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Diveica V, Riedel MC, Salo T, Laird AR, Jackson RL, Binney RJ. Graded functional organization in the left inferior frontal gyrus: evidence from task-free and task-based functional connectivity. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:11384-11399. [PMID: 37833772 PMCID: PMC10690868 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad373] [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: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The left inferior frontal gyrus has been ascribed key roles in numerous cognitive domains, such as language and executive function. However, its functional organization is unclear. Possibilities include a singular domain-general function, or multiple functions that can be mapped onto distinct subregions. Furthermore, spatial transition in function may be either abrupt or graded. The present study explored the topographical organization of the left inferior frontal gyrus using a bimodal data-driven approach. We extracted functional connectivity gradients from (i) resting-state fMRI time-series and (ii) coactivation patterns derived meta-analytically from heterogenous sets of task data. We then sought to characterize the functional connectivity differences underpinning these gradients with seed-based resting-state functional connectivity, meta-analytic coactivation modeling and functional decoding analyses. Both analytic approaches converged on graded functional connectivity changes along 2 main organizational axes. An anterior-posterior gradient shifted from being preferentially associated with high-level control networks (anterior functional connectivity) to being more tightly coupled with perceptually driven networks (posterior). A second dorsal-ventral axis was characterized by higher connectivity with domain-general control networks on one hand (dorsal functional connectivity), and with the semantic network, on the other (ventral). These results provide novel insights into an overarching graded functional organization of the functional connectivity that explains its role in multiple cognitive domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Diveica
- Department of Psychology & Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, Bangor University, Bangor, Wales LL57 2AS, United Kingdom
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery & Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Michael C Riedel
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, United States
| | - Taylor Salo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
| | - Angela R Laird
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, United States
| | - Rebecca L Jackson
- Department of Psychology & York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Richard J Binney
- Department of Psychology & Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, Bangor University, Bangor, Wales LL57 2AS, United Kingdom
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2
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Grevisse DG, Watorek M, Isel F. The Subjunctive as a Model of Grammatical Complexity: An Integrative Review of Issues Based on Combined Evidence from Mental Chronometry and Neurosciences. Brain Sci 2023; 13:974. [PMID: 37371452 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13060974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The acquisition of a second language requires the construction or reconstruction of linguistic knowledge about the new language system. Learners of a second language have to acquire the linguistic structures of the second language by constructing or reassessing their own knowledge in the light of the new one. Some of these new linguistic structures may be more or less complex to process and/or difficult to acquire. In this review, we focus on an example of linguistic complexity in French, namely, the subjunctive. Through a discussion of some selected studies on the second language acquisition of the French subjunctive, our purpose is to argue that these findings, considered from a psycholinguistic perspective, could be fruitful for further research employing neuroscience techniques, such as electroencephalography or neuroimaging in order to better understand the neurocognitive processing of this complex structure both in French native speakers and in learners of French. Hence, we aim to contribute to exploring the question of linguistic transfer in the field of second language acquisition, the typological distance/relation between L1-L2, the syntactic acquisition of complex structures in adult second language learners, and the potential contributions of electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging to the processing of the subjunctive, selected as an example of linguistic complexity that has not yet received much attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Grégoire Grevisse
- Centre National Recherches Scientifiques, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7023 Formal Structures of Language, University Paris 8, 93200 Saint-Denis, France
| | - Marzena Watorek
- Centre National Recherches Scientifiques, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7023 Formal Structures of Language, University Paris 8, 93200 Saint-Denis, France
| | - Frédéric Isel
- Centre National Recherches Scientifiques, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7114 Models, Dynamics, Corpora, University Paris Nanterre, 92000 Nanterre, France
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3
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Zheng J, Dong H, Zhang T, Ning J, Xu Y, Cai C. Development and Validation of a Novel Gene Signature for Predicting the Prognosis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Based on Three Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Immune-Related Genes. Front Genet 2022; 13:865052. [PMID: 35559024 PMCID: PMC9086533 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.865052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Increasing evidence has revealed that epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and immunity play key roles in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, correlation between EMT and immune response and the prognostic significance of EMT in IPF remains unclear. Methods: Two microarray expression profiling datasets (GSE70866 and GSE28221) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. EMT- and immune-related genes were identified by gene set variation analysis (GSVA) and the Estimation of STromal and Immune cells in MAlignant Tumors using Expression data (ESTIMATE) algorithm. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed to investigate the functions of these EMT- and immune-related genes. Cox and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analyses were used to screen prognostic genes and establish a gene signature. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and Cell-type Identification By Estimating Relative Subsets Of RNA Transcripts (CIBERSORT) were used to investigate the function of the EMT- and immune-related signatures and correlation between the EMT- and immune-related signatures and immune cell infiltration. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to investigate the mRNA expression of genes in the EMT- and immune-related signatures. Results: Functional enrichment analysis suggested that these genes were mainly involved in immune response. Moreover, the EMT- and immune-related signatures were constructed based on three EMT- and immune-related genes (IL1R2, S100A12, and CCL8), and the K–M and ROC curves presented that the signature could affect the prognosis of IPF patients and could predict the 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival well. Furthermore, a nomogram was developed based on the expression of IL1R2, S100A12, and CCL8, and the calibration curve showed that the nomogram could visually and accurately predict the 1-, 2-, 3-year survival of IPF patients. Finally, we further found that immune-related pathways were activated in the high-risk group of patients, and the EMT- and immune-related signatures were associated with NK cells activated, macrophages M0, dendritic cells resting, mast cells resting, and mast cells activated. qRT-PCR suggested that the mRNA expression of IL1R2, S100A12, and CCL8 was upregulated in whole blood of IPF patients compared with normal samples. Conclusion: IL1R2, S100A12, and CCL8 might play key roles in IPF by regulating immune response and could be used as prognostic biomarkers of IPF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiafeng Zheng
- Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Tianjin Children's Hospital (Tianjin University Children's Hospital), Tianjin, China
| | - Hanquan Dong
- Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Tianjin Children's Hospital (Tianjin University Children's Hospital), Tianjin, China
| | - Tongqiang Zhang
- Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Tianjin Children's Hospital (Tianjin University Children's Hospital), Tianjin, China
| | - Jing Ning
- Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Tianjin Children's Hospital (Tianjin University Children's Hospital), Tianjin, China
| | - Yongsheng Xu
- Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Tianjin Children's Hospital (Tianjin University Children's Hospital), Tianjin, China
| | - Chunquan Cai
- Tianjin Institute of Pediatrics(Tianjin Key Laboratory of Birth Defects for Prevention and Treatment), Tianjin Children's Hospital (Tianjin University Children's Hospital), Tianjin, China
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4
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Ma X, Tao Y, Yang Y. Factors inducing complexities in musical embedded structure processing. Neuropsychologia 2022; 169:108153. [PMID: 35114217 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The organizational structure of music is similar to that found in language, involving a large number of complicated hierarchical and embedded structures. The factors inducing complexities and difficulties in embedded structure processing are important subjects of inquiry in areas of cognitive neuroscience, such as music and language domains. Enlightened by relevant linguistic theories, this study investigated the influence of dependency lengthening and structural shift on musical embedded sequences processing. Results showed that final chords in sequences with long dependence elicited larger ERAN and N5 under near-key shift conditions, while elicited larger ERAN and LPC under far-key shift conditions, when compared to the sequences with short dependence; Further, the final chords in sequences with far-key shift elicited larger N5 under short dependence conditions, while elicited larger LPC under long dependence conditions when compared to the sequences with near-key shift. These results indicate that both dependency lengthening and structure shift could be the factors inducing complexities and difficulties in the processing of musical embedded structures, and there might be some common mechanisms underlying the processing of center-embedded structure across music and language domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xie Ma
- Faculty of Education, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China; Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory of Educational Informatization for Nationalities, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China
| | - Yun Tao
- Faculty of Education, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China; Key Laboratory of Educational Informatization for Nationalities, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China
| | - Yufang Yang
- Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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5
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The evolution of combinatoriality and compositionality in hominid tool use: a comparative perspective. INT J PRIMATOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-021-00267-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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6
