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Seghier ML, Boudelaa S. Constraining current neuroanatomical models of reading: the view from Arabic. Brain Struct Funct 2024:10.1007/s00429-024-02827-y. [PMID: 38969935 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02827-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
There is a growing interest in imaging understudied orthographies to unravel their neuronal correlates and their implications for existing computational and neuroanatomical models. Here, we review current brain mapping literature about Arabic words. We first offer a succinct description of some unique linguistic features of Arabic that challenge current cognitive models of reading. We then appraise the existing functional neuroimaging studies that investigated written Arabic word processing. Our review revealed that (1) Arabic is still understudied, (2) the most investigated features concerned the effects of vowelling and diglossia in Arabic reading, (3) findings were not always discussed in the light of existing reading models such as the dual route cascaded, the triangle, and the connectionist dual process models, and (4) current evidence is unreliable when it comes to the exact neuronal pathways that sustain Arabic word processing. Overall, despite the fact that Arabic has some unique linguistic features that challenge and ultimately enrich current reading models, the existing functional neuroimaging literature falls short of offering a reliable evidence about brain networks of Arabic reading. We conclude by highlighting the need for more systematic studies of the linguistic features of Arabic to build theoretical and neuroanatomical models that are concurrently specific and general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed L Seghier
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
- Healthcare Engineering Innovation Center (HEIC), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
| | - Sami Boudelaa
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE.
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2
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Chauhan VS, McCook KC, White AL. Reading Reshapes Stimulus Selectivity in the Visual Word Form Area. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0228-24.2024. [PMID: 38997142 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0228-24.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Reading depends on a brain region known as the "visual word form area" (VWFA) in the left ventral occipitotemporal cortex. This region's function is debated because its stimulus selectivity is not absolute, it is modulated by a variety of task demands, and it is inconsistently localized. We used fMRI to characterize the combination of sensory and cognitive factors that activate word-responsive regions that we precisely localized in 16 adult humans (4 male). We then presented three types of character strings: English words, pseudowords, and unfamiliar characters with matched visual features. Participants performed three different tasks while viewing those stimuli: detecting real words, detecting color in the characters, and detecting color in the fixation mark. There were three primary findings about the VWFA's response: (1) It preferred letter strings over unfamiliar characters even when the stimuli were ignored during the fixation task. (2) Compared with those baseline responses, engaging in the word reading task enhanced the response to words but suppressed the response to unfamiliar characters. (3) Attending to the stimuli to judge their color had little effect on the response magnitudes. Thus, the VWFA is uniquely modulated by a cognitive signal that is specific to voluntary linguistic processing and is not additive. Functional connectivity analyses revealed that communication between the VWFA and a left frontal language area increased when the participant engaged in the linguistic task. We conclude that the VWFA is inherently selective for familiar orthography, but it falls under control of the language network when the task demands it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vassiki S Chauhan
- Department of Neuroscience & Behavior, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
| | - Krystal C McCook
- Department of Neuroscience & Behavior, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
| | - Alex L White
- Department of Neuroscience & Behavior, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
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3
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Kaufmann LK, Custers E, Vreeken D, Snabel J, Morrison MC, Kleemann R, Wiesmann M, Hazebroek EJ, Aarts E, Kiliaan AJ. Additive effects of depression and obesity on neural correlates of inhibitory control. J Affect Disord 2024; 362:174-185. [PMID: 38960334 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.06.093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression and obesity are associated with impaired inhibitory control. Behavioral evidence indicates an exacerbating additive effect when both conditions co-occur. However, the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. Moreover, systemic inflammation affects neurocognitive performance in both individuals with depression and obesity. Here, we investigate additive effects of depression and obesity on neural correlates of inhibitory control, and examine inflammation as a connecting pathway. METHODS We assessed inhibitory control processing in 64 individuals with obesity and varying degrees of depressed mood by probing neural activation and connectivity during an fMRI Stroop task. Additionally, we explored associations of altered neural responses with individual differences in systemic inflammation. Data were collected as part of the BARICO (Bariatric surgery Rijnstate and Radboudumc neuroimaging and Cognition in Obesity) study. RESULTS Concurrent depression and obesity were linked to increased functional connectivity between the supplementary motor area and precuneus and between the inferior occipital and inferior parietal gyrus. Exploratory analysis revealed that circulating inflammation markers, including plasma leptin, IL-6, IL-8, and CCL-3 correlated with the additive effect of depression and obesity on altered functional connectivity. LIMITATIONS The observational design limits causal inferences. Future research employing longitudinal or intervention designs is required to validate these findings and elucidate causal pathways. CONCLUSION These findings suggest increased neural crosstalk underlying impaired inhibitory control in individuals with concurrent obesity and depressed mood. Our results support a model of an additive detrimental effect of concurrent depression and obesity on neurocognitive functioning, with a possible role of inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa-Katrin Kaufmann
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Emma Custers
- Department of Medical Imaging, Anatomy, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior and Radboudumc Alzheimer Center, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Bariatric Surgery, Vitalys, part of Rijnstate hospital, Arnhem, the Netherlands
| | - Debby Vreeken
- Department of Medical Imaging, Anatomy, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior and Radboudumc Alzheimer Center, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Bariatric Surgery, Vitalys, part of Rijnstate hospital, Arnhem, the Netherlands
| | - Jessica Snabel
- Department of Metabolic Health Research, The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Martine C Morrison
- Department of Metabolic Health Research, The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Robert Kleemann
- Department of Metabolic Health Research, The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Maximilian Wiesmann
- Department of Medical Imaging, Anatomy, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior and Radboudumc Alzheimer Center, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Eric J Hazebroek
- Department of Bariatric Surgery, Vitalys, part of Rijnstate hospital, Arnhem, the Netherlands; Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Esther Aarts
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Amanda J Kiliaan
- Department of Medical Imaging, Anatomy, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior and Radboudumc Alzheimer Center, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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4
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Chauhan VS, McCook KC, White AL. Reading reshapes stimulus selectivity in the visual word form area. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.04.560764. [PMID: 38948708 PMCID: PMC11212929 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.04.560764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Reading depends on a brain region known as the "visual word form area" (VWFA) in left ventral occipito-temporal cortex. This region's function is debated because its stimulus selectivity is not absolute, it is modulated by a variety of task demands, and it is inconsistently localized. We used fMRI to characterize the combination of sensory and cognitive factors that activate word-responsive regions that we precisely localized in 16 adult humans (4 male). We then presented three types of character strings: English words, pseudowords, and unfamiliar characters with matched visual features. Participants performed three different tasks while viewing those stimuli: detecting real words, detecting color in the characters, and detecting color in the fixation mark. There were three primary findings about the VWFA's response: (1) It preferred letter strings over unfamiliar characters even when the stimuli were ignored during the fixation task; (2) Compared to those baseline responses, engaging in the word reading task enhanced the response to words but suppressed the response to unfamiliar characters. (3) Attending to the stimuli to judge their font color had little effect on the response magnitudes. Thus, the VWFA is uniquely modulated by a cognitive signal that is specific to voluntary linguistic processing and is not additive. Functional connectivity analyses revealed that communication between the VWFA and a left frontal language area increased when the participant engaged in the linguistic task. We conclude that the VWFA is inherently selective for familiar orthography, but it falls under control of the language network when the task demands it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vassiki S. Chauhan
- Department of Neuroscience & Behavior Barnard College, Columbia University 76 Claremont Ave New York, NY 10027 USA
| | - Krystal C McCook
- Department of Neuroscience & Behavior Barnard College, Columbia University 76 Claremont Ave New York, NY 10027 USA
| | - Alex L. White
- Department of Neuroscience & Behavior Barnard College, Columbia University 76 Claremont Ave New York, NY 10027 USA
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5
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Meng Z, Huang Y, Wang W, Zhou L, Zhou K. Orienting role of the putative human posterior infero-temporal area in visual attention. Cortex 2024; 175:54-65. [PMID: 38704919 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
The dorsal attention network (DAN) is a network of brain regions essential for attentional orienting, which includes the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) and frontal eye field (FEF). Recently, the putative human dorsal posterior infero-temporal area (phPITd) has been identified as a new node of the DAN. However, its functional relationship with other areas of the DAN and its specific role in visual attention remained unclear. In this study, we analyzed a large publicly available neuroimaging dataset to investigate the intrinsic functional connectivities (FCs) of the phPITd with other brain areas. The results showed that the intrinsic FCs of the phPITd with the areas of the visual network and the DAN were significantly stronger than those with the ventral attention network (VAN) areas and areas of other networks. We further conducted individual difference analyses with a sample size of 295 participants and a series of attentional tasks to investigate which attentional components each phPITd-based DAN edge predicts. Our findings revealed that the intrinsic FC of the left phPITd with the LIPv could predict individual ability in attentional orienting, but not in alerting, executive control, and distractor suppression. Our results not only provide direct evidence of the phPITd's functional relationship with the LIPv, but also offer a comprehensive understanding of its specific role in visual attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zong Meng
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Yingjie Huang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Wenbo Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Liqin Zhou
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Ke Zhou
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
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6
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Perkins SC, Shaun Ho S, Evans GW, Liberzon I, Gopang M, Swain JE. Language processing following childhood poverty: Evidence for disrupted neural networks. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2024; 252:105414. [PMID: 38640643 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Childhood poverty is related to deficits in multiple cognitive domains including adult language function. It is unknown if the brain basis of language is disrupted in adults with childhood poverty backgrounds, controlling for current functioning. Fifty-one adults (age 24) from an existing longitudinal study of childhood poverty, beginning at age 9, were examined on behavioral phonological awareness (LP) and completed an event-related fMRI speech/print processing LP task. Adults from childhood poverty backgrounds exhibited lower LP in adulthood. The middle-income group exhibited greater activation of the bilateral IFG and hippocampus during language processing. In psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses, the childhood poverty group exhibited greater coupling between ventral Broca's and the middle temporal gyrus (MTG) as well as coupling between Wernicke's region and bilateralization. Childhood poverty disrupts language processing neural networks in adulthood, after controlling for LP, suggesting that poverty in childhood influences the neurophysiological basis for language processing into adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne C Perkins
- Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, United States.
