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Zhan L, Gao Y, Huang L, Zhang H, Huang G, Wang Y, Sun J, Xie Z, Li M, Jia X, Cheng L, Yu Y. Brain functional connectivity alterations of Wernicke's area in individuals with autism spectrum conditions in multi-frequency bands: A mega-analysis. Heliyon 2024; 10:e26198. [PMID: 38404781 PMCID: PMC10884452 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Characterized by severe deficits in communication, most individuals with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) experience significant language dysfunctions, thereby impacting their overall quality of life. Wernicke's area, a classical and traditional brain region associated with language processing, plays a substantial role in the manifestation of language impairments. The current study carried out a mega-analysis to attain a comprehensive understanding of the neural mechanisms underpinning ASC, particularly in the context of language processing. The study employed the Autism Brain Image Data Exchange (ABIDE) dataset, which encompasses data from 443 typically developing (TD) individuals and 362 individuals with ASC. The objective was to detect abnormal functional connectivity (FC) between Wernicke's area and other language-related functional regions, and identify frequency-specific altered FC using Wernicke's area as the seed region in ASC. The findings revealed that increased FC in individuals with ASC has frequency-specific characteristics. Further, in the conventional frequency band (0.01-0.08 Hz), individuals with ASC exhibited increased FC between Wernicke's area and the right thalamus compared with TD individuals. In the slow-5 frequency band (0.01-0.027 Hz), increased FC values were observed in the left cerebellum Crus II and the right lenticular nucleus, pallidum. These results provide novel insights into the potential neural mechanisms underlying communication deficits in ASC from the perspective of language impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linlin Zhan
- School of Western Studies, Heilongjiang University, Harbin, China
| | - Yanyan Gao
- College of Teacher Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Lina Huang
- Department of Radiology, Changshu No. 2 People's Hospital, The Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Changshu, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hongqiang Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Changshu No. 2 People's Hospital, The Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Changshu, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guofeng Huang
- School of Information and Electronics Technology, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
| | - Yadan Wang
- School of Information and Electronics Technology, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
| | - Jiawei Sun
- School of Information and Electronics Technology, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
| | - Zhou Xie
- School of Information and Electronics Technology, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
| | - Mengting Li
- College of Teacher Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Xize Jia
- College of Teacher Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Lulu Cheng
- School of Foreign Studies, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, China
- Shanghai Center for Research in English Language Education, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang Yu
- Psychiatry Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, China
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Huang Y, Huang J, Li L, Lin T, Zou L. Neural network of metaphor comprehension: an ALE meta-analysis and MACM analysis. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:10918-10930. [PMID: 37718244 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad337] [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: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The comprehension of metaphor, a vivid and figurative language, is a complex endeavor requiring cooperation among multiple cognitive systems. There are still many important questions regarding neural mechanisms implicated in specific types of metaphor. To address these questions, we conducted activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses on 30 studies (containing data of 480 participants) and meta-analytic connectivity modeling analyses. First, the results showed that metaphor comprehension engaged the inferior frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, lingual gyrus, and middle occipital gyrus-all in the left hemisphere. In addition to the commonly reported networks of language and attention, metaphor comprehension engaged networks of visual. Second, sub-analysis showed that the contextual complexity can modulate figurativeness, with the convergence on the left fusiform gyrus during metaphor comprehension at discourse-level. Especially, right hemisphere only showed convergence in studies of novel metaphors, suggesting that the right hemisphere is more associated with difficulty than metaphorical. The work here extends knowledge of the neural mechanisms underlying metaphor comprehension in individual brain regions and neural networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyang Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510280, China
- Chemical Senses and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Jiayu Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510280, China
- Chemical Senses and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Le Li
- Center for the Cognitive Science of Language, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Tao Lin
- Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510280, China
- Chemical Senses and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Laiquan Zou
- Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510280, China
- Chemical Senses and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
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Duvall L, May KE, Waltz A, Kana RK. The neurobiological map of theory of mind and pragmatic communication in autism. Soc Neurosci 2023; 18:191-204. [PMID: 37724352 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2023.2242095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Children with autism often have difficulty with Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to infer mental states, and pragmatic skills, the contextual use of language. Neuroimaging research suggests ToM and pragmatic skills overlap, as the ability to understand another's mental state is a prerequisite to interpersonal communication. To our knowledge, no study in the last decade has examined this overlap further. To assess the emerging consensus across neuroimaging studies of ToM and pragmatic skills in autism, we used coordinate-based activation likelihood estimation (ALE) analysis of 35 functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies (13 pragmatic skills, 22 ToM), resulting in a meta-analysis of 1,295 participants (647 autistic, 648 non-autistic) aged 7 to 49 years. Group difference analysis revealed decreased left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) activation in autistic participants during pragmatic skills tasks. For ToM tasks, we found reduced anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), and temporoparietal junction (TPJ) activation in autistic participants. Collectively, both ToM and pragmatic tasks showed activation in IFG and superior temporal gyrus (STG) and a reduction in left hemispheric activation in autistic participants. Overall, the findings underscore the cognitive and neural processing similarities between ToM and pragmatic skills, and their underlying neurobiological differences in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Duvall
- Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kaitlyn E May
- Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodologies, and Counseling, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL,USA
| | - Abby Waltz
- Department of Psychology & the Center for Innovative Research in Autism, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
| | - Rajesh K Kana
- Department of Psychology & the Center for Innovative Research in Autism, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
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Lan Z, Xu S, Yu X, Yu Z, Li M, Chen F, Liu Y, Wang T, Wu Y, Gan Y, Jiang G. Functional Connectivity Underlying Symptoms in Preschool Boys With Autism: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:844821. [PMID: 35495045 PMCID: PMC9047045 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.844821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundSingle-sex children have been regarded as one of the best subjects to understand the abnormal development patterns of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, the functional connectivity (FC) behind their symptoms is still unknown.MethodsBased on FC analysis, the acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data sets, including 86 boys with ASD and 54 normal controls (NC), were used to detect the neural synchronous activity between brain regions. Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between the abnormal FC value and clinical features.ResultsIndividuals with ASD showed enhanced FC between the right calcarine and the right lingual gyrus (LG). The right medial orbital frontal cortex also showed increased FC with bilateral inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) [two-tailed, voxel-level p < 0.001, gaussian random field (GRF) correction, cluster-level p < 0.05]. We did not find a correlation between the abnormal FC value and clinical scales.ConclusionOur study reveals a possible relationship between atypical visual attention and poor learning ability in subjects with ASD, and delayed social language development may be a secondary symptom to ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihong Lan
- Department of Medical Imaging, Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated With Jinan University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Shoujun Xu
- Department of Radiology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiangrong Yu
- Department of Medical Imaging, Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated With Jinan University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Zhenjie Yu
- Department of Medical Imaging, Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated With Jinan University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Meng Li
- Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Feng Chen
- Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Department of Medical Imaging, Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated With Jinan University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Tianyue Wang
- Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yunfan Wu
- Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yungen Gan
- Department of Radiology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
- *Correspondence: Yungen Gan,
| | - Guihua Jiang
- Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
- Guihua Jiang,
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Neural differences in social and figurative language processing on the autism spectrum. Neuropsychologia 2022; 171:108240. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Koller S, Müller N, Kauschke C. The Elephant in the Room: A Systematic Review of Stimulus Control in Neuro-Measurement Studies on Figurative Language Processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 15:791374. [PMID: 35126074 PMCID: PMC8814624 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.791374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The processing of metaphors and idioms has been the subject of neuroscientific research for several decades. However, results are often contradictory, which can be traced back to inconsistent terminology and stimulus control. In this systematic review of research methods, we analyse linguistic aspects of 116 research papers which used EEG, fMRI, PET, MEG, or NIRS to investigate the neural processing of the two figurative subtypes metaphor and idiom. We critically examine the theoretical foundations as well as stimulus control by performing a systematic literature synthesis according to the PRISMA guidelines. We explicitly do not analyse the findings of the studies but instead focus on four primary aspects: definitions of figurative language and its subtypes, linguistic theory behind the studies, control for factors influencing figurative language processing, and the relationship between theoretical and operational definitions. We found both a lack and a broad variety in existing definitions and operationalisation, especially in regard to familiarity and conventionality. We identify severe obstacles in the comparability and validation potential of the results of the papers in our review corpus. We propose the development of a consensus in fundamental terminology and more transparency in the reporting of stimulus design in the research on figurative language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nadine Müller
- Department of German Studies and Arts, Institute of German Linguistics, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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Hertrich I, Dietrich S, Blum C, Ackermann H. The Role of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex for Speech and Language Processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:645209. [PMID: 34079444 PMCID: PMC8165195 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.645209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
This review article summarizes various functions of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) that are related to language processing. To this end, its connectivity with the left-dominant perisylvian language network was considered, as well as its interaction with other functional networks that, directly or indirectly, contribute to language processing. Language-related functions of the DLPFC comprise various aspects of pragmatic processing such as discourse management, integration of prosody, interpretation of nonliteral meanings, inference making, ambiguity resolution, and error repair. Neurophysiologically, the DLPFC seems to be a key region for implementing functional connectivity between the language network and other functional networks, including cortico-cortical as well as subcortical circuits. Considering clinical aspects, damage to the DLPFC causes psychiatric communication deficits rather than typical aphasic language syndromes. Although the number of well-controlled studies on DLPFC language functions is still limited, the DLPFC might be an important target region for the treatment of pragmatic language disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingo Hertrich