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Chen L, Goucha T, Männel C, Friederici AD, Zaccarella E. Hierarchical syntactic processing is beyond mere associating: Functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence from a novel artificial grammar. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:3253-3268. [PMID: 33822433 PMCID: PMC8193521 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Grammar is central to any natural language. In the past decades, the artificial grammar of the AnBn type in which a pair of associated elements can be nested in the other pair was considered as a desirable model to mimic human language syntax without semantic interference. However, such a grammar relies on mere associating mechanisms, thus insufficient to reflect the hierarchical nature of human syntax. Here, we test how the brain imposes syntactic hierarchies according to the category relations on linearized sequences by designing a novel artificial “Hierarchical syntactic structure‐building Grammar” (HG), and compare this to the AnBn grammar as a “Nested associating Grammar” (NG) based on multilevel associations. Thirty‐six healthy German native speakers were randomly assigned to one of the two grammars. Both groups performed a grammaticality judgment task on auditorily presented word sequences generated by the corresponding grammar in the scanner after a successful explicit behavioral learning session. Compared to the NG group, we found that the HG group showed a (a) significantly higher involvement of Brodmann area (BA) 44 in Broca's area and the posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG); and (b) qualitatively distinct connectivity between the two regions. Thus, the present study demonstrates that the build‐up process of syntactic hierarchies on the basis of category relations critically relies on a distinctive left‐hemispheric syntactic network involving BA 44 and pSTG. This indicates that our novel artificial grammar can constitute a suitable experimental tool to investigate syntax‐specific processes in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luyao Chen
- College of Chinese Language and Culture, Beijing Normal University, Beijing.,Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tomás Goucha
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Claudia Männel
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Audiology and Phoniatrics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Emiliano Zaccarella
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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7
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Nee DE. Integrative frontal-parietal dynamics supporting cognitive control. eLife 2021; 10:e57244. [PMID: 33650966 PMCID: PMC7963482 DOI: 10.7554/elife.57244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Coordinating among the demands of the external environment and internal plans requires cognitive control supported by a fronto-parietal control network (FPCN). Evidence suggests that multiple control systems span the FPCN whose operations are poorly understood. Previously (Nee and D'Esposito, 2016; 2017), we detailed frontal dynamics that support control processing, but left open their role in broader cortical function. Here, I show that the FPCN consists of an external/present-oriented to internal/future-oriented cortical gradient extending outwardly from sensory-motor cortices. Areas at the ends of this gradient act in a segregative manner, exciting areas at the same level, but suppressing areas at different levels. By contrast, areas in the middle of the gradient excite areas at all levels, promoting integration of control processing. Individual differences in integrative dynamics predict higher level cognitive ability and amenability to neuromodulation. These data suggest that an intermediary zone within the FPCN underlies integrative processing that supports cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek Evan Nee
- Department of Psychology, Florida State UniversityTallahasseeUnited States
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8
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Zaccarella E, Papitto G, Friederici AD. Language and action in Broca's area: Computational differentiation and cortical segregation. Brain Cogn 2020; 147:105651. [PMID: 33254030 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Actions have been proposed to follow hierarchical principles similar to those hypothesized for language syntax. These structural similarities are claimed to be reflected in the common involvement of certain neural populations of Broca's area, in the Inferior Frontal Gyrus (IFG). In this position paper, we follow an influential hypothesis in linguistic theory to introduce the syntactic operation Merge and the corresponding motor/conceptual interfaces. We argue that actions hierarchies do not follow the same principles ruling language syntax. We propose that hierarchy in the action domain lies in predictive processing mechanisms mapping sensory inputs and statistical regularities of action-goal relationships. At the cortical level, distinct Broca's subregions appear to support different types of computations across the two domains. We argue that anterior BA44 is a major hub for the implementation of the syntactic operation Merge. On the other hand, posterior BA44 is recruited in selecting premotor mental representations based on the information provided by contextual signals. This functional distinction is corroborated by a recent meta-analysis (Papitto, Friederici, & Zaccarella, 2020). We conclude by suggesting that action and language can meet only where the interfaces transfer abstract computations either to the external world or to the internal mental world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emiliano Zaccarella
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Giorgio Papitto
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany; International Max Planck Research School on Neuroscience of Communication: Function, Structure, and Plasticity, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany
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9
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Kompa NA, Mueller JL. How Abstract (Non-embodied) Linguistic Representations Augment Cognitive Control. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1597. [PMID: 32760327 PMCID: PMC7374353 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent scholarship emphasizes the scaffolding role of language for cognition. Language, it is claimed, is a cognition-enhancing niche (Clark, 2006), a programming tool for cognition (Lupyan and Bergen, 2016), even neuroenhancement (Dove, 2019) and augments cognitive functions such as memory, categorization, cognitive control, and meta-cognitive abilities ("thinking about thinking"). Yet, the notion that language enhances or augments cognition, and in particular, cognitive control does not easily fit in with embodied approaches to language processing, or so we will argue. Accounts aiming to explain how language enhances various cognitive functions often employ a notion of abstract representation. Yet, embodied approaches to language processing have it that language processing crucially, according to some accounts even exclusively, involves embodied, modality-specific, i.e., non-abstract representations. In coming to understand a particular phrase or sentence, a prior experience has to be simulated or reenacted. The representation thus activated is embodied (modality-specific) as sensorimotor regions of the brain are thereby recruited. In this paper, we will first discuss the notion of representation, clarify what it takes for a representation to be embodied or abstract, and distinguish between conceptual and (other) linguistic representations. We will then put forward a characterization of cognitive control and examine its representational infrastructure. The remainder of the paper will be devoted to arguing that language augments cognitive control. To that end, we will draw on two lines of research, which investigate how language augments cognitive control: (i) research on the availability of linguistic labels and (ii) research on the active usage of a linguistic code, specifically, in inner speech. Eventually, we will argue that the cognition-enhancing capacity of language can be explained once we assume that it provides us with (a) abstract, non-embodied representations and with (b) abstract, sparse linguistic representations that may serve as easy-to-manipulate placeholders for fully embodied or otherwise more detailed representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikola A Kompa
- Institute of Philosophy, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Jutta L Mueller
- Psycho/Neurolinguistics Group, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany.,Department of Linguistics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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10
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Martins MJD, Krause C, Neville DA, Pino D, Villringer A, Obrig H. Recursive hierarchical embedding in vision is impaired by posterior middle temporal gyrus lesions. Brain 2020; 142:3217-3229. [PMID: 31560064 PMCID: PMC6763734 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awz242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The generation of hierarchical structures is central to language, music and complex action. Understanding this capacity and its potential impairments requires mapping its underlying cognitive processes to the respective neuronal underpinnings. In language, left inferior frontal gyrus and left posterior temporal cortex (superior temporal sulcus/middle temporal gyrus) are considered hubs for syntactic processing. However, it is unclear whether these regions support computations specific to language or more generally support analyses of hierarchical structure. Here, we address this issue by investigating hierarchical processing in a non-linguistic task. We test the ability to represent recursive hierarchical embedding in the visual domain by contrasting a recursion task with an iteration task. The recursion task requires participants to correctly identify continuations of a hierarchy generating procedure, while the iteration task applies a serial procedure that does not generate new hierarchical levels. In a lesion-based approach, we asked 44 patients with left hemispheric chronic brain lesion to perform recursion and iteration tasks. We modelled accuracies and response times with a drift diffusion model and for each participant obtained parametric estimates for the velocity of information accumulation (drift rates) and for the amount of information accumulated before a decision (boundary separation). We then used these estimates in lesion-behaviour analyses to investigate how brain lesions affect specific aspects of recursive hierarchical embedding. We found that lesions in the posterior temporal cortex decreased drift rate in recursive hierarchical embedding, suggesting an impaired process of rule extraction from recursive structures. Moreover, lesions in inferior temporal gyrus decreased boundary separation. The latter finding does not survive conservative correction but suggests a shift in the decision criterion. As patients also participated in a grammar comprehension experiment, we performed explorative correlation-analyses and found that visual and linguistic recursive hierarchical embedding accuracies are correlated when the latter is instantiated as sentences with two nested embedding levels. While the roles of the inferior temporal gyrus and posterior temporal cortex in linguistic processes are well established, here we show that posterior temporal cortex lesions slow information accumulation (drift rate) in the visual domain. This suggests that posterior temporal cortex is essential to acquire the (knowledge) representations necessary to parse recursive hierarchical embedding in visual structures, a finding mimicking language acquisition in young children. On the contrary, inferior frontal gyrus lesions seem to affect recursive hierarchical embedding processing by interfering with more general cognitive control (boundary separation). This interesting separation of roles, rooted on a domain-general taxonomy, raises the question of whether such cognitive framing is also applicable to other domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio J D Martins
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Carina Krause
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Erziehungswissenschaftliche Fakultät Pädagogik im Förderschwerpunkt Sprache und Kommunikation, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - David A Neville
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Daniele Pino
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Arno Villringer