| | - S Shaun Ho
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8434, United States
| | - Gary W Evans
- Departments of Human Centered Design and Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-4401, United States
| | - Israel Liberzon
- Department of Psychiatry, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX 77802, United States
| | - Meroona Gopang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8434, United States; Program in Public Health, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8434, United States
| | - James E Swain
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8434, United States; Psychology, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Medicine, Program in Public Health, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8434, United States
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7
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Sigurdardottir HM, Omarsdottir HR, Valgeirsdottir AS. Reading problems and their connection with visual search and attention. DYSLEXIA (CHICHESTER, ENGLAND) 2024; 30:e1764. [PMID: 38385948 DOI: 10.1002/dys.1764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Attention has been hypothesized to act as a sequential gating mechanism for the orderly processing of letters and words. These same visuoattentional processes are often assumed to partake in some but not all types of visual search. In the current study, 24 dyslexic and 36 typical readers completed an attentionally demanding visual conjunction search. Visual feature search served as an internal control. It has been suggested that reading problems should go hand in hand with specific problems in visual conjunction search-particularly elevated conjunction search slopes (time per search item)-often interpreted as a problem with visual attention. Results showed that reading problems were associated with slower visual search, especially conjunction search. However, reading deficits were not associated with increased conjunction search slopes but instead with increased search intercepts, traditionally not interpreted as reflecting attention. We discuss these results in the context of hypothesized visuoattentional problems in dyslexia. Remaining open to multiple interpretations of the data, the current study demonstrates that difficulties in visual search are associated with reading problems, in accordance with growing literature on visual cognition problems in developmental dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hilma Ros Omarsdottir
- Icelandic Vision Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
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8
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Kim H. Material-common and material-specific neural activity during encoding of words and scenes: A neuroimaging meta-analysis. Brain Res 2024; 1829:148794. [PMID: 38301950 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
This study examined the extent to which neural activity during memory encoding demonstrates material-commonness or material-specificity. A meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies was conducted to compare the brain regions associated with subsequent memory effects for word and scene stimuli. The main results were as follows. First, significant subsequent memory effects for both words and scenes were primarily observed within the dorsal attention network. This finding aligns with the perspective that temporal fluctuations in attention modulate the intensity of encoding activity, influencing the success and failure of encoding. Second, multiple prefrontal cortex regions, particularly the left inferior frontal cortex, exhibited stronger subsequent memory effects for words compared to scenes. Conversely, multiple visual processing regions revealed an opposite pattern, with heightened subsequent memory effects for scenes relative to words. These findings suggest that words are more strongly encoded through semantic processing, whereas scenes are primarily encoded through visuo-perceptual processing. In conclusion, these results clarify the material specificity and commonness of encoding-related neural activity, emphasizing the significant role of attention and the distinctions between verbal and pictorial information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongkeun Kim
- Department of Rehabilitation Psychology, Daegu University, 201 Daegudae-ro, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, 38453, Republic of Korea.
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9
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Yablonski M, Karipidis II, Kubota E, Yeatman JD. The transition from vision to language: Distinct patterns of functional connectivity for subregions of the visual word form area. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26655. [PMID: 38488471 PMCID: PMC10941549 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Reading entails transforming visual symbols to sound and meaning. This process depends on specialized circuitry in the visual cortex, the visual word form area (VWFA). Recent findings suggest that this text-selective cortex comprises at least two distinct subregions: the more posterior VWFA-1 is sensitive to visual features, while the more anterior VWFA-2 processes higher level language information. Here, we explore whether these two subregions also exhibit different patterns of functional connectivity. To this end, we capitalize on two complementary datasets: Using the Natural Scenes Dataset (NSD), we identify text-selective responses in high-quality 7T adult data (N = 8), and investigate functional connectivity patterns of VWFA-1 and VWFA-2 at the individual level. We then turn to the Healthy Brain Network (HBN) database to assess whether these patterns replicate in a large developmental sample (N = 224; age 6-20 years), and whether they relate to reading development. In both datasets, we find that VWFA-1 is primarily correlated with bilateral visual regions. In contrast, VWFA-2 is more strongly correlated with language regions in the frontal and lateral parietal lobes, particularly the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus. Critically, these patterns do not generalize to adjacent face-selective regions, suggesting a specific relationship between VWFA-2 and the frontal language network. No correlations were observed between functional connectivity and reading ability. Together, our findings support the distinction between subregions of the VWFA, and suggest that functional connectivity patterns in the ventral temporal cortex are consistent over a wide range of reading skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Yablonski
- Division of Developmental‐Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of PediatricsStanford University School of MedicineStanfordCaliforniaUSA
- Stanford University Graduate School of EducationStanfordCaliforniaUSA
| | - Iliana I. Karipidis
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesStanford School of MedicineStanfordCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of ZurichZürichSwitzerland
- Neuroscience Center ZurichUniversity of Zurich and ETHZurichSwitzerland
| | - Emily Kubota
- Psychology DepartmentStanford UniversityStanfordCaliforniaUSA
| | - Jason D. Yeatman
- Division of Developmental‐Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of PediatricsStanford University School of MedicineStanfordCaliforniaUSA
- Stanford University Graduate School of EducationStanfordCaliforniaUSA
- Psychology DepartmentStanford UniversityStanfordCaliforniaUSA
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10
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Vin R, Blauch NM, Plaut DC, Behrmann M. Visual word processing engages a hierarchical, distributed, and bilateral cortical network. iScience 2024; 27:108809. [PMID: 38303718 PMCID: PMC10831251 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.108809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Although the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) in left temporal cortex is considered the pre-eminent region in visual word processing, other regions are also implicated. We examined the entire text-selective circuit, using functional MRI. Ten regions of interest (ROIs) per hemisphere were defined, which, based on clustering, grouped into early vision, high-level vision, and language clusters. We analyzed the responses of the ROIs and clusters to words, inverted words, and consonant strings using univariate, multivariate, and functional connectivity measures. Bilateral modulation by stimulus condition was evident, with a stronger effect in left hemisphere regions. Last, using graph theory, we observed that the VWFA was equivalently connected with early visual and language clusters in both hemispheres, reflecting its role as a mediator in the circuit. Although the individual ROIs and clusters bilaterally were flexibly altered by the nature of the input, stability held at the level of global circuit connectivity, reflecting the complex hierarchical distributed system serving visual text perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raina Vin
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Nicholas M. Blauch
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Program in Neural Computation, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - David C. Plaut
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Marlene Behrmann
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA
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11
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Luo X, Li M, Zeng J, Dai Z, Cui Z, Zhu M, Tian M, Wu J, Han Z. Mechanisms underlying category learning in the human ventral occipito-temporal cortex. Neuroimage 2024; 287:120520. [PMID: 38242489 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The human ventral occipito-temporal cortex (VOTC) has evolved into specialized regions that process specific categories, such as words, tools, and animals. The formation of these areas is driven by bottom-up visual and top-down nonvisual experiences. However, the specific mechanisms through which top-down nonvisual experiences modulate category-specific regions in the VOTC are still unknown. To address this question, we conducted a study in which participants were trained for approximately 13 h to associate three sets of novel meaningless figures with different top-down nonvisual features: the wordlike category with word features, the non-wordlike category with nonword features, and the visual familiarity condition with no nonvisual features. Pre- and post-training functional MRI (fMRI) experiments were used to measure brain activity during stimulus presentation. Our results revealed that training induced a categorical preference for the two training categories within the VOTC. Moreover, the locations of two training category-specific regions exhibited a notable overlap. Remarkably, within the overlapping category-specific region, training resulted in a dissociation in activation intensity and pattern between the two training categories. These findings provide important insights into how different nonvisual categorical information is encoded in the human VOTC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangqi Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
| | - Mingyang Li
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, PR China
| | - Jiahong Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
| | - Zhiyun Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
| | - Zhenjiang Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
| | - Minhong Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
| | - Mengxin Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
| | - Jiahao Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
| | - Zaizhu Han
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China.