- Department of Neurology and Stroke, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Susanne Dietrich
- Evolutionary Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Corinna Blum
- Department of Neurology and Stroke, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hermann Ackermann
- Department of Neurology and Stroke, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Chouinard B, Gallagher L, Kelly C. He said, she said: Autism spectrum diagnosis and gender differentially affect relationships between executive functions and social communication. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2019; 23:1793-1804. [DOI: 10.1177/1362361318815639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by difficulties with social communication, with a preponderance in males. Evidence supports a relationship between metacognitive executive functions (e.g. planning, working memory) and social communication in autism spectrum disorder, yet relationships with specific metacognitive executive functions and how gender alters the expression of these relationships require further study. We used multiple regression to examine relationships between informant-based measures of metacognitive executive function and social communication in intellectually able (IQ ⩾ 85) female ( n = 111; mean age = 10.2 ± 2.8; 31 autism spectrum disorder) and male youth ( n = 310; mean age = 10.5 ± 1.9; 146 autism spectrum disorder) with and without autism spectrum disorder from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange-II database. Executive function–social communication relationships were different in females and males with autism spectrum disorder. Relationships between the entire metacognitive index and social communication were stronger in males with autism spectrum disorder than without; this pattern was also observed for metacognitive sub-indices ‘monitor’ and ‘working memory’. These patterns were not observed in females. Relationships between executive function and social communication appear different for female and male youth with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. To better understand the nature of metacognitive contributions to social communication in autism spectrum disorder, future work should investigate the co-development of monitoring, working memory and social communication, while taking gender into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brea Chouinard
- Department of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine, Ireland
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
| | - Louise Gallagher
- Department of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine, Ireland
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
| | - Clare Kelly
- Department of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine, Ireland
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, USA
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Zhu Y, Cribben I. Sparse Graphical Models for Functional Connectivity Networks: Best Methods and the Autocorrelation Issue. Brain Connect 2018. [PMID: 29634321 DOI: 10.1101/128488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Sparse graphical models are frequently used to explore both static and dynamic functional brain networks from neuroimaging data. However, the practical performance of the models has not been studied in detail for brain networks. In this work, we have two objectives. First, we compare several sparse graphical model estimation procedures and several selection criteria under various experimental settings, such as different dimensions, sample sizes, types of data, and sparsity levels of the true model structures. We discuss in detail the superiority and deficiency of each combination. Second, in the same simulation study, we show the impact of autocorrelation and whitening on the estimation of functional brain networks. We apply the methods to a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data set. Our results show that the best sparse graphical model, in terms of detection of true connections and having few false-positive connections, is the smoothly clipped absolute deviation (SCAD) estimating method in combination with the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) and cross-validation (CV) selection method. In addition, the presence of autocorrelation in the data adversely affects the estimation of networks but can be helped by using the CV selection method. These results question the validity of a number of fMRI studies where inferior graphical model techniques have been used to estimate brain networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunan Zhu
- 1 Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Alberta , Edmonton, Canada
| | - Ivor Cribben
- 2 Department of Finance and Statistical Analysis, Alberta School of Business, University of Alberta , Edmonton, Canada
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Zhu Y, Cribben I. Sparse Graphical Models for Functional Connectivity Networks: Best Methods and the Autocorrelation Issue. Brain Connect 2018; 8:139-165. [PMID: 29634321 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2017.0511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sparse graphical models are frequently used to explore both static and dynamic functional brain networks from neuroimaging data. However, the practical performance of the models has not been studied in detail for brain networks. In this work, we have two objectives. First, we compare several sparse graphical model estimation procedures and several selection criteria under various experimental settings, such as different dimensions, sample sizes, types of data, and sparsity levels of the true model structures. We discuss in detail the superiority and deficiency of each combination. Second, in the same simulation study, we show the impact of autocorrelation and whitening on the estimation of functional brain networks. We apply the methods to a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data set. Our results show that the best sparse graphical model, in terms of detection of true connections and having few false-positive connections, is the smoothly clipped absolute deviation (SCAD) estimating method in combination with the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) and cross-validation (CV) selection method. In addition, the presence of autocorrelation in the data adversely affects the estimation of networks but can be helped by using the CV selection method. These results question the validity of a number of fMRI studies where inferior graphical model techniques have been used to estimate brain networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunan Zhu
- 1 Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Alberta , Edmonton, Canada
| | - Ivor Cribben
- 2 Department of Finance and Statistical Analysis, Alberta School of Business, University of Alberta , Edmonton, Canada
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