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hellmuth Obrig
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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11
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Gong X, Zou L, Wu H, Shan Y, Liu G, Zheng S, Wang L. Altered brain structural and cognitive impairment in end-stage renal disease patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism. Acta Radiol 2020; 61:796-803. [PMID: 31575287 DOI: 10.1177/0284185119878360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive impairment has received attention as an important problem in patients with end-stage renal disease, although end-stage renal disease patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism have not been studied. PURPOSE To assess the pattern of brain volume changes in end-stage renal disease patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism by using voxel-based morphometry and correlating these measures with clinical markers and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty end-stage renal disease patients with no anatomical abnormalities in conventional MRI (25 patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism, 14 men, mean age 42.20 ± 7.53 years; 25 patients without secondary hyperparathyroidism, 15 men, mean age 41.96 ± 6.17 years) were selected in this study. All patients underwent laboratory tests, neuropsychological tests, and MRI. Voxel-based morphometry analysis was performed to detect regional gray matter volume differences between the two groups. The relationships between abnormal gray matter volume and clinical markers and Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores were investigated. RESULTS Voxel-based morphometry revealed increased gray matter volume in end-stage renal disease patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism in the bilateral caudate and bilateral thalamus compared with non- secondary hyperparathyroidism end-stage renal disease patients (P < 0.05, FWE corrected). Regarding the laboratory and neuropsychological tests, we found significant correlations between volume in these brain regions and intact parathyroid hormone levels and negative correlations with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores. There were no significant associations between brain volume changes and other clinical data (disease duration, urea, creatinine, and uric acid levels). CONCLUSION Our results showed significantly increased gray matter volume in end-stage renal disease patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism, which was associated with intact parathyroid hormone levels and cognitive impairment. Serum intact parathyroid hormone levels may be a risk factor for cognitive impairment in end-stage renal disease patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xijun Gong
- Department of Radiology, the Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, PR China
- Medical Image Research Center, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, PR China
| | - Liwei Zou
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, PR China
| | - Hanqiu Wu
- Department of Radiology, the Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, PR China
| | - Yanqi Shan
- Department of Radiology, the Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, PR China
| | - Guiling Liu
- Department of Nephrology, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, PR China
| | - Suisheng Zheng
- Ping An Healthcare Diagnostics Center, Hefei, Anhui, PR China
| | - Longsheng Wang
- Department of Radiology, the Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, PR China
- Medical Image Research Center, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, PR China
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12
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Jin P, Lu Y, Ding N. Low-frequency neural activity reflects rule-based chunking during speech listening. eLife 2020; 9:55613. [PMID: 32310082 PMCID: PMC7213976 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Chunking is a key mechanism for sequence processing. Studies on speech sequences have suggested low-frequency cortical activity tracks spoken phrases, that is, chunks of words defined by tacit linguistic knowledge. Here, we investigate whether low-frequency cortical activity reflects a general mechanism for sequence chunking and can track chunks defined by temporarily learned artificial rules. The experiment records magnetoencephalographic (MEG) responses to a sequence of spoken words. To dissociate word properties from the chunk structures, two tasks separately require listeners to group pairs of semantically similar or semantically dissimilar words into chunks. In the MEG spectrum, a clear response is observed at the chunk rate. More importantly, the chunk-rate response is task-dependent. It is phase locked to chunk boundaries, instead of the semantic relatedness between words. The results strongly suggest that cortical activity can track chunks constructed based on task-related rules and potentially reflects a general mechanism for chunk-level representations. From digital personal assistants like Siri and Alexa to customer service chatbots, computers are slowly learning to talk to us. But as anyone who has interacted with them will appreciate, the results are often imperfect. Each time we speak or write, we use grammatical rules to combine words in a specific order. These rules enable us to produce new sentences that we have never seen or heard before, and to understand the sentences of others. But computer scientists adopt a different strategy when training computers to use language. Instead of grammar, they provide the computers with vast numbers of example sentences and phrases. The computers then use this input to calculate how likely for one word to follow another in a given context. "The sky is blue" is more common than "the sky is green", for example. But is it possible that the human brain also uses this approach? When we listen to speech, the brain shows patterns of activity that correspond to units such as sentences. But previous research has been unable to tell whether the brain is using grammatical rules to recognise sentences, or whether it relies on a probability-based approach like a computer. Using a simple artificial language, Jin et al. have now managed to tease apart these alternatives. Healthy volunteers listened to lists of words while lying inside a brain scanner. The volunteers had to group the words into pairs, otherwise known as chunks, by following various rules that simulated the grammatical rules present in natural languages. Crucially, the volunteers’ brain activity tracked the chunks – which differed depending on which rule had been applied – rather than the individual words. This suggests that the brain processes speech using abstract rules instead of word probabilities. While computers are now much better at processing language, they still perform worse than people. Understanding how the human brain solves this task could ultimately help to improve the performance of personal digital assistants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiqing Jin
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuhan Lu
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Nai Ding
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Research Center for Advanced Artificial Intelligence Theory, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, China
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13
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Lau T, Gershman SJ, Cikara M. Social structure learning in human anterior insula. eLife 2020; 9:53162. [PMID: 32067635 PMCID: PMC7136019 DOI: 10.7554/elife.53162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans form social coalitions in every society, yet we know little about how we learn and represent social group boundaries. Here we derive predictions from a computational model of latent structure learning to move beyond explicit category labels and interpersonal, or dyadic, similarity as the sole inputs to social group representations. Using a model-based analysis of functional neuroimaging data, we find that separate areas correlate with dyadic similarity and latent structure learning. Trial-by-trial estimates of ‘allyship’ based on dyadic similarity between participants and each agent recruited medial prefrontal cortex/pregenual anterior cingulate (pgACC). Latent social group structure-based allyship estimates, in contrast, recruited right anterior insula (rAI). Variability in the brain signal from rAI improved prediction of variability in ally-choice behavior, whereas variability from the pgACC did not. These results provide novel insights into the psychological and neural mechanisms by which people learn to distinguish ‘us’ from ‘them.’ In every society, people form social coalitions — we draw boundaries between 'us' and 'them'. But how do we decide who is one of 'us' and who is one of 'them'? One way is to use arbitrary categories. For example, we say that those living 49 degrees north of the Earth’s equator are Canadian, whereas those living south of it are American. Another possibility is to use physical characteristics. But what about when neither of these options are available? By monitoring brain activity in healthy volunteers learning about other people’s political values, Lau et al. obtained insights into how people make these decisions. Participants lying in a brain scanner were asked to report their position on a political issue. They then learned the positions of three other hypothetical participants – A, B and C – on the same issue. After repeating this procedure for eight different issues, the volunteers had to decide whether they would align with A or with B on a 'mystery' political issue. So how do participants choose between A and B? One possibility is that they simply choose whichever one has views most similar to their own. If this is the case, the views of hypothetical person C should not affect their decision. But in practice, C's views – specifically how much they resemble the volunteer's own – do influence whether the volunteer chooses A or B. This suggests that we choose our allies based on more than just their similarity to ourselves. Using a mathematical model, Lau et al. show that volunteers also take into account how similar the views of the other ‘participants’ are to each other. In other words, they consider the structure of the social group as a whole. Moreover, the results from brain imaging show that different regions of the brain are active when volunteers track the structure of the entire group, as opposed to their own similarity with each individual. Notably though, the activity of the group-tracking region explains people's alignment choices better than the activity of the similarity-tracking region. This suggests that we base our judgments of 'us' versus 'them' more on the structure of the group as a whole than on our own similarity with individual group members. Understanding how we determine whether others are on the same ‘team’ as ourselves could ultimately help us find ways to reduce bias and discrimination between groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Lau
- Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
| | | | - Mina Cikara
- Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
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14
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Rejnö-Habte Selassie G, Pegenius G, Karlsson T, Viggedal G, Hallböök T, Elam M. Cortical mapping of receptive language processing in children using navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation. Epilepsy Behav 2020; 103:106836. [PMID: 31839497 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.106836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