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12
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Chen C, Wang M, Yu T, Feng W, Xu Y, Ning Y, Zhang B. Habenular functional connections are associated with depression state and modulated by ketamine. J Affect Disord 2024; 345:177-185. [PMID: 37879411 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.10.136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression is a widespread mental health disorder with complex neurobiological underpinnings. The habenula, known as the 'anti-reward center', is thought to play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of depression. This study aims to elucidate the association between the functional connections of the habenula and depression severity and to explore the modulation of these connections by ketamine. METHODS We studied 177 participants from a 7-T resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging subset of the Human Connectome Project dataset to determine the associations between the functional connections of the habenula and depression. Additionally, we analyzed 60 depressed patients from our ketamine database to conduct a preliminary study on alterations in the functional connections of the habenula after ketamine infusions. We also investigated whether the baseline functional connectivity of the habenula is linked to subsequent improvement in depression. RESULTS We found that functional connections between the habenula and the substantia nigra, as well as the ventral tegmental area were negatively correlated with depression scores and elevated after ketamine infusions. Furthermore, the connection between the right habenula and the right substantia nigra was negatively associated with the improvement of depression. LIMITATIONS The Human Connectome Project dataset primarily consists of data from healthy participants, with varying levels of depression scores. CONCLUSION These results suggest that the habenula may facilitate depression by suppressing dopamine reward centers, and ketamine may relieve depression by disinhibiting these dopaminergic regions. This study may enhance our understanding of the neural underpinnings of depression and ketamine's antidepressant effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengfeng Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mingqia Wang
- Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China; National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Tong Yu
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wanting Feng
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yingyi Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuping Ning
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Institute of Mental Health, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
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13
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Taran N, Farah R, Gashri C, Gitman E, Rosch K, Schlaggar BL, Horowitz-Kraus T. Executive functions-based reading training engages the cingulo-opercular and dorsal attention networks. Netw Neurosci 2023; 7:1452-1482. [PMID: 38144685 PMCID: PMC10727775 DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a computerized executive functions (EFs)-based reading intervention on neural circuits supporting EFs and visual attention. Seed-to-voxel functional connectivity analysis was conducted focusing on large-scale attention system brain networks, during an fMRI reading fluency task. Participants were 8- to 12-year-old English-speaking children with dyslexia (n = 43) and typical readers (n = 36) trained on an EFs-based reading training (n = 40) versus math training (n = 39). Training duration was 8 weeks. After the EFs-based reading intervention, children with dyslexia improved their scores in reading rate and visual attention (compared to math intervention). Neurobiologically, children with dyslexia displayed an increase in functional connectivity strength after the intervention between the cingulo-opercular network and occipital and precentral regions. Noteworthy, the functional connectivity indices between these brain regions showed a positive correlation with speed of processing and visual attention scores in both pretest and posttest. The results suggest that reading improvement following an EFs-based reading intervention involves neuroplastic connectivity changes in brain areas related to EFs and primary visual processing in children with dyslexia. Our results highlight the need for training underlying cognitive abilities supporting reading, such as EFs and visual attention, in order to enhance reading abilities in dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay Taran
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Rola Farah
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Carmel Gashri
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ester Gitman
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Keri Rosch
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bradley L. Schlaggar
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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14
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Wang J, Joanisse MF, Booth JR. Learning to Read Strengthens Functional Connectivity Between the Ventral Occipitotemporal Cortex and the Superior Temporal Gyrus During an Auditory Phonological Awareness Task. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2023; 66:4532-4546. [PMID: 37870878 PMCID: PMC10715841 DOI: 10.1044/2023_jslhr-23-00337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE It is often assumed that phonological awareness only reflects children's phonological skill. However, orthographic representations have been found to be automatically involved during phonological awareness tasks, which we refer to as automatic orthographic activation. Although previous longitudinal neural studies have addressed how phonological processing during phonological awareness tasks is bidirectionally related to reading skill in developing children, we do not know how automatic orthographic activation plays a role in reading skill. METHOD To address this gap, we measured 40 children's reading skill and brain activity during an auditory phonological task at two time points using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Children were 5.5 to 6.5 years old at the first time point and were followed up approximately 1.5 years later when they were 7 to 8 years old. RESULTS We found that earlier reading skill predicted children's later functional connectivity during onset processing between the left superior temporal gyrus, a phonological region, and the left posterior ventral occipitotemporal cortex, an orthographic region representing letters. CONCLUSION This finding, together with previous studies, suggests that learning to read influences phonological awareness not only by refining phonological representations but also via strengthening the automatic mapping between phonemes and letters during spoken language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Wang
- Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Marc F. Joanisse
- Department of Psychology and Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - James R. Booth
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
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15
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Liu YF, Rapp B, Bedny M. Reading Braille by Touch Recruits Posterior Parietal Cortex. J Cogn Neurosci 2023; 35:1593-1616. [PMID: 37584592 PMCID: PMC10877400 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
Blind readers use a tactile reading system consisting of raised dot arrays: braille/⠃⠗⠇. How do human brains implement reading by touch? The current study looked for signatures of reading-specific orthographic processes in braille, separate from low-level somatosensory responses and semantic processes. Of specific interest were responses in posterior parietal cortices (PPCs), because of their role in high-level tactile perception. Congenitally blind, proficient braille readers read real words and pseudowords by touch while undergoing fMRI. We leveraged the system of contractions in English braille, where one braille cell can represent multiple English print letters (e.g., "ing" ⠬, "one" ⠐⠕), making it possible to separate physical and orthographic word length. All words in the study consisted of four braille cells, but their corresponding Roman letter spellings varied from four to seven letters (e.g., "con-c-er-t" ⠒⠉⠻⠞. contracted: four cells; uncontracted: seven letters). We found that the bilateral supramarginal gyrus in the PPC increased its activity as the uncontracted word length increased. By contrast, in the hand region of primary somatosensory cortex (S1), activity increased as a function of a low-level somatosensory feature: dot-number per word. The PPC also showed greater response to pseudowords than real words and distinguished between real and pseudowords in multivariate-pattern analysis. Parieto-occipital, early visual and ventral occipito-temporal, as well as prefrontal cortices also showed sensitivity to the real-versus-pseudoword distinction. We conclude that PPC is involved in orthographic processing for braille, that is, braille character and word recognition, possibly because of braille's tactile modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Fei Liu
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University
| | - Brenda Rapp
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University
| | - Marina Bedny
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University
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16
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Zhou W, Wang S, Yan M. Fixation-related fMRI analysis reveals the neural basis of natural reading of unspaced and spaced Chinese sentences. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:10401-10410. [PMID: 37566912 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Although there are many eye-movement studies focusing on natural sentence reading and functional magnetic resonance imaging research on reading with serial visual presentation paradigms, there is a scarcity of investigations into the neural mechanism of natural sentence reading. The present study recruited 33 adults to read unspaced and spaced Chinese sentences with the eye tracking and functional magnetic resonance imaging data recorded simultaneously. By using fixation-related functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis, this study showed that natural reading of Chinese sentences produced activations in ventral visual, dorsal attention, and semantic brain regions, which were modulated by the properties of words such as word length and word frequency. The multivoxel pattern analysis showed that the activity pattern in the left middle temporal gyrus could significantly predict the visual layout categories (i.e. unspaced vs. spaced conditions). Dynamic causal modeling analysis showed that there were bidirectional brain connections between the left middle temporal gyrus and the left inferior occipital cortex in the unspaced Chinese sentence reading but not in the spaced reading. These results provide a neural mechanism for the natural reading of Chinese sentences from the perspective of word segmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhou
- Beijing Key Lab of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Sile Wang
- Beijing Key Lab of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Ming Yan
- Department of Psychology and Center for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau
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17
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Dȩbska A, Wójcik M, Chyl K, Dziȩgiel-Fivet G, Jednoróg K. Beyond the Visual Word Form Area - a cognitive characterization of the left ventral occipitotemporal cortex. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1199366. [PMID: 37576470 PMCID: PMC10416454 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1199366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The left ventral occipitotemporal cortex has been traditionally viewed as a pathway for visual object recognition including written letters and words. Its crucial role in reading was strengthened by the studies on the functionally localized "Visual Word Form Area" responsible for processing word-like information. However, in the past 20 years, empirical studies have challenged the assumptions of this brain region as processing exclusively visual or even orthographic stimuli. In this review, we aimed to present the development of understanding of the left ventral occipitotemporal cortex from the visually based letter area to the modality-independent symbolic language related region. We discuss theoretical and empirical research that includes orthographic, phonological, and semantic properties of language. Existing results showed that involvement of the left ventral occipitotemporal cortex is not limited to unimodal activity but also includes multimodal processes. The idea of the integrative nature of this region is supported by the broad functional and structural connectivity with language-related and attentional brain networks. We conclude that although the function of the area is not yet fully understood in human cognition, its role goes beyond visual word form processing. The left ventral occipitotemporal cortex seems to be crucial for combining higher-level language information with abstract forms that convey meaning independently of modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Dȩbska
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marta Wójcik
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Chyl
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- The Educational Research Institute, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Gabriela Dziȩgiel-Fivet
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Jednoróg
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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18
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Di Pietro SV, Karipidis II, Pleisch G, Brem S. Neurodevelopmental trajectories of letter and speech sound processing from preschool to the end of elementary school. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 61:101255. [PMID: 37196374 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Learning to read alphabetic languages starts with learning letter-speech-sound associations. How this process changes brain function during development is still largely unknown. We followed 102 children with varying reading skills in a mixed-longitudinal/cross-sectional design from the prereading stage to the end of elementary school over five time points (n = 46 with two and more time points, of which n = 16 fully-longitudinal) to investigate the neural trajectories of letter and speech sound processing using fMRI. Children were presented with letters and speech sounds visually, auditorily, and audiovisually in kindergarten (6.7yo), at the middle (7.3yo) and end of first grade (7.6yo), and in second (8.4yo) and fifth grades (11.5yo). Activation of the ventral occipitotemporal cortex for visual and audiovisual processing followed a complex trajectory, with two peaks in first and fifth grades. The superior temporal gyrus (STG) showed an inverted U-shaped trajectory for audiovisual letter processing, a development that in poor readers was attenuated in middle STG and absent in posterior STG. Finally, the trajectories for letter-speech-sound integration were modulated by reading skills and showed differing directionality in the congruency effect depending on the time point. This unprecedented study captures the development of letter processing across elementary school and its neural trajectories in children with varying reading skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- S V Di Pietro
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland; URPP Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - I I Karipidis
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - G Pleisch
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - S Brem
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland; URPP Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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19
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Zhang J, Li H, Zhang M, Wang Z, Ao X, Jian J, Wei N, Liu H, Ding G, Meng X. Functional preference of the left inferior parietal lobule to second language reading. Neuroimage 2023; 270:119989. [PMID: 36858331 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.119989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Additional neural substance for reading in a second language has been reported by prior studies. However, to date, there has been little investigation into whether and how the brain's adaptation to a second language is induced by specific linguistic tasks or is a general effect during reading in a new language. To address this issue, our study investigated Chinese children learning English as a second language by combining cross-sectional and longitudinal Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies. We compared brain activation across four reading tasks, orthographic tasks and phonological tasks in Chinese (the first language, L1) and English (the second language, L2). By comparing the activation pattern across languages, we observed greater activation in the left inferior parietal lobule (LIPL) in English compared to Chinese, suggesting a functional preference of the LIPL to L2. In addition, greater correlation between LIPL-related FC and L2 was mainly observed in the phonological task, indicating that LIPL could be associated with phonological processing. Moreover, a proportion of the children were enrolled in an 8-week phonological-based reading-training program. We observed significant functional plasticity of the LIPL elicited by this training program only in the English phonological task and not in the orthographic task, further substantiating that the additional requirements of the LIPL in L2 are mainly associated with phonological processing. The findings provide new insights into understanding the functional contribution of the LIPL to reading in a second language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Hehui Li
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Manli Zhang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Human Communication, Development, and Information Sciences, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Zhengke Wang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xiya Ao
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jie Jian
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Na Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Haiyi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Guosheng Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xiangzhi Meng
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; PekingU-PolyU Center for Child Development and Learning, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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20
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White AL, Kay KN, Tang KA, Yeatman JD. Engaging in word recognition elicits highly specific modulations in visual cortex. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1308-1320.e5. [PMID: 36889316 PMCID: PMC10089978 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
A person's cognitive state determines how their brain responds to visual stimuli. The most common such effect is a response enhancement when stimuli are task relevant and attended rather than ignored. In this fMRI study, we report a surprising twist on such attention effects in the visual word form area (VWFA), a region that plays a key role in reading. We presented participants with strings of letters and visually similar shapes, which were either relevant for a specific task (lexical decision or gap localization) or ignored (during a fixation dot color task). In the VWFA, the enhancement of responses to attended stimuli occurred only for letter strings, whereas non-letter shapes evoked smaller responses when attended than when ignored. The enhancement of VWFA activity was accompanied by strengthened functional connectivity with higher-level language regions. These task-dependent modulations of response magnitude and functional connectivity were specific to the VWFA and absent in the rest of visual cortex. We suggest that language regions send targeted excitatory feedback into the VWFA only when the observer is trying to read. This feedback enables the discrimination of familiar and nonsense words and is distinct from generic effects of visual attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex L White
- Department of Neuroscience & Behavior, Barnard College, Columbia University, 76 Claremont Ave, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - Kendrick N Kay
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, 2021 6th Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Kenny A Tang
- Graduate School of Education and Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 520 Galvez Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jason D Yeatman
- Graduate School of Education and Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 520 Galvez Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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21
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Zhang H, Di X, Rypma B, Yang H, Meng C, Biswal B. Interaction Between Memory Load and Experimental Design on Brain Connectivity and Network Topology. Neurosci Bull 2023; 39:631-644. [PMID: 36565381 PMCID: PMC10073362 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-022-00982-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The conventional approach to investigating functional connectivity in the block-designed study usually concatenates task blocks or employs residuals of task activation. While providing many insights into brain functions, the block design adds more manipulation in functional network analysis that may reduce the purity of the blood oxygenation level-dependent signal. Recent studies utilized one single long run for task trials of the same condition, the so-called continuous design, to investigate functional connectivity based on task functional magnetic resonance imaging. Continuous brain activities associated with the single-task condition can be directly utilized for task-related functional connectivity assessment, which has been examined for working memory, sensory, motor, and semantic task experiments in previous research. But it remains unclear how the block and continuous design influence the assessment of task-related functional connectivity networks. This study aimed to disentangle the separable effects of block/continuous design and working memory load on task-related functional connectivity networks, by using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Across 50 young healthy adults, behavioral results of accuracy and reaction time showed a significant main effect of design as well as interaction between design and load. Imaging results revealed that the cingulo-opercular, fronto-parietal, and default model networks were associated with not only task activation, but significant main effects of design and load as well as their interaction on intra- and inter-network functional connectivity and global network topology. Moreover, a significant behavior-brain association was identified for the continuous design. This work has extended the evidence that continuous design can be used to study task-related functional connectivity and subtle brain-behavioral relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heming Zhang
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Center for Information in Medicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
| | - Xin Di
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, 07102, USA
| | - Bart Rypma
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, 75390, USA
| | - Hang Yang
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Center for Information in Medicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
| | - Chun Meng
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Center for Information in Medicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.
| | - Bharat Biswal
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Center for Information in Medicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, 07102, USA.
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22
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Halpern DJ, Tubridy S, Davachi L, Gureckis TM. Identifying causal subsequent memory effects. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2120288120. [PMID: 36952384 PMCID: PMC10068819 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2120288120] [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: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 03/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Over 40 y of accumulated research has detailed associations between neuroimaging signals measured during a memory encoding task and later memory performance, across a variety of brain regions, measurement tools, statistical approaches, and behavioral tasks. But the interpretation of these subsequent memory effects (SMEs) remains unclear: if the identified signals reflect cognitive and neural mechanisms of memory encoding, then the underlying neural activity must be causally related to future memory. However, almost all previous SME analyses do not control for potential confounders of this causal interpretation, such as serial position and item effects. We collect a large fMRI dataset and use an experimental design and analysis approach that allows us to statistically adjust for nearly all known exogenous confounding variables. We find that, using standard approaches without adjustment, we replicate several univariate and multivariate subsequent memory effects and are able to predict memory performance across people. However, we are unable to identify any signal that reliably predicts subsequent memory after adjusting for confounding variables, bringing into doubt the causal status of these effects. We apply the same approach to subjects' judgments of learning collected following an encoding period and show that these behavioral measures of mnemonic status do predict memory after adjustments, suggesting that it is possible to measure signals near the time of encoding that reflect causal mechanisms but that existing neuroimaging measures, at least in our data, may not have the precision and specificity to do so.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J. Halpern
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY10003
| | - Shannon Tubridy
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY10003
| | - Lila Davachi
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
| | - Todd M. Gureckis
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY10003
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23
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Shekari E, Nozari N. A narrative review of the anatomy and function of the white matter tracts in language production and comprehension. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1139292. [PMID: 37051488 PMCID: PMC10083342 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1139292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Much is known about the role of cortical areas in language processing. The shift towards network approaches in recent years has highlighted the importance of uncovering the role of white matter in connecting these areas. However, despite a large body of research, many of these tracts’ functions are not well-understood. We present a comprehensive review of the empirical evidence on the role of eight major tracts that are hypothesized to be involved in language processing (inferior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, extreme capsule, middle longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, arcuate fasciculus, and frontal aslant tract). For each tract, we hypothesize its role based on the function of the cortical regions it connects. We then evaluate these hypotheses with data from three sources: studies in neurotypical individuals, neuropsychological data, and intraoperative stimulation studies. Finally, we summarize the conclusions supported by the data and highlight the areas needing further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Shekari
- Department of Neuroscience, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nazbanou Nozari
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC), Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Nazbanou Nozari
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24
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Di Pietro SV, Willinger D, Frei N, Lutz C, Coraj S, Schneider C, Stämpfli P, Brem S. Disentangling influences of dyslexia, development, and reading experience on effective brain connectivity in children. Neuroimage 2023; 268:119869. [PMID: 36639004 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.119869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Altered brain connectivity between regions of the reading network has been associated with reading difficulties. However, it remains unclear whether connectivity differences between children with dyslexia (DYS) and those with typical reading skills (TR) are specific to reading impairments or to reading experience. In this functional MRI study, 132 children (M = 10.06 y, SD = 1.46) performed a phonological lexical decision task. We aimed to disentangle (1) disorder-specific from (2) experience-related differences in effective connectivity and to (3) characterize the development of DYS and TR. We applied dynamic causal modeling to age-matched (ndys = 25, nTR = 35) and reading-level-matched (ndys = 25, nTR = 22) groups. Developmental effects were assessed in beginning and advanced readers (TR: nbeg = 48, nadv = 35, DYS: nbeg = 24, nadv = 25). We show that altered feedback connectivity between the inferior parietal lobule and the visual word form area (VWFA) during print processing can be specifically attributed to reading impairments, because these alterations were found in DYS compared to both the age-matched and reading-level-matched TR. In contrast, feedforward connectivity from the VWFA to parietal and frontal regions characterized experience in TR and increased with age and reading skill. These directed connectivity findings pinpoint disorder-specific and experience-dependent alterations in the brain's reading network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah V Di Pietro
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland; URPP Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - David Willinger
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Psychology and Psychodynamics, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Nada Frei
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christina Lutz
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Seline Coraj
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Chiara Schneider
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Stämpfli
- MR-Center of the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Brem
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland; URPP Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; MR-Center of the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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25
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Spagna A, Bayle DJ, Romeo Z, Seidel-Malkinson T, Liu J, Yahia-Cherif L, Chica AB, Bartolomeo P. The cost of attentional reorienting on conscious visual perception: an MEG study. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:2048-2060. [PMID: 35609335 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
How do attentional networks influence conscious perception? To answer this question, we used magnetoencephalography in human participants and assessed the effects of spatially nonpredictive or predictive supra-threshold peripheral cues on the conscious perception of near-threshold Gabors. Three main results emerged. (i) As compared with invalid cues, both nonpredictive and predictive valid cues increased conscious detection. Yet, only predictive cues shifted the response criterion toward a more liberal decision (i.e. willingness to report the presence of a target under conditions of greater perceptual uncertainty) and affected target contrast leading to 50% detections. (ii) Conscious perception following valid predictive cues was associated to enhanced activity in frontoparietal networks. These responses were lateralized to the left hemisphere during attentional orienting and to the right hemisphere during target processing. The involvement of frontoparietal networks occurred earlier in valid than in invalid trials, a possible neural marker of the cost of re-orienting attention. (iii) When detected targets were preceded by invalid predictive cues, and thus reorienting to the target was required, neural responses occurred in left hemisphere temporo-occipital regions during attentional orienting, and in right hemisphere anterior insular and temporo-occipital regions during target processing. These results confirm and specify the role of frontoparietal networks in modulating conscious processing and detail how invalid orienting of spatial attention disrupts conscious processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Spagna
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University in the City of New York, New York, NY 10027, USA.,Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Dimitri J Bayle
- Licae Lab, Université Paris Nanterre, 92001 Nanterre, France
| | - Zaira Romeo
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Tal Seidel-Malkinson
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Jianghao Liu
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Lydia Yahia-Cherif
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Ana B Chica
- Department of Experimental Psychology; Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Paolo Bartolomeo
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France
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26
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Serrien DJ, O'Regan L. Attention and Interhemispheric Communication: Implications for Language Dominance. Neuroscience 2023; 510:21-31. [PMID: 36521590 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.12.006] [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: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Dominance of the left hemisphere for language processing is a prominent feature of brain organisation. Whereas structural models clarify the functional asymmetry due to direct access to local language circuits, dynamic models propose functional states of intrahemispheric activation and interhemispheric inhibition that are coupled with attentional processes. Real word settings often require modulations of lateralised neural processing and further express individual heterogeneity. In this research, we tested left- and right-handers, and used a behavioural paradigm with presentation of lateralised cue-target pairs to the same or opposite visual field. We observed that handedness distinctly affected word processing in the left hemisphere following contralateral cueing. Moreover, left-hemispheric dominance strengthened for right-handers vs abolished for left-handers, influencing behavioural efficiency. In combination with eye dominance recordings, these data suggest that attentional biases guided the processing strategies of both groups and in turn their achievements. Therefore, hand and eye dominance are both essential factors with a functional role in directing the communication of visual information between both hemispheres. Overall, the findings underline the importance of interacting hand-eye control systems in contributing to interhemispheric patterns in the context of language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Louise O'Regan
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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27
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Eriksen AD, Olsen A, Sigmundsson H. Exploring the relationships between visuospatial working memory, math, letter-sound knowledge, motor competence, and gender in first grade children: A correlational study. Front Psychol 2023; 13:981915. [PMID: 36743601 PMCID: PMC9892179 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.981915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Development of crucial skills accelerates at the start of formal schooling, although, more knowledge is needed about the relationships between such skills. The current study explored the relationships between visuospatial working memory, letter-sound knowledge, math competence and motor competence, as well as potential effects of gender. Materials and methods The sample consisted of 85 (42 girls) 6 to 7 years old first grade children, and was measured with a test battery consisting of tests designed for each skill domain. Results Results demonstrated weak to moderate statistically significant correlations between visuospatial working memory, letter-sound knowledge, math competence, with no statistically significant gender differences. Two motor tasks measuring manual dexterity, placing bricks and building bricks, showed a weak statistically significant correlation. Discussion We argue that the findings demonstrate the relationships between these skills are low to moderate in first grade. Furthermore, we argue that these skills ought to be trained deliberately. The potential role of visuospatial working memory in procurement of novel skills in early childhood ought to be explored further in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Dybfest Eriksen
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway,*Correspondence: Adrian Dybfest Eriksen, ✉
| | - Alexander Olsen
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, St Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Hermundur Sigmundsson
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway,Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland
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28
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Ozernov‐Palchik O, Sury D, Turesky TK, Yu X, Gaab N. Longitudinal changes in brain activation underlying reading fluency. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:18-34. [PMID: 35984111 PMCID: PMC9783447 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Reading fluency-the speed and accuracy of reading connected text-is foundational to educational success. The current longitudinal study investigates the neural correlates of fluency development using a connected-text paradigm with an individualized presentation rate. Twenty-six children completed a functional MRI task in 1st/2nd grade (time 1) and again 1-2 years later (time 2). There was a longitudinal increase in activation in the ventral occipito-temporal (vOT) cortex from time 1 to time 2. This increase was also associated with improvements in reading fluency skills and modulated by individual speed demands. These findings highlight the reciprocal relationship of the vOT region with reading proficiency and its importance for supporting the developmental transition to fluent reading. These results have implications for developing effective interventions to target increased automaticity in reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ola Ozernov‐Palchik
- McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
- Harvard Graduate School of EducationHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Dana Sury
- Department of Learning Disabilities, Faculty of EducationBeit Berl CollegeHasharonIsrael
| | - Ted K. Turesky
- Harvard Graduate School of EducationHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and LearningBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Harvard Graduate School of EducationHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
- Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
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29
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Conrad BN, Pollack C, Yeo DJ, Price GR. Structural and functional connectivity of the inferior temporal numeral area. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:6152-6170. [PMID: 36587366 PMCID: PMC10183753 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac492] [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: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggests that in adults, there is a spatially consistent "inferior temporal numeral area" (ITNA) in the occipitotemporal cortex that appears to preferentially process Arabic digits relative to non-numerical symbols and objects. However, very little is known about why the ITNA is spatially segregated from regions that process other orthographic stimuli such as letters, and why it is spatially consistent across individuals. In the present study, we used diffusion-weighted imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging to contrast structural and functional connectivity between left and right hemisphere ITNAs and a left hemisphere letter-preferring region. We found that the left ITNA had stronger structural and functional connectivity than the letter region to inferior parietal regions involved in numerical magnitude representation and arithmetic. Between hemispheres, the left ITNA showed stronger structural connectivity with the left inferior frontal gyrus (Broca's area), while the right ITNA showed stronger structural connectivity to the ipsilateral inferior parietal cortex and stronger functional coupling with the bilateral IPS. Based on their relative connectivity, our results suggest that the left ITNA may be more readily involved in mapping digits to verbal number representations, while the right ITNA may support the mapping of digits to quantity representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin N Conrad
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA
| | - Courtney Pollack
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA
| | - Darren J Yeo
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA.,Division of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 48 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639818
| | - Gavin R Price
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Washington Singer Building Perry Road, Exeter, EX4 4QG, United Kingdom
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30
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Del Mauro G, Del Maschio N, Abutalebi J. The relationship between reading abilities and the left occipitotemporal sulcus: A dual perspective study. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2022; 235:105189. [PMID: 36260960 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2022.105189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Reading activates a region within the left lateral occipitotemporal sulcus (OTS) known as the 'visual word form area' (VWFA). While several studies have investigated the impact of reading on brain structure through neuroplastic mechanisms, it has been recently suggested that individual differences in the pattern of the posterior OTS may predict reading skills in adults. In the present study, we first examined whether the structure and morphology and the anatomical connectivity of the left OTS are associated to reading ability. Second, we explored whether reading skills are predicted by the pattern of the left OTS. We found that reading skills were positively associated with increased connectivity between the left OTS and a network of reading-related regions in the left hemisphere. On the other hand, we did not observe an association between the pattern of the left OTS and reading skills. Finally, we found evidence that the morphology and the connectivity of the left OTS are correlated to its sulcal pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianpaolo Del Mauro
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics (CNPL), Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Nicola Del Maschio
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics (CNPL), Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy; Facultyof Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Jubin Abutalebi
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics (CNPL), Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy; Facultyof Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy; TheArctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
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31
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Wang S, Planton S, Chanoine V, Sein J, Anton JL, Nazarian B, Dubarry AS, Pallier C, Pattamadilok C. Graph theoretical analysis reveals the functional role of the left ventral occipito-temporal cortex in speech processing. Sci Rep 2022; 12:20028. [PMID: 36414688 PMCID: PMC9681757 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24056-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The left ventral occipito-temporal cortex (left-vOT) plays a key role in reading. Interestingly, the area also responds to speech input, suggesting that it may have other functions beyond written word recognition. Here, we adopt graph theoretical analysis to investigate the left-vOT's functional role in the whole-brain network while participants process spoken sentences in different contexts. Overall, different connectivity measures indicate that the left-vOT acts as an interface enabling the communication between distributed brain regions and sub-networks. During simple speech perception, the left-vOT is systematically part of the visual network and contributes to the communication between neighboring areas, remote areas, and sub-networks, by acting as a local bridge, a global bridge, and a connector, respectively. However, when speech comprehension is explicitly required, the specific functional role of the area and the sub-network to which the left-vOT belongs change and vary with the quality of speech signal and task difficulty. These connectivity patterns provide insightful information on the contribution of the left-vOT in various contexts of language processing beyond its role in reading. They advance our general understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the flexibility of the language network that adjusts itself according to the processing context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Wang
- grid.462776.60000 0001 2206 2382Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPL, Aix-en-Provence, France ,grid.5399.60000 0001 2176 4817Aix Marseille Univ, Institute of Language, Communication and the Brain, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Samuel Planton
- grid.462776.60000 0001 2206 2382Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPL, Aix-en-Provence, France ,grid.7429.80000000121866389Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, INSERM, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Valérie Chanoine
- grid.462776.60000 0001 2206 2382Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPL, Aix-en-Provence, France ,grid.5399.60000 0001 2176 4817Aix Marseille Univ, Institute of Language, Communication and the Brain, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Julien Sein
- grid.462486.a0000 0004 4650 2882Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Centre IRM-INT@CERIMED, Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, UMR 7289 Marseille, France
| | - Jean-Luc Anton
- grid.462486.a0000 0004 4650 2882Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Centre IRM-INT@CERIMED, Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, UMR 7289 Marseille, France
| | - Bruno Nazarian
- grid.462486.a0000 0004 4650 2882Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Centre IRM-INT@CERIMED, Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, UMR 7289 Marseille, France
| | - Anne-Sophie Dubarry
- grid.462776.60000 0001 2206 2382Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPL, Aix-en-Provence, France ,grid.4444.00000 0001 2112 9282 Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LNC, Marseille, France
| | - Christophe Pallier
- grid.7429.80000000121866389Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, INSERM, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Chotiga Pattamadilok
- grid.462776.60000 0001 2206 2382Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPL, Aix-en-Provence, France
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32
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Abdallah M, Iovene V, Zanitti G, Wassermann D. Meta-analysis of the functional neuroimaging literature with probabilistic logic programming. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19431. [PMID: 36371447 PMCID: PMC9653422 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21801-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Inferring reliable brain-behavior associations requires synthesizing evidence from thousands of functional neuroimaging studies through meta-analysis. However, existing meta-analysis tools are limited to investigating simple neuroscience concepts and expressing a restricted range of questions. Here, we expand the scope of neuroimaging meta-analysis by designing NeuroLang: a domain-specific language to express and test hypotheses using probabilistic first-order logic programming. By leveraging formalisms found at the crossroads of artificial intelligence and knowledge representation, NeuroLang provides the expressivity to address a larger repertoire of hypotheses in a meta-analysis, while seamlessly modeling the uncertainty inherent to neuroimaging data. We demonstrate the language's capabilities in conducting comprehensive neuroimaging meta-analysis through use-case examples that address questions of structure-function associations. Specifically, we infer the specific functional roles of three canonical brain networks, support the role of the visual word-form area in visuospatial attention, and investigate the heterogeneous organization of the frontoparietal control network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Majd Abdallah
- grid.5328.c0000 0001 2186 3954Inria, CEA, Neurospin, MIND Team, Université Paris Saclay, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Valentin Iovene
- grid.5328.c0000 0001 2186 3954Inria, CEA, Neurospin, MIND Team, Université Paris Saclay, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Gaston Zanitti
- grid.5328.c0000 0001 2186 3954Inria, CEA, Neurospin, MIND Team, Université Paris Saclay, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Demian Wassermann
- grid.5328.c0000 0001 2186 3954Inria, CEA, Neurospin, MIND Team, Université Paris Saclay, 91120 Palaiseau, France
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33
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Bertoni S, Franceschini S, Campana G, Facoetti A. The effects of bilateral posterior parietal cortex tRNS on reading performance. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:5538-5546. [PMID: 36336338 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
According to established cognitive neuroscience knowledge based on studies on disabled and typically developing readers, reading is based on a dual-stream model in which a phonological-dorsal stream (left temporo-parietal and inferior frontal areas) processes unfamiliar words and pseudowords, whereas an orthographic-ventral stream (left occipito-temporal and inferior frontal areas) processes known words. However, correlational neuroimaging, causal longitudinal, training, and pharmacological studies have suggested the critical role of visuo-spatial attention in reading development. In a double blind, crossover within-subjects experiment, we manipulated the neuromodulatory effect of a short-term bilateral stimulation of posterior parietal cortex (PPC) by using active and sham tRNS during reading tasks in a large sample of young adults. In contrast to the dual-stream model predicting either no effect or a selective effect on the stimulated phonological-dorsal stream (as well as to a general multisensory effect on both reading streams), we found that only word-reading performance improved after active bilateral PPC tRNS. These findings demonstrate a direct neural connectivity between the PPC, controlling visuo-spatial attention, and the ventral stream for visual word recognition. These results support a neurobiological model of reading where performance of the orthographic-ventral stream is boosted by an efficient deployment of visuo-spatial attention from bilateral PPC stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Bertoni
- Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
- University of Padua , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo , Bergamo 24129 , Italy
| | - Sandro Franceschini
- Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
- University of Padua , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
| | - Gianluca Campana
- PercUp Lab , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
- University of Padua , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
| | - Andrea Facoetti
- Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
- University of Padua , Department of General Psychology, , Padua 35131 , Italy
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34
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Cheviet A, Bonnefond A, Bertrand F, Maumy-Bertrand M, Doignon-Camus N. How visual attention span and phonological skills contribute to N170 print tuning: An EEG study in French dyslexic students. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2022; 234:105176. [PMID: 36063725 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2022.105176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia is a disorder characterized by a sustainable learning deficit in reading. Based on ERP-driven approaches focusing on the visual word form area, electrophysiological studies have pointed a lack of visual expertise for written word recognition in dyslexic readers by contrasting the left-lateralized N170 amplitudes elicited by alphabetic versus non-alphabetic stimuli. Here, we investigated in 22 dyslexic participants and 22 age-matched control subjects how two behavioural abilities potentially affected in dyslexic readers (phonological and visual attention skills) contributed to the N170 expertise during a word detection task. Consistent with literature, dyslexic participants exhibited poorer performance in these both abilities as compared to healthy subjects. At the brain level, we observed (1) an unexpected preservation of the N170 expertise in the dyslexic group suggesting a possible compensatory mechanism and (2) a modulation of this expertise only by phonological skills, providing evidence for the phonological mapping deficit hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Cheviet
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom.
| | - Anne Bonnefond
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Strasbourg, INSERM U1114, Strasbourg, France
| | - Frédéric Bertrand
- LIST3N, Université de Technologie de Troyes, Troyes, France; Institut de Recherche Mathématique Avancée, CNRS UMR 7501, Labex IRMIA, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Myriam Maumy-Bertrand
- LIST3N, Université de Technologie de Troyes, Troyes, France; Institut de Recherche Mathématique Avancée, CNRS UMR 7501, Labex IRMIA, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Nadège Doignon-Camus
- LISEC UR 2310, University of Strasbourg, University of Haute-Alsace, University of Lorraine, Strasbourg, France
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Yu X, Ferradal S, Dunstan J, Carruthers C, Sanfilippo J, Zuk J, Zöllei L, Gagoski B, Ou Y, Grant PE, Gaab N. Patterns of Neural Functional Connectivity in Infants at Familial Risk of Developmental Dyslexia. JAMA Netw Open 2022; 5:e2236102. [PMID: 36301547 PMCID: PMC9614583 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.36102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Importance Developmental dyslexia is a heritable learning disability affecting 7% to 10% of the general population and can have detrimental impacts on mental health and vocational potential. Individuals with dyslexia show altered functional organization of the language and reading neural networks; however, it remains unknown how early in life these neural network alterations might emerge. Objective To determine whether the early emergence of large-scale neural functional connectivity (FC) underlying long-term language and reading development is altered in infants with a familial history of dyslexia (FHD). Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study included infants recruited at Boston Children's Hospital between May 2011 and February 2019. Participants underwent structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in the Department of Radiology at Boston Children's Hospital. Infants with FHD were matched with infants without FHD based on age and sex. Data were analyzed from April 2019 to June 2021. Exposures FHD was defined as having at least 1 first-degree relative with a dyslexia diagnosis or documented reading difficulties. Main Outcomes and Measures Whole-brain FC patterns associated with 20 predefined cerebral regions important for long-term language and reading development were computed for each infant. Multivariate pattern analyses were applied to identify specific FC patterns that differentiated between infants with vs without FHD. For classification performance estimates, 99% CIs were calculated as the classification accuracy minus chance level. Results A total of 98 infants (mean [SD] age, 8.5 [2.3] months; 51 [52.0%] girls) were analyzed, including 35 infants with FHD and 63 infants without FHD. Multivariate pattern analyses identified distinct FC patterns between infants with vs without FHD in the left fusiform gyrus (classification accuracy, 0.55 [99% CI, 0.046-0.062]; corrected P < .001; Cohen d = 0.76). Connections linking left fusiform gyrus to regions in the frontal and parietal language and attention networks were among the paths with the highest contributions to the classification performance. Conclusions and Relevance These findings suggest that on the group level, FHD was associated with an early onset of atypical FC of regions important for subsequent word form recognition during reading acquisition. Longitudinal studies linking the atypical functional network and school-age reading abilities will be essential to further elucidate the ontogenetic mechanisms underlying the development of dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Silvina Ferradal
- Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington
| | - Jade Dunstan
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Clarisa Carruthers
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Joseph Sanfilippo
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jennifer Zuk
- Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lilla Zöllei
- A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Borjan Gagoski
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yangming Ou
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - P. Ellen Grant
- Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Jia F, Liu CY, Tan LH, Siok WT. Lifespan developmental changes in neural substrates and functional connectivity for visual semantic processing. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:4714-4728. [PMID: 36130092 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Human learning and cognitive functions change with age and experience, with late-developed complex cognitive functions, particularly those served by the prefrontal cortex, showing more age-dependent variance. Reading as a complex process of constructing meaning from print uses the left prefrontal cortex and may show a similar aging pattern. In this study, we delineated the lifespan developmental changes in the neural substrates and functional connectivity for visual semantic processing from childhood (age 6) to late adulthood (age 74). Different from previous studies that reported aging as a form of activation or neuronal changes, we examined additionally how the functional connectivity networks changed with age. A cohort of 122 Chinese participants performed semantic and font-size judgment tasks during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Although a common left-lateralized neural system including the left mid-inferior prefrontal cortex was recruited across all participants, the effect of age, or reading experience, is evident as 2 contrastive developmental patterns: a declining trend in activation strength and extent and an increasing trend in functional connections of the network. This study suggests that visual semantic processing is not prone to cognitive decline, and that continuous reading until old age helps strengthen the functional connections of reading-related brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanlu Jia
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, Shandong, China.,Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Chun Yin Liu
- Department of Linguistics, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Li Hai Tan
- Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen 518107, China.,Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration and Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Shenzhen 518020, China.,Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation Institute, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China
| | - Wai Ting Siok
- Department of Linguistics, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
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de la Vega A, Rocca R, Blair RW, Markiewicz CJ, Mentch J, Kent JD, Herholz P, Ghosh SS, Poldrack RA, Yarkoni T. Neuroscout, a unified platform for generalizable and reproducible fMRI research. eLife 2022; 11:79277. [PMID: 36040302 PMCID: PMC9489206 DOI: 10.7554/elife.79277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has revolutionized cognitive neuroscience, but methodological barriers limit the generalizability of findings from the lab to the real world. Here, we present Neuroscout, an end-to-end platform for analysis of naturalistic fMRI data designed to facilitate the adoption of robust and generalizable research practices. Neuroscout leverages state-of-the-art machine learning models to automatically annotate stimuli from dozens of fMRI studies using naturalistic stimuli—such as movies and narratives—allowing researchers to easily test neuroscientific hypotheses across multiple ecologically-valid datasets. In addition, Neuroscout builds on a robust ecosystem of open tools and standards to provide an easy-to-use analysis builder and a fully automated execution engine that reduce the burden of reproducible research. Through a series of meta-analytic case studies, we validate the automatic feature extraction approach and demonstrate its potential to support more robust fMRI research. Owing to its ease of use and a high degree of automation, Neuroscout makes it possible to overcome modeling challenges commonly arising in naturalistic analysis and to easily scale analyses within and across datasets, democratizing generalizable fMRI research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro de la Vega
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States
| | - Roberta Rocca
- Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ross W Blair
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
| | | | - Jeff Mentch
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States
| | - James D Kent
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States
| | - Peer Herholz
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Satrajit S Ghosh
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States
| | | | - Tal Yarkoni
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States
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38
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Franceschini S, Bertoni S, Puccio G, Gori S, Termine C, Facoetti A. Visuo-spatial attention deficit in children with reading difficulties. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13930. [PMID: 35978017 PMCID: PMC9385647 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16646-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Although developmental reading disorders (developmental dyslexia) have been mainly associated with auditory-phonological deficits, recent longitudinal and training studies have shown a possible causal role of visuo-attentional skills in reading acquisition. Indeed, visuo-attentional mechanisms could be involved in the orthographic processing of the letter string and the graphemic parsing that precede the grapheme-to-phoneme mapping. Here, we used a simple paper-and-pencil task composed of three labyrinths to measure visuo-spatial attention in a large sample of primary school children (n = 398). In comparison to visual search tasks requiring visual working memory, our labyrinth task mainly measures distributed and focused visuo-spatial attention, also controlling for sensorimotor learning. Compared to typical readers (n = 340), children with reading difficulties (n = 58) showed clear visuo-spatial attention impairments that appear not linked to motor coordination and procedural learning skills implicated in this paper and pencil task. Since visual attention is dysfunctional in about 40% of the children with reading difficulties, an efficient reading remediation program should integrate both auditory-phonological and visuo-attentional interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandro Franceschini
- Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy. .,Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
| | - Sara Bertoni
- Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy.,Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Giovanna Puccio
- Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - Simone Gori
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Cristiano Termine
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Andrea Facoetti
- Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy.
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Fraga-González G, Di Pietro SV, Pleisch G, Walitza S, Brandeis D, Karipidis II, Brem S. Visual Occipito-Temporal N1 Sensitivity to Digits Across Elementary School. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:887413. [PMID: 35959243 PMCID: PMC9360418 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.887413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Number processing abilities are important for academic and personal development. The course of initial specialization of ventral occipito-temporal cortex (vOTC) sensitivity to visual number processing is crucial for the acquisition of numeric and arithmetic skills. We examined the visual N1, the electrophysiological correlate of vOTC activation across five time points in kindergarten (T1, mean age 6.60 years), middle and end of first grade (T2, 7.38 years; T3, 7.68 years), second grade (T4, 8.28 years), and fifth grade (T5, 11.40 years). A combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal EEG data of a total of 62 children (35 female) at varying familial risk for dyslexia were available to form groups of 23, 22, 27, 27, and 42 participants for each of the five time points. The children performed a target detection task which included visual presentation of single digits (DIG), false fonts (FF), and letters (LET) to derive measures for coarse (DIG vs. FF) and fine (DIG vs. LET) digit sensitive processing across development. The N1 amplitude analyses indicated coarse and fine sensitivity characterized by a stronger N1 to digits than false fonts across all five time points, and stronger N1 to digits than letters at all but the second (T2) time point. In addition, lower arithmetic skills were associated with stronger coarse N1 digit sensitivity over the left hemisphere in second grade (T4), possibly reflecting allocation of more attentional resources or stronger reliance on the verbal system in children with poorer arithmetic skills. To summarize, our results show persistent visual N1 sensitivity to digits that is already present early on in pre-school and remains stable until fifth grade. This pattern of digit sensitivity development clearly differs from the relatively sharp rise and fall of the visual N1 sensitivity to words or letters between kindergarten and middle of elementary school and suggests unique developmental trajectories for visual processing of written characters that are relevant to numeracy and literacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gorka Fraga-González
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sarah V. Di Pietro
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Georgette Pleisch
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Susanne Walitza
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Brandeis
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- MR-Center, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Iliana I. Karipidis
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Silvia Brem
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- MR-Center, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Silvia Brem,
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40
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Stine-Morrow EAL, McCall GS, Manavbasi I, Ng S, Llano DA, Barbey AK. The Effects of Sustained Literacy Engagement on Cognition and Sentence Processing Among Older Adults. Front Psychol 2022; 13:923795. [PMID: 35898978 PMCID: PMC9309613 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.923795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Considerable evidence suggests that language processing depends on memory processes, which are vulnerable to declines with aging. Yet little is known about the effects of language processing in the form of sustained literacy engagement on memory and other aspects of cognition. In the current study, adults (60-79 years of age) were randomly assigned to an 8-week program of leisure reading (n = 38) or to an active puzzle control (n = 38). Relative to the control, the experimental group showed differential improvement in verbal working memory and episodic memory. The experimental group also showed evidence of enhanced conceptual integration in sentence processing. These effects did not vary as a function of personality characteristics (e.g., openness) hypothesized to be compatible with literacy engagement. These findings support the idea that the exercise of cognitive capacities in the context of everyday life may offset age-related impairment in areas of cognition engaged by the activity, regardless of dispositional fit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. L. Stine-Morrow
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Giavanna S. McCall
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Ilber Manavbasi
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Shukhan Ng
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Daniel A. Llano
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Aron K. Barbey
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, United States
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41
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Amora KK, Tretow A, Verwimp C, Tijms J, Leppänen PHT, Csépe V. Typical and Atypical Development of Visual Expertise for Print as Indexed by the Visual Word N1 (N170w): A Systematic Review. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:898800. [PMID: 35844207 PMCID: PMC9279737 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.898800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The visual word N1 (N170w) is an early brain ERP component that has been found to be a neurophysiological marker for print expertise, which is a prelexical requirement associated with reading development. To date, no other review has assimilated existing research on reading difficulties and atypical development of processes reflected in the N170w response. Hence, this systematic review synthesized results and evaluated neurophysiological and experimental procedures across different studies about visual print expertise in reading development. Literature databases were examined for relevant studies from 1995 to 2020 investigating the N170w response in individuals with or without reading disorders. To capture the development of the N170w related to reading, results were compared between three different age groups: pre-literate children, school-aged children, and young adults. The majority of available N170w studies (N = 69) investigated adults (n = 31) followed by children (school-aged: n = 21; pre-literate: n = 4) and adolescents (n = 1) while some studies investigated a combination of these age groups (n = 12). Most studies were conducted with German-speaking populations (n = 17), followed by English (n = 15) and Chinese (n = 14) speaking participants. The N170w was primarily investigated using a combination of words, pseudowords, and symbols (n = 20) and mostly used repetition-detection (n = 16) or lexical-decision tasks (n = 16). Different studies posed huge variability in selecting electrode sites for analysis; however, most focused on P7, P8, and O1 sites of the international 10–20 system. Most of the studies in adults have found a more negative N170w in controls than poor readers, whereas in children, the results have been mixed. In typical readers, N170w ranged from having a bilateral distribution to a left-hemispheric dominance throughout development, whereas in young, poor readers, the response was mainly right-lateralized and then remained in a bilateral distribution. Moreover, the N170w latency has varied according to age group, with adults having an earlier onset yet with shorter latency than school-aged and pre-literate children. This systematic review provides a comprehensive picture of the development of print expertise as indexed by the N170w across age groups and reading abilities and discusses theoretical and methodological differences and challenges in the field, aiming to guide future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen Kay Amora
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- Faculty of Modern Philology and Social Sciences, Multilingualism Doctoral School, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary
- *Correspondence: Kathleen Kay Amora ;
| | - Ariane Tretow
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Cara Verwimp
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Rudolf Berlin Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Jurgen Tijms
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Rudolf Berlin Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Valéria Csépe
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- Institute for Hungarian and Applied Linguistics, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary
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Planton S, Wang S, Bolger D, Bonnard M, Pattamadilok C. Effective connectivity of the left-ventral occipito-temporal cortex during visual word processing: Direct causal evidence from TMS-EEG co-registration. Cortex 2022; 154:167-183. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Chen J, Zhang C, Wang R, Jiang P, Cai H, Zhao W, Zhu J, Yu Y. Molecular basis underlying functional connectivity of fusiform gyrus subregions: A transcriptome-neuroimaging spatial correlation study. Cortex 2022; 152:59-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Serrien DJ, O'Regan L. The interactive functional biases of manual, language and attention systems. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2022; 7:20. [PMID: 35235075 PMCID: PMC8891409 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-022-00365-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Hemispheric lateralisation is a fundamental principle of functional brain organisation. We studied two core cognitive functions—language and visuospatial attention—that typically lateralise in opposite cerebral hemispheres. In this work, we tested both left- and right-handed participants on lexical decision-making as well as on symmetry detection by means of a visual half-field paradigm with various target–distractor combinations simultaneously presented to opposite visual fields. Laterality indexes were analysed using a behavioural metrics in single individuals as well as between individuals. We observed that lateralisation of language and visuospatial attention as well as their relationship generally followed a left–right profile, albeit with differences as a function of handedness and target–distractor combination. In particular, right-handed individuals tended towards a typical pattern whereas left-handed individuals demonstrated increased individual variation and atypical organisation. That the atypical variants varied as a function of target–distractor combination and thus interhemispheric communication underlines its dynamic role in characterising lateralisation properties. The data further revealed distinctive relationships between right-handedness and left-hemispheric dominance for language together with right-hemispheric dominance for visuospatial processing. Overall, these findings illustrate the role of broader mechanisms in supporting hemispheric lateralisation of cognition and behaviour, relying on common principles but controlled by internal and external factors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Louise O'Regan
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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45
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Jia G, Liu G, Niu H. Hemispheric Lateralization of Visuospatial Attention Is Independent of Language Production on Right-Handers: Evidence From Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. Front Neurol 2022; 12:784821. [PMID: 35095729 PMCID: PMC8795708 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.784821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well-established that visuospatial attention is mainly lateralized to the right hemisphere, whereas language production is mainly left-lateralized. However, there is a significant controversy regarding how these two kinds of lateralization interact with each other. The present research used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine whether visuospatial attention is indeed right-lateralized, whereas language production is left-lateralized, and more importantly, whether the extent of lateralization in the visuospatial task is correlated with that in the task involving language. Specifically, fifty-two healthy right-handed participants participated in this study. Multiple-channel fNIRS technique was utilized to record the cerebral hemodynamic changes when participants were engaged in naming objects depicted in pictures (the picture naming task) or judging whether a presented line was bisected correctly (the landmark task). The degree of hemispheric lateralization was quantified according to the activation difference between the left and right hemispheres. We found that the picture-naming task predominantly activated the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) of the left hemisphere. In contrast, the landmark task predominantly activated the inferior parietal sulcus (IPS) and superior parietal lobule (SPL) of the right hemisphere. The quantitative calculation of the laterality index also showed a left-lateralized distribution for the picture-naming task and a right-lateralized distribution for the landmark task. Intriguingly, the correlation analysis revealed no significant correlation between the laterality indices of these two tasks. Our findings support the independent hypothesis, suggesting that different cognitive tasks may engender lateralized processing in the brain, but these lateralized activities may be independent of each other. Meanwhile, we stress the importance of handedness in understanding the relationship between functional asymmetries. Methodologically, we demonstrated the effectiveness of using the multichannel fNIRS technique to investigate the hemispheric specialization of different cognitive tasks and their lateralization relations between different tasks. Our findings and methods may have important implications for future research to explore lateralization-related issues in individuals with neural pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Haijing Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Resection of dominant fusiform gyrus is associated with decline of naming function when temporal lobe epilepsy manifests after the age of five: A voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping study. NEUROIMAGE: CLINICAL 2022; 35:103129. [PMID: 36002957 PMCID: PMC9421498 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Resection in the dominant fusiform gyrus is associated with an increased risk of postoperative decline in picture naming. More temporo-posterior resections in this area results in a greater degree of naming decline. Risk of significant naming decline after left temporal surgery increased by 5% with every year of later seizure onset.
Objective To determine patients’ characteristics and regions in the temporal lobe where resections lead to a decline in picture naming. Methods 311 patients with left hemispheric dominance for language were included who underwent epilepsy surgery at the Epilepsy Center of Erlangen and whose picture naming scores (Boston Naming Test, BNT) were available preoperatively and 6-months postoperatively. Surgical lesions were mapped to an averaged template based on preoperative and postoperative MRI using voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VBLSM). Postoperative brain shifts were corrected. The relationship between lesioned brain areas and the presence of a postoperative naming decline was examined voxel-wise while controlling for effects of overall lesion size at first in the total cohort and then restricted to temporal lobe resections. Results In VBLSM in the total sample, a decline in BNT score was significantly related to left temporal surgery. When only considering patients with left temporal lobe resections (n = 121), 40 (33.1%) significantly worsened in BNT postoperatively. VBLSM including all patients with left temporal resections generated no significant results within the temporal lobe. However, naming decline of patients with epilepsy onset after 5 years of age was significantly associated with resections in the left inferior temporal (extent of BNT decline range: 10.8− 14.4%) and fusiform gyrus (decline range: 12.1−18.4%). Significance Resections in the posterior part of the dominant fusiform and inferior temporal gyrus was associated with a risk of deterioration in naming performance at six months after surgery in patients with epilepsy onset after 5 years of age but not with earlier epilepsy onset.
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Butera IM, Larson ED, DeFreese AJ, Lee AKC, Gifford RH, Wallace MT. Functional localization of audiovisual speech using near infrared spectroscopy. Brain Topogr 2022; 35:416-430. [PMID: 35821542 PMCID: PMC9334437 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-022-00904-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Visual cues are especially vital for hearing impaired individuals such as cochlear implant (CI) users to understand speech in noise. Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a light-based imaging technology that is ideally suited for measuring the brain activity of CI users due to its compatibility with both the ferromagnetic and electrical components of these implants. In a preliminary step toward better elucidating the behavioral and neural correlates of audiovisual (AV) speech integration in CI users, we designed a speech-in-noise task and measured the extent to which 24 normal hearing individuals could integrate the audio of spoken monosyllabic words with the corresponding visual signals of a female speaker. In our behavioral task, we found that audiovisual pairings provided average improvements of 103% and 197% over auditory-alone listening conditions in -6 and -9 dB signal-to-noise ratios consisting of multi-talker background noise. In an fNIRS task using similar stimuli, we measured activity during auditory-only listening, visual-only lipreading, and AV listening conditions. We identified cortical activity in all three conditions over regions of middle and superior temporal cortex typically associated with speech processing and audiovisual integration. In addition, three channels active during the lipreading condition showed uncorrected correlations associated with behavioral measures of audiovisual gain as well as with the McGurk effect. Further work focusing primarily on the regions of interest identified in this study could test how AV speech integration may differ for CI users who rely on this mechanism for daily communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iliza M. Butera
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Eric D. Larson
- grid.34477.330000000122986657Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle Washington, USA
| | - Andrea J. DeFreese
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Adrian KC Lee
- grid.34477.330000000122986657Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle Washington, USA ,grid.34477.330000000122986657Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington USA
| | - René H. Gifford
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Mark T. Wallace
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.412807.80000 0004 1936 9916Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN USA
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48
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Rima S, Schmid MC. Reading Specific Small Saccades Predict Individual Phonemic Awareness and Reading Speed. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:663242. [PMID: 34966251 PMCID: PMC8710594 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.663242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Small fixational eye-movements are a fundamental aspect of vision and thought to reflect fine shifts in covert attention during active viewing. While the perceptual benefits of these small eye movements have been demonstrated during a wide range of experimental tasks including during free viewing, their function during reading remains surprisingly unclear. Previous research demonstrated that readers with increased microsaccade rates displayed longer reading speeds. To what extent increased fixational eye movements are, however, specific to reading and might be indicative of reading skill deficits remains, however, unknown. To address this topic, we compared the eye movement scan paths of 13 neurotypical individuals and 13 subjects diagnosed with developmental dyslexia during short story reading and free viewing of natural scenes. We found that during reading only, dyslexics tended to display small eye movements more frequently compared to neurotypicals, though this effect was not significant at the population level, as it could also occur in slow readers not diagnosed as dyslexics. In line with previous research, neurotypical readers had twice as many regressive compared to progressive microsaccades, which did not occur during free viewing. In contrast, dyslexics showed similar amounts of regressive and progressive small fixational eye movements during both reading and free viewing. We also found that participants with smaller fixational saccades from both neurotypical and dyslexic samples displayed reduced reading speeds and lower scores during independent tests of reading skill. Slower readers also displayed greater variability in the landing points and temporal occurrence of their fixational saccades. Both the rate and spatio-temporal variability of fixational saccades were associated with lower phonemic awareness scores. As none of the observed differences between dyslexics and neurotypical readers occurred during control experiments with free viewing, the reported effects appear to be directly related to reading. In summary, our results highlight the predictive value of small saccades for reading skill, but not necessarily for developmental dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samy Rima
- Department of Sport and Neuroscience, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Michael C Schmid
- Department of Sport and Neuroscience, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.,Bioscience Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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Caffarra S, Karipidis II, Yablonski M, Yeatman JD. Anatomy and physiology of word-selective visual cortex: from visual features to lexical processing. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:3051-3065. [PMID: 34636985 PMCID: PMC8639194 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02384-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Over the past 2 decades, researchers have tried to uncover how the human brain can extract linguistic information from a sequence of visual symbols. The description of how the brain's visual system processes words and enables reading has improved with the progressive refinement of experimental methodologies and neuroimaging techniques. This review provides a brief overview of this research journey. We start by describing classical models of object recognition in non-human primates, which represent the foundation for many of the early models of visual word recognition in humans. We then review functional neuroimaging studies investigating the word-selective regions in visual cortex. This research led to the differentiation of highly specialized areas, which are involved in the analysis of different aspects of written language. We then consider the corresponding anatomical measurements and provide a description of the main white matter pathways carrying neural signals crucial to word recognition. Finally, in an attempt to integrate structural, functional, and electrophysiological findings, we propose a view of visual word recognition, accounting for spatial and temporal facets of word-selective neural processes. This multi-modal perspective on the neural circuitry of literacy highlights the relevance of a posterior-anterior differentiation in ventral occipitotemporