatial network. These networks rely on the superior longitudinal fasciculus (1st and 3rd branch). They overlap on areas with flexible response properties that rely on the 2nd branch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Parlatini
- Sackler Institute of Translational Neurodevelopment, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; Natbrainlab, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AF London, UK.
| | - Joaquim Radua
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries, CIBERSAM, Sant Boi de Llobregat 08035, Spain
| | - Flavio Dell'Acqua
- Natbrainlab, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, SE5 8AF London, UK
| | - Anoushka Leslie
- Natbrainlab, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, SE5 8AF London, UK
| | - Andy Simmons
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, SE5 8AF London, UK; MRC Centre for Neurodegeneration Research, King's College London, SE5 9RX London, UK
| | - Declan G Murphy
- Sackler Institute of Translational Neurodevelopment, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AF London, UK
| | - Marco Catani
- Sackler Institute of Translational Neurodevelopment, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; Natbrainlab, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AF London, UK
| | - Michel Thiebaut de Schotten
- Sackler Institute of Translational Neurodevelopment, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; Natbrainlab, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; Brain Connectivity Behaviour group, FrontLab, Paris, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, Institut du cerveau et la moelle (ICM) - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Boulevard de l'hôpital, F-75013, Paris, France.
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Fengler A, Meyer L, Friederici AD. How the brain attunes to sentence processing: Relating behavior, structure, and function. Neuroimage 2016; 129:268-278. [PMID: 26777477 PMCID: PMC4819595 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Revised: 11/24/2015] [Accepted: 01/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Unlike other aspects of language comprehension, the ability to process complex sentences develops rather late in life. Brain maturation as well as verbal working memory (vWM) expansion have been discussed as possible reasons. To determine the factors contributing to this functional development, we assessed three aspects in different age-groups (5–6 years, 7–8 years, and adults): first, functional brain activity during the processing of increasingly complex sentences; second, brain structure in language-related ROIs; and third, the behavioral comprehension performance on complex sentences and the performance on an independent vWM test. At the whole-brain level, brain functional data revealed a qualitatively similar neural network in children and adults including the left pars opercularis (PO), the left inferior parietal lobe together with the posterior superior temporal gyrus (IPL/pSTG), the supplementary motor area, and the cerebellum. While functional activation of the language-related ROIs PO and IPL/pSTG predicted sentence comprehension performance for all age-groups, only adults showed a functional selectivity in these brain regions with increased activation for more complex sentences. The attunement of both the PO and IPL/pSTG toward a functional selectivity for complex sentences is predicted by region-specific gray matter reduction while that of the IPL/pSTG is additionally predicted by vWM span. Thus, both structural brain maturation and vWM expansion provide the basis for the emergence of functional selectivity in language-related brain regions leading to more efficient sentence processing during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Fengler
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Lars Meyer
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Abstract
The ability to recognize, create, and use complex tools is a milestone in human evolution. Widely distributed brain regions in parietal, frontal, and temporal cortices have been implicated in using and understanding tools, but the roles of their anatomical connections in supporting tool use and tool conceptual behaviors are unclear. Using deterministic fiber tracking in healthy participants, we first examined how 14 cortical regions that are consistently activated by tool processing are connected by white matter (WM) tracts. The relationship between the integrity of each of the 33 obtained tracts and tool processing deficits across 86 brain-damaged patients was investigated. WM tract integrity was measured with both lesion percentage (structural imaging) and mean fractional anisotropy (FA) values (diffusion imaging). Behavioral abilities were assessed by a tool use task, a range of conceptual tasks, and control tasks. We found that three left hemisphere tracts connecting frontoparietal and intrafrontal areas overlapping with left superior longitudinal fasciculus are crucial for tool use such that larger lesion and lower mean FA values on these tracts were associated with more severe tool use deficits. These tracts and five additional left hemisphere tracts connecting frontal and temporal/parietal regions, mainly overlapping with left superior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior frontooccipital fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, and anterior thalamic radiation, are crucial for tool concept processing. Largely consistent results were also obtained using voxel-based symptom mapping analyses. Our results revealed the WM structural networks that support the use and conceptual understanding of tools, providing evidence for the anatomical skeleton of the tool knowledge network.
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Meyer L, Grigutsch M, Schmuck N, Gaston P, Friederici AD. Frontal-posterior theta oscillations reflect memory retrieval during sentence comprehension. Cortex 2015; 71:205-18. [PMID: 26233521 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2015.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2014] [Revised: 04/27/2015] [Accepted: 06/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Successful working-memory retrieval requires that items be retained as distinct units. At the neural level, it has been shown that theta-band oscillatory power increases with the number of to-be-distinguished items during working-memory retrieval. Here we hypothesized that during sentence comprehension, verbal-working-memory retrieval demands lead to increased theta power over frontal cortex, supposedly supporting the distinction amongst stored items during verbal-working-memory retrieval. Also, synchronicity may increase between the frontal cortex and the posterior cortex, with the latter supposedly supporting item retention. We operationalized retrieval by using pronouns, which refer to and trigger the retrieval of antecedent nouns from a preceding sentence part. Retrieval demand was systematically varied by changing the pronoun antecedent: Either, it was non-embedded in the preceding main clause, and thus easy-to-retrieve across a single clause boundary, or embedded in the preceding subordinate clause, and thus hard-to-retrieve across a double clause boundary. We combined electroencephalography (EEG), scalp-level time-frequency analysis, source localization, and source-level coherence analysis, observing a frontal-midline and broad left-hemispheric theta-power increase for embedded-antecedent compared to non-embedded-antecedent retrieval. Sources were localized to left-frontal, left-parietal, and bilateral-inferior-temporal cortices. Coherence analyses suggested synchronicity between left-frontal and left-parietal and between left-frontal and right-inferior-temporal cortices. Activity of an array of left-frontal, left-parietal, and bilateral-inferior-temporal cortices may thus assist retrieval during sentence comprehension, potentially indexing the orchestration of item distinction, verbal working memory, and long-term memory. Our results extend prior findings by mapping prior knowledge on the functional role of theta oscillations onto processes genuine to human sentence comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Meyer
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Maren Grigutsch
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Noura Schmuck
- Department of English and Linguistics, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Phoebe Gaston
- Neuroscience of Language Laboratory, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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