We used a stepwise process to develop a new paradigm for preoperative cortical mapping of receptive language in children, using temporary functional blocking with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The method combines short sentences with a lexical decision task in which children are asked to point at a picture that fits a short sentence delivered aurally. This was first tested with 24 healthy children aged 4-16 years. Next, 75 sentences and 25 slides were presented to five healthy children in a clinical setting without TMS. Responses were registered on a separate computer, and facial expressions and hand movements were filmed for later offline review. Technical adjustments were made to combine these elements with the existing TMS equipment. The audio-recorded sentences were presented before the visual stimuli. Sentence lists were constructed to avoid similar stimuli in a row. Two different baseline lists were used before the TMS registration; the second baseline resulted in faster responses and was chosen as the reference for possible response delays induced by TMS. Protocols for offline reviews were constructed. No response, incorrect response, self-correction, delayed response, and perseveration were considered clear stimulation effects, while poor attention, discomfort, and other events were regarded as unclear. Finally, three children (6:2, 14:0, 14:10 years) with epilepsy and expected to undergo neurosurgery were assessed using TMS (left hemisphere in one; both hemispheres in the other two). In the two assessed bilaterally, TMS effects indicated bilateral language processing. Delayed response was the most common error. This is a first attempt to develop a new TMS paradigm for receptive language mapping, and further evaluation is suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Göran Pegenius
- Unit of Clinical Neurophysiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Tomas Karlsson
- Institute of Neuroscience & Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Gerd Viggedal
- Department of Pediatrics, Queen Silvia Children's Hospital and Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Tove Hallböök
- Department of Pediatrics, Queen Silvia Children's Hospital and Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mikael Elam
- Unit of Clinical Neurophysiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden; Institute of Neuroscience & Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
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15
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Jeon HA, Kuhl U, Friederici AD. Mathematical expertise modulates the architecture of dorsal and cortico-thalamic white matter tracts. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6825. [PMID: 31048754 PMCID: PMC6497695 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43400-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
To what extent are levels of cognitive expertise reflected in differential structural connectivity of the brain? We addressed this question by analyzing the white matter brain structure of experts (mathematicians) versus non-experts (non-mathematicians) using probabilistic tractography. Having mathematicians and non-mathematicians as participant groups enabled us to directly compare profiles of structural connectivity arising from individual levels of expertise in mathematics. Tracking from functional seed regions activated during the processing of complex arithmetic formulas revealed an involvement of various fiber bundles such the inferior fronto-occipital fascicle, arcuate fasciculus/superior longitudinal fasciculus (AF/SLF), cross-hemispheric connections of frontal lobe areas through the corpus callosum and cortico-subcortical connectivity via the bilateral thalamic radiation. With the aim of investigating expertise-dependent structural connectivity, the streamline density was correlated with the level of expertise, defined by automaticity of processing complex mathematics. The results showed that structural integrity of the AF/SLF was higher in individuals with higher automaticity, while stronger cortico-thalamic connectivity was associated with lower levels of automaticity. Therefore, we suggest that expertise in the domain of mathematics is reflected in plastic changes of the brain's white matter structure, possibly reflecting a general principle of cognitive expertise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeon-Ae Jeon
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, Korea.
- Partner Group of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences at the Department for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Korea.
| | - Ulrike Kuhl
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
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16
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Ma X, Ding N, Tao Y, Yang YF. Syntactic complexity and musical proficiency modulate neural processing of non-native music. Neuropsychologia 2018; 121:164-174. [PMID: 30359654 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2018] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In music, chords are organized into hierarchical structures on the basis of musical syntax and the syntax of Western music can be implicitly acquired by listeners growing up in a Western musical culture. Here, we investigated whether Western musical syntax of different complexities can be implicitly acquired by non-native listeners growing up in China. This study used electroencephalography (EEG) to measure how the neural responses to musical sequences that either follow a simple rule, i.e., finite state grammar (FSG), or a complex rule, i.e., phrase structure grammar (PSG), are affected. We tested three groups of Chinese listeners who varied in their proficiency and experience in Western music. Only the high-proficiency group had received formal Western musical training, whereas the low- and moderate-proficiency groups varied in their degree of exposure to Western music. The results showed that in the FSG condition, the event-related potentials (ERPs) evoked by regular and irregular final chords were not significantly different in the low-proficiency group. In contrast, in the moderate- and high-proficiency groups, the irregular final chords evoked an ERAN-N5 biphasic response. In the PSG condition, however, only the high-proficiency group showed an ERAN-N5 biphasic response evoked by irregular final chords. This study provides evidence that although simple structures of Western music, such as FSG, can be acquired by long-term implicit learning, the acquisition of more complex structures, such as PSG, merely from exposure to western music may not be as easy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xie Ma
- Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; College of Educational Science and Management, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China; Key Laboratory of Educational Informatization for Nationalities, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China
| | - Nai Ding
- College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Industrial Control Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yun Tao
- College of Educational Science and Management, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China; Key Laboratory of Educational Informatization for Nationalities, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China
| | - Yu Fang Yang
- Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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17
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Ma X, Ding N, Tao Y, Yang YF. Differences in Neurocognitive Mechanisms Underlying the Processing of Center-Embedded and Non–embedded Musical Structures. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:425. [PMID: 30405379 PMCID: PMC6206303 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In music, chords are organized into hierarchical structures based on recursive or embedded syntax. How the brain extracts recursive grammar is a central question in musical cognition and other cognitive neuroscience, but the precise mechanism remains unclear. By analyzing event related potentials (ERPs) and neural oscillatory activity, the present study investigated neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the processing of center-embedded structure in music by examining the differences in center-embedded and non-embedded structure processing and evaluating how these differences are affected by musical proficiency. Based on Western musical proficiency, the subjects were divided into two groups, non-experts and experts. The results revealed that for non-experts, the processing of center-embedded structure elicited greater early right-anterior negativity (ERAN) and N5 components as well as, reduced alpha and gamma activities than did the non-embedded structure. For experts, no significant difference in the ERP response was observed between the processing of non-embedded and center-embedded structures; however, the processing of center-embedded structure elicited increased beta activity compared to non-embedded structure. These findings indicate that listeners different in proficiency would rely on different cognitive neural mechanisms in music processing with the syntactic complexity increases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xie Ma
- Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Educational Science and Management, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China
- Key Laboratory of Educational Informatization for Nationalities, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China
| | - Nai Ding
- College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Industrial Control Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yun Tao
- College of Educational Science and Management, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China
- Key Laboratory of Educational Informatization for Nationalities, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China
| | - Yu Fang Yang
- Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Yu Fang Yang
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18
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Momenian M, Nilipour R, Samar RG, Cappa SF, Golestani N. Morpho-syntactic complexity modulates brain activation in Persian-English bilinguals: An fMRI study. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2018; 185:9-18. [PMID: 29990719 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2018.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2017] [Revised: 06/30/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The Persian language can be considered to have a relatively more complex and combinatorial morpho-syntax than languages like Chinese and English. For example, the Persian verbal system is largely constituted of light verb constructions, in which light verbs are combined with specific items coming from other grammatical classes to generate entirely new verbal entities. This study was designed to examine the mediating effect of language-inherent properties related to morpho-syntax on activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG), a brain area involved in morpho-syntactic processing. To this end, 20 late Persian-English bilinguals were required to covertly generate verbs and nouns from object and action pictures, within a cued grammatical context. Consistent with predictions, the results of an ROI analysis revealed an interaction between task and language in BA 44 of the LIFG and its right homologue, with greater activation of this region during the production of Persian compared to English verbs. In contrast, there was greater activation of the BA 44 during the production of English compared to Persian nouns, consistent with the more effortful processing of their less proficient second language (English). The findings suggest that language-specific properties such as morpho-syntactic complexity can modulate the recruitment of Broca's area, over and above the more well-documented effects of language proficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Momenian
- Laboratory for Communication Science, Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Department of Applied Linguistics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Reza Nilipour
- Department of Speech Therapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Ghafar Samar
- Department of Applied Linguistics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Stefano F Cappa
- Institute for Advanced Studies (IUSS), Pavia, Italy; IRCCS S. Giovanni di Dio, Brescia, Italy
| | - Narly Golestani
- Brain and Language Lab, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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19
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Jeon HA, Friederici AD. What Does "Being an Expert" Mean to the Brain? Functional Specificity and Connectivity in Expertise. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:5603-5615. [PMID: 27797834 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
To what extent is varying cognitive expertise reflected in the brain's functional specificity and connectivity? We addressed this question by examining expertise in mathematics based on the fact that mathematical skills are one of the most critical cognitive abilities known to be a good predictor of academic achievement. We investigated processing of hierarchical structures, which is a fundamental process for building complex cognitive architecture. Experts and nonexperts in mathematics participated in processing hierarchical structures using algebraic expressions. Results showed that a modulating effect depending on expertise was observed specifically in nonexperts in the left inferior frontal gyrus around pars triangularis and frontal sulcus, the left intraparietal sulcus, and the right inferior parietal lobule. This expertise-dependent pattern of activation led to a crucial dissociation within the left prefrontal cortex. More interestingly, task-related functional networks were also modulated differently in the frontoparietal network for relatively good performance and in the frontostriatal network for poor performance. The present study indicates that a high level of expertise is evident in a small number of specific brain regions, whereas a low level of expertise is reflected by broadly distributed brain areas, along with divergent functional connectivity between experts and nonexperts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeon-Ae Jeon
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Korea.,Partner Group of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences at the Department for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, DGIST, Daegu 42988, Korea
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103Leipzig, Germany
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20
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Hartwigsen G, Neef NE, Camilleri JA, Margulies DS, Eickhoff SB. Functional Segregation of the Right Inferior Frontal Gyrus: Evidence From Coactivation-Based Parcellation. Cereb Cortex 2018; 29:1532-1546. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gesa Hartwigsen
- Research Group Modulation of Language Networks, Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nicole E Neef
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Julia A Camilleri
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behavior (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Daniel S Margulies
- Frontlab, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), UPMC UMRS 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris, France
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behavior (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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21
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Akrami H, Moghimi S. Culture Modulates the Brain Response to Harmonic Violations: An EEG Study on Hierarchical Syntactic Structure in Music. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:591. [PMID: 29270118 PMCID: PMC5723651 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the role of culture in processing hierarchical syntactic structures in music. We examined whether violation of non-local dependencies manifest in event related potentials (ERP) for Western and Iranian excerpts by recording EEG while participants passively listened to sequences of modified/original excerpts. We also investigated oscillatory and synchronization properties of brain responses during processing of hierarchical structures. For the Western excerpt, subjective ratings of conclusiveness were marginally significant and the difference in the ERP components fell short of significance. However, ERP and behavioral results showed that while listening to culturally familiar music, subjects comprehended whether or not the hierarchical syntactic structure was fulfilled. Irregularities in the hierarchical structures of the Iranian excerpt elicited an early negativity in the central regions bilaterally, followed by two later negativities from 450–700 to 750–950 ms. The latter manifested throughout the scalp. Moreover, violations of hierarchical structure in the Iranian excerpt were associated with (i) an early decrease in the long range alpha phase synchronization, (ii) an early increase in the oscillatory activity in the beta band over the central areas, and (iii) a late decrease in the theta band phase synchrony between left anterior and right posterior regions. Results suggest that rhythmic structures and melodic fragments, representative of Iranian music, created a familiar context in which recognition of complex non-local syntactic structures was feasible for Iranian listeners. Processing of neural responses to the Iranian excerpt indicated neural mechanisms for processing of hierarchical syntactic structures in music at different levels of cortical integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haleh Akrami
- Electrical Engineering Department, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Sahar Moghimi
- Electrical Engineering Department, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.,Rayan Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
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22
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The contribution of different prefrontal cortex regions to recollection and familiarity: a review of fMRI data. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 83:240-251. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Revised: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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23
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Differential cortical contribution of syntax and semantics: An fMRI study on two-word phrasal processing. Cortex 2017; 96:105-120. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2017] [Revised: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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24
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Goucha T, Zaccarella E, Friederici A. A revival of Homo loquens as a builder of labeled structures: Neurocognitive considerations. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 81:213-224. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.01.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2016] [Revised: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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25
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He Z, Han D, Efimova O, Guijarro P, Yu Q, Oleksiak A, Jiang S, Anokhin K, Velichkovsky B, Grünewald S, Khaitovich P. Comprehensive transcriptome analysis of neocortical layers in humans, chimpanzees and macaques. Nat Neurosci 2017; 20:886-895. [PMID: 28414332 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
While human cognitive abilities are clearly unique, underlying changes in brain organization and function remain unresolved. Here we characterized the transcriptome of the cortical layers and adjacent white matter in the prefrontal cortexes of humans, chimpanzees and rhesus macaques using unsupervised sectioning followed by RNA sequencing. More than 20% of detected genes were expressed predominantly in one layer, yielding 2,320 human layer markers. While the bulk of the layer markers were conserved among species, 376 switched their expression to another layer in humans. By contrast, only 133 of such changes were detected in the chimpanzee brain, suggesting acceleration of cortical reorganization on the human evolutionary lineage. Immunohistochemistry experiments further showed that human-specific expression changes were not limited to neurons but affected a broad spectrum of cortical cell types. Thus, despite apparent histological conservation, human neocortical organization has undergone substantial changes affecting more than 5% of its transcriptome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhisong He
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, SIBS, CAS, Shanghai, China
| | - Dingding Han
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, SIBS, CAS, Shanghai, China.,Big Data Decision Institute, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Olga Efimova
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo, Russia
| | - Patricia Guijarro
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, SIBS, CAS, Shanghai, China
| | - Qianhui Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, SIBS, CAS, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Anna Oleksiak
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, SIBS, CAS, Shanghai, China
| | - Shasha Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, SIBS, CAS, Shanghai, China
| | - Konstantin Anokhin
- Department of Neuroscience, National Research Center, Kurchatov Institute, Moscow, Russia
| | - Boris Velichkovsky
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Stefan Grünewald
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, SIBS, CAS, Shanghai, China
| | - Philipp Khaitovich
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo, Russia.,School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.,Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia.,Comparative Biology group, PICB, SIBS, CAS, Shanghai, China
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26
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Neef NE, Bütfering C, Anwander A, Friederici AD, Paulus W, Sommer M. Left posterior-dorsal area 44 couples with parietal areas to promote speech fluency, while right area 44 activity promotes the stopping of motor responses. Neuroimage 2016; 142:628-644. [PMID: 27542724 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.08.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2016] [Revised: 08/03/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Area 44 is a cytoarchitectonically distinct portion of Broca's region. Parallel and overlapping large-scale networks couple with this region thereby orchestrating heterogeneous language, cognitive, and motor functions. In the context of stuttering, area 44 frequently comes into focus because structural and physiological irregularities affect developmental trajectories, stuttering severity, persistency, and etiology. A remarkable phenomenon accompanying stuttering is the preserved ability to sing. Speaking and singing are connatural behaviours recruiting largely overlapping brain networks including left and right area 44. Analysing which potential subregions of area 44 are malfunctioning in adults who stutter, and what effectively suppresses stuttering during singing, may provide a better understanding of the coordination and reorganization of large-scale brain networks dedicated to speaking and singing in general. We used fMRI to investigate functionally distinct subregions of area 44 during imagery of speaking and imaginary of humming a melody in 15 dextral males who stutter and 17 matched control participants. Our results are fourfold. First, stuttering was specifically linked to a reduced activation of left posterior-dorsal area 44, a subregion that is involved in speech production, including phonological word processing, pitch processing, working memory processes, sequencing, motor planning, pseudoword learning, and action inhibition. Second, functional coupling between left posterior area 44 and left inferior parietal lobule was deficient in stuttering. Third, despite the preserved ability to sing, males who stutter showed bilaterally a reduced activation of area 44 when imagine humming a melody, suggesting that this fluency-enhancing condition seems to bypass posterior-dorsal area 44 to achieve fluency. Fourth, time courses of the posterior subregions in area 44 showed delayed peak activations in the right hemisphere in both groups, possibly signaling the offset response. Because these offset response-related activations in the right hemisphere were comparably large in males who stutter, our data suggest a hyperactive mechanism to stop speech motor responses and thus possibly reflect a pathomechanism, which, until now, has been neglected. Overall, the current results confirmed a recently described co-activation based parcellation supporting the idea of functionally distinct subregions of left area 44.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole E Neef
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg-August-University, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 03104 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Christoph Bütfering
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg-August-University, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Alfred Anwander
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 03104 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 03104 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Walter Paulus
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg-August-University, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Martin Sommer
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg-August-University, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
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Trützschler J, Sentosun K, Mozooni B, Mattheis R, McCord J. Magnetic domain wall gratings for magnetization reversal tuning and confined dynamic mode localization. Sci Rep 2016; 6:30761. [PMID: 27487941 PMCID: PMC4973262 DOI: 10.1038/srep30761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
High density magnetic domain wall gratings are imprinted in ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic thin films by local ion irradiation by which alternating head-to-tail-to-head-to-tail and head-to-head-to-tail-to-tail spatially overlapping domain wall networks are formed. Unique magnetic domain processes result from the interaction of anchored domain walls. Non-linear magnetization response is introduced by the laterally distributed magnetic anisotropy phases. The locally varying magnetic charge distribution gives rise to localized and guided magnetization spin-wave modes directly constrained by the narrow domain wall cores. The exchange coupled multiphase material structure leads to unprecedented static and locally modified dynamic magnetic material properties.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kadir Sentosun
- Institute for Materials Science, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Babak Mozooni
- Institute for Materials Science, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Roland Mattheis
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology IPHT Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Jeffrey McCord
- Institute for Materials Science, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
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Abstract
UNLABELLED Of current interest is how variations in early language experience shape patterns of functional connectivity in the human brain. In the present study, we compared simultaneous (two languages from birth) and sequential (second language learned after age 5 years) bilinguals using a seed-based resting-state MRI approach. We focused on the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) as our ROI, as recent studies have demonstrated both neurofunctional and neurostructural changes related to age of second language acquisition in bilinguals in this cortical area. Stronger functional connectivity was observed for simultaneous bilinguals between the left and right IFG, as well as between the inferior frontal gyrus and brain areas involved in language control, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal lobule, and cerebellum. Functional connectivity between the left IFG and the right IFG and right inferior parietal lobule was also significantly correlated with age of acquisition for sequential bilinguals; the earlier the second language was acquired, the stronger was the functional connectivity. In addition, greater functional connectivity between homologous regions of the inferior frontal gyrus was associated with reduced neural activation in the left IFG during speech production. The increased connectivity at rest and reduced neural activation during task performance suggests enhanced neural efficiency in this important brain area involved in both speech production and domain-general cognitive processing. Together, our findings highlight how the brain's intrinsic functional patterns are influenced by the developmental timeline in which second language acquisition occurs. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Of current interest is how early life experience leaves its footprint on brain structure and function. In this regard, bilingualism provides an optimal way to determine the effects of the timing of language learning because a second language can be learned from birth or later in life. We used resting-state fMRI to look at simultaneous and sequential bilinguals who differed only in age of acquisition, and found stronger connectivity between language and cognitive control regions in bilinguals who learned their two languages simultaneously, a pattern that was associated with more efficient brain activation during speech. Our findings highlight how functional connections in the brain differ depending upon when learning takes place.
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Nee DE, D'Esposito M. The hierarchical organization of the lateral prefrontal cortex. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 26999822 PMCID: PMC4811776 DOI: 10.7554/elife.12112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2015] [Accepted: 02/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Higher-level cognition depends on the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), but its functional organization has remained elusive. An influential proposal is that the LPFC is organized hierarchically whereby progressively rostral areas of the LPFC process/represent increasingly abstract information facilitating efficient and flexible cognition. However, support for this theory has been limited. Here, human fMRI data revealed rostral/caudal gradients of abstraction in the LPFC. Dynamic causal modeling revealed asymmetrical LPFC interactions indicative of hierarchical processing. Contrary to dominant assumptions, the relative strength of efferent versus afferent connections positioned mid LPFC as the apex of the hierarchy. Furthermore, cognitive demands induced connectivity modulations towards mid LPFC consistent with a role in integrating information for control operations. Moreover, the strengths of these dynamics were related to trait-measured higher-level cognitive ability. Collectively, these results suggest that the LPFC is hierarchically organized with the mid LPFC positioned to synthesize abstract and concrete information to control behavior. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.12112.001 Part of the brain called the lateral prefrontal cortex has a critical role in many of the processes seen as hallmarks of human cognition, such as reasoning, planning and problem-solving. Individuals with damage to the lateral prefrontal cortex are disorganized and easily distracted, and may show behaviors that are inappropriate for their context. However, the involvement of the lateral prefrontal cortex in such a wide range of processes makes it difficult to study. This in turn presents a significant roadblock to a full understanding of cognition and human intelligence. Of particular interest is whether the lateral prefrontal cortex has a hierarchical organization wherein a region coordinates the roles of other regions, much like the chief executive of a company. Therefore, Nee and D’Esposito set out to map how the lateral prefrontal cortex is organized, and how its different regions communicate with each other to support complex cognition. Brain imaging revealed that the rear (posterior) part of the lateral prefrontal cortex processes an individual’s current situation, while the front (anterior) prepares for future situations. Areas in the middle process both types of information. These central areas appear to be highly influential as they have stronger connections to the anterior and posterior regions than vice versa. In cognitively demanding situations, the middle areas receive input from both anterior regions (potentially about future needs) and posterior regions (potentially about current needs). By combining the two sets of information, the middle areas can select behaviors that take into account both present circumstances and longer-term goals. With this strategic overview, the middle areas of the lateral prefrontal cortex are well positioned to play the part of the brain’s chief executive. Future experiments should test whether the interactions observed between the different regions of the lateral prefrontal cortex are essential for complex planning and thinking. Additional work in animals would improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying these interactions. Finally, studying how these interactions are altered in disorders such as schizophrenia, where the lateral prefrontal cortex shows abnormal activity, might pave the way for more effective treatments. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.12112.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek Evan Nee
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, United States
| | - Mark D'Esposito
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, United States
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Gohil K, Dippel G, Beste C. Questioning the role of the frontopolar cortex in multi-component behavior--a TMS/EEG study. Sci Rep 2016; 6:22317. [PMID: 26924655 PMCID: PMC4770427 DOI: 10.1038/srep22317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive control is central to many every day situations. There, we usually have to combine different actions to achieve a task goal. Several lines of research indicated that areas in the prefrontal cortex determine cognitive control in situations requiring multi-component behavior. One of this is the frontopolar cortex (FPC). However, direct non-correlative evidence for this notion is widely lacking. In the current study we test the importance of the FPC for the implementation of action cascading processes in a TMS/EEG study. The data, however, clearly show that the FPC does not modulate behavioral or neurophysiological parameters reflecting action cascading, which is in contrast to the findings of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The results are supported by a Bayesian analysis of the data. The results suggest that a possible role of the FPC in multi-component behavior needs to be refined. At least in situations, where multi-component behavior is achieved by stopping and switching processes and does not impose high demands on working memory processes the FPC seems to play no role in the implementation of this major cognitive control function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krutika Gohil
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Gabriel Dippel
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Germany
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Stock AK, Ness V, Beste C. Complex sensorimotor transformation processes required for response selection are facilitated by the striatum. Neuroimage 2015; 123:33-41. [PMID: 26311607 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.08.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2014] [Revised: 07/23/2015] [Accepted: 08/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Both fronto-parietal networks and the basal ganglia play an important role in action cascading. It is well-known that cortical structures mediate sensorimotor transformation for this purpose. The striatum receives extensive input from those cortical structures and has been shown to be modulated by the predictability of cortical input. Until today, it has however remained unclear whether the processing of spatial codes or even sensorimotor transformation processes for the purpose of action cascading involve the striatum. We therefore examined this question by means of fMRI using a stop-change task that varied the predictability as well as the complexity of sensorimotor transformations required for correct responding in the context of action cascading. On the behavioral level, we found that the complexity of sensorimotor transformation processes only prolonged reaction times when the requirement for this transformation was predictable. fMRI results matched this effect showing enhanced activity of the caudate in case a complex sensorimotor transformation could be anticipated. Irrespective of the complexity of the required transformations, the putamen was furthermore involved in the prediction of imminent action cascading demands. Taken together, our findings give rise to a conceptual advance regarding basal ganglia function by showing that the anticipation and, more importantly, processing of complex sensorimotor transformation processes involves the striatum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Kathrin Stock
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Schubertstrasse 42, D-01309 Dresden, Germany.
| | - Vanessa Ness
- Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Schubertstrasse 42, D-01309 Dresden, Germany
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Weiss-Croft LJ, Baldeweg T. Maturation of language networks in children: A systematic review of 22years of functional MRI. Neuroimage 2015. [PMID: 26213350 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.07.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding how language networks change during childhood is important for theories of cognitive development and for identifying the neural causes of language impairment. Despite this, there is currently little systematic evidence regarding the typical developmental trajectory for language from the field of neuroimaging. We reviewed functional MRI (fMRI) studies published between 1992 and 2014, and quantified the evidence for age-related changes in localisation and lateralisation of fMRI activation in the language network (excluding the cerebellum and subcortical regions). Although age-related changes differed according to task type and input modality, we identified four consistent findings concerning the typical maturation of the language system. First, activation in core semantic processing regions increases with age. Second, activation in lower-level sensory and motor regions increases with age as activation in higher-level control regions reduces. We suggest that this reflects increased automaticity of language processing as children become more proficient. Third, the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus (regions associated with the default mode network) show increasing attenuation across childhood and adolescence. Finally, language lateralisation is established by approximately 5years of age. Small increases in leftward lateralisation are observed in frontal regions, but these are tightly linked to performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise J Weiss-Croft
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, Developmental Neurosciences Programme, UCL Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
| | - Torsten Baldeweg
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, Developmental Neurosciences Programme, UCL Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
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33
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Complex Learning in Bio-plausible Memristive Networks. Sci Rep 2015; 5:10684. [PMID: 26090862 PMCID: PMC4473596 DOI: 10.1038/srep10684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The emerging memristor-based neuromorphic engineering promises an efficient computing paradigm. However, the lack of both internal dynamics in the previous feedforward memristive networks and efficient learning algorithms in recurrent networks, fundamentally limits the learning ability of existing systems. In this work, we propose a framework to support complex learning functions by introducing dedicated learning algorithms to a bio-plausible recurrent memristive network with internal dynamics. We fabricate iron oxide memristor-based synapses, with well controllable plasticity and a wide dynamic range of excitatory/inhibitory connection weights, to build the network. To adaptively modify the synaptic weights, the comprehensive recursive least-squares (RLS) learning algorithm is introduced. Based on the proposed framework, the learning of various timing patterns and a complex spatiotemporal pattern of human motor is demonstrated. This work paves a new way to explore the brain-inspired complex learning in neuromorphic systems.
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34
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Jeon HA, Friederici AD. Degree of automaticity and the prefrontal cortex. Trends Cogn Sci 2015; 19:244-50. [PMID: 25843542 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2015.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2015] [Revised: 02/27/2015] [Accepted: 03/06/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), with more anterior areas [Brodmann area (BA) 45, 47, and 10], has been known to be activated as cognitive hierarchy increases. However, this does not hold for highly automatic processes such as first language (L1), where the posterior region (BA 44) is known as the key area for the processing of complex linguistic hierarchy. Discussing this disparity, we propose that the degree of automaticity (DoA) is a crucial factor for the framework of functional mapping in the PFC: the posterior-to-anterior gradient system for more controlled processes and the posterior-confined system for automatic processes. We support this view with previous findings and provide a new perspective on the functional organization of the PFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeon-Ae Jeon
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany
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35
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Gohil K, Stock AK, Beste C. The importance of sensory integration processes for action cascading. Sci Rep 2015; 5:9485. [PMID: 25820681 PMCID: PMC4377632 DOI: 10.1038/srep09485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Dual tasking or action cascading is essential in everyday life and often investigated using tasks presenting stimuli in different sensory modalities. Findings obtained with multimodal tasks are often broadly generalized, but until today, it has remained unclear whether multimodal integration affects performance in action cascading or the underlying neurophysiology. To bridge this gap, we asked healthy young adults to complete a stop-change paradigm which presented different stimuli in either one or two modalities while recording behavioral and neurophysiological data. Bimodal stimulus presentation prolonged response times and affected bottom-up and top-down guided attentional processes as reflected by the P1 and N1, respectively. However, the most important effect was the modulation of response selection processes reflected by the P3 suggesting that a potentially different way of forming task goals operates during action cascading in bimodal vs. unimodal tasks. When two modalities are involved, separate task goals need to be formed while a conjoint task goal may be generated when all stimuli are presented in the same modality. On a systems level, these processes seem to be related to the modulation of activity in fronto-polar regions (BA10) as well as Broca's area (BA44).
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Affiliation(s)
- Krutika Gohil
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Ann-Kathrin Stock
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Germany
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36
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Jeon HA. Hierarchical processing in the prefrontal cortex in a variety of cognitive domains. Front Syst Neurosci 2014; 8:223. [PMID: 25505390 PMCID: PMC4243503 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2014.00223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 11/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This review scrutinizes several findings on human hierarchical processing within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in diverse cognitive domains. Converging evidence from previous studies has shown that the PFC, specifically, BA44, may function as the essential region for hierarchical processing across the domains. In language fMRI studies, BA 44 was significantly activated for the hierarchical processing of center-embedded sentences and this pattern of activations was also observed in artificial grammar. The same pattern was observed in the visuo-spatial domain where BA44 was actively involved in the processing of hierarchy for the visual symbol. Musical syntax, which is the rule-based arrangement of musical sets, has also been construed as hierarchical processing as in the language domain such that the activation in BA44 was observed in a chord sequence paradigm. P600 ERP was also engendered during the processing of musical hierarchy. Along with a longstanding idea that a human's number faculty is developed as a "by-product of language faculty", BA44 was closely involved in hierarchical processing in mental arithmetic. This review extended its discussion of hierarchical "processing" to hierarchical "behavior", that is, human action which has been referred to as being hierarchically composed. Several lesion and TMS studies supported the involvement of BA44 for hierarchical processing in the action domain. Lastly, the hierarchical organization of cognitive controls was discussed within the PFC, forming a cascade of top-down hierarchical processes operating along a posterior-to-anterior axis of the lateral PFC including BA44 within the network. It is proposed that PFC is actively involved in different forms of hierarchical processing and specifically BA44 may play an integral role in the process. Taking levels of proficiency and subcortical areas into consideration may provide further insight into the functional role of BA44 for hierarchical processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeon-Ae Jeon
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Germany
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37
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Bourguignon NJ. A rostro-caudal axis for language in the frontal lobe: the role of executive control in speech production. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 47:431-44. [PMID: 25305636 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2014] [Accepted: 09/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The present article promotes a formal executive model of frontal functions underlying speech production, bringing together hierarchical theories of adaptive behavior in the (pre-)frontal cortex (pFC) and psycho- and neurolinguistic approaches to spoken language within an information-theoretic framework. Its biological plausibility is revealed through two Activation Likelihood Estimation meta-analyses carried out on a total of 41 hemodynamic studies of overt word and continuous speech production respectively. Their principal findings, considered in light of neuropsychological evidence and earlier models of speech-related frontal functions, support the engagement of a caudal-to-rostral gradient of pFC activity operationalized by the nature and quantity of speech-related information conveyed by task-related external cues (i.e., cue codability) on the one hand, and the total informational content of generated utterances on the other. In particular, overt reading or repetition and picture naming recruit primarily caudal motor-premotor regions involved in the sensorimotor and phonological aspects of speech; word and sentence generation engage mid- ventro- and dorsolateral areas supporting its basic predicative and syntactic functions; finally, rostral- and fronto-polar cortices subsume domain-general strategic processes of discourse generation for creative speech. These different levels interact in a top-down fashion, ranging representationally and temporally from the most general and extended to the most specific and immediate. The end-result is an integrative theory of pFC as the main executive component of the language cortical network, which supports the existence of areas specialized for speech communication and articulation and regions subsuming internal reasoning and planning. Prospective avenues of research pertaining to this model's principal predictions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas J Bourguignon
- Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada; Département d'orthophonie et d'audiologie, Université de Montréal, Canada; Centre for Research on the Brain, Language and Music, Montreal, Canada.
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38
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Functional network mirrored in the prefrontal cortex, caudate nucleus, and thalamus: high-resolution functional imaging and structural connectivity. J Neurosci 2014; 34:9202-12. [PMID: 25009254 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0228-14.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite myriads of studies on a parallel organization of cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical loops, direct evidence of this has been lacking for the healthy human brain. Here, we scrutinize the functional specificity of the cortico-subcortical loops depending on varying levels of cognitive hierarchy as well as their structural connectivity with high-resolution fMRI and diffusion-weighted MRI (dMRI) at 7 tesla. Three levels of cognitive hierarchy were implemented in two domains: second language and nonlanguage. In fMRI, for the higher level, activations were found in the ventroanterior portion of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the head of the caudate nucleus (CN), and the ventral anterior nucleus (VA) in the thalamus. Conversely, for the lower level, activations were located in the posterior region of the PFC, the body of the CN, and the medial dorsal nucleus (MD) in the thalamus. This gradient pattern of activations was furthermore shown to be tenable by the parallel connectivity in dMRI tractography connecting the anterior regions of the PFC with the head of the CN and the VA in the thalamus, whereas the posterior activations of the PFC were linked to the body of the CN and the MD in the thalamus. This is the first human in vivo study combining fMRI and dMRI showing that the functional specificity is mirrored within the cortico-subcortical loop substantiated by parallel networks.
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Gao J, Cheung RTF, Chan YS, Chu LW, Mak HKF, Lee TMC. The relevance of short-range fibers to cognitive efficiency and brain activation in aging and dementia. PLoS One 2014; 9:e90307. [PMID: 24694731 PMCID: PMC3973665 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2013] [Accepted: 01/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The integrity of structural connectivity in a functional brain network supports the efficiency of neural processing within relevant brain regions. This study aimed to quantitatively investigate the short- and long-range fibers, and their differential roles in the lower cognitive efficiency in aging and dementia. Three groups of healthy young, healthy older adults and patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) participated in this combined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study on prospective memory (PM). Short- and long-range fiber tracts within the PM task engaged brain networks were generated. The correlation between the fMRI signal change, PM performance and the DTI characters were calculated. FMRI results showed that the PM-specific frontal activations in three groups were distributed hierarchically along the rostrocaudal axis in the frontal lobe. In an overall PM condition generally activated brain network among the three groups, tractography was used to generate the short-range fibers, and they were found impaired in both healthy older adults and AD patients. However, the long-range fiber tracts were only impaired in AD. Additionally, the mean diffusivity (MD) of short-range but not long-range fibers was positively correlated with fMRI signal change and negatively correlated with the efficiency of PM performance. This study suggests that the disintegrity of short-range fibers may contribute more to the lower cognitive efficiency and higher compensatory brain activation in healthy older adults and more in AD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junling Gao
- Department of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Network, Strategic Research Theme of Healthy Aging, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Raymond T. F. Cheung
- Department of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
- Research Center of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy Aging, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
- * E-mail:
| | - Ying-Shing Chan
- Research Center of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy Aging, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
- Department of Physiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Leung-Wing Chu
- Department of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Network, Strategic Research Theme of Healthy Aging, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Henry K. F. Mak
- Department of Radiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Tatia M. C. Lee
- Laboratory of Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, Faculty of Social science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
- The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, Faculty of Social Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
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Guajardo LF, Wicha NYY. Morphosyntax can modulate the N400 component: event related potentials to gender-marked post-nominal adjectives. Neuroimage 2014; 91:262-72. [PMID: 24462934 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.09.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2013] [Revised: 09/12/2013] [Accepted: 09/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Event-related potential studies of grammatical gender agreement often report a left anterior negativity (LAN) when agreement violations occur. Some studies have shown that during sentence comprehension gender violations can also interact with semantic processing to modulate a negativity associated with processing meaning - the N400. Given that the LAN and N400 overlap in time, they are identified by their scalp distributions and purported functional roles. Critically, grammatical gender violations also elicit a right posterior positivity that can overlap temporally and potentially affect the scalp distribution of the LAN/N400. We measured the effect of grammatical gender violations in the LAN/N400 window and late positive component (LPC) during comprehension of Spanish sentences. A post-nominal adjective could either make sense or not, and either agree or disagree in gender with the preceding noun. We observed a negativity to gender agreement violations in the LAN/N400 window (300-500ms post stimulus onset) that was smaller than the semantic-congruity N400, but overlapped with it in time and distribution. The early portion of the LPC to gender violations was modulated by sentence constraint, occurring as early as 450ms in highly constraining sentences. A subadditive interaction occurred at the later portion of the LPC with equivalent effects for single and double violations (gender and semantics), reflecting a general stage of reprocessing. Overall, our data support models of language comprehension whereby both semantic and morphosyntactic information can affect processing at similar time points.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lourdes F Guajardo
- University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Biology, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Nicole Y Y Wicha
- University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Biology, San Antonio, TX, USA; University of Texas at San Antonio, Neurosciences Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA; University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Research Imaging Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA.
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Xiong W, Gao Y, Wu X, Hu X, Lan D, Chen Y, Pu X, Zeng Y, Su J, Zhu Z. Composite of macroporous carbon with honeycomb-like structure from mollusc shell and NiCo(2)O(4) nanowires for high-performance supercapacitor. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2014; 6:19416-23. [PMID: 25333691 DOI: 10.1021/am5055228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Novel biological carbon materials with highly ordered microstructure and large pore volume have caused great interest due to their multifunctional properties. Herein, we report the preparation of an interconnected porous carbon material by carbonizing the organic matrix of mollusc shell. The obtained three-dimensional carbon skeleton consists of hexangular and tightly arranged channels, which endow it with efficient electrolyte penetration and fast electron transfer, enable the mollusc shell based macroporous carbon material (MSBPC) to be an excellent conductive scaffold for supercapacitor electrodes. By growing NiCo2O4 nanowires on the obtained MSBPC, NiCo2O4/MSBPC composites were synthesized. When used on supercapacitor electrode, it exhibited anomalously high specific capacitance (∼1696 F/g), excellent rate performance (with the capacity retention of 58.6% at 15 A/g) and outstanding cycling stability (88% retention after 2000 cycles). Furthermore, an all-solid-state symmetric supercapacitor was also assembled based on this NiCo2O4/MSBPC electrode and showed good electrochemical performance with an energy density of 8.47 Wh/kg at 1 A/g, good stability over 10000 cycles. And we believe that more potential applications beyond energy storage can be developed based on this MSBPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Xiong
- Institute of Nano-Science and Nano-Technology, College of Physical Science and Technology, Central China Normal University , Wuhan 430079, P. R. China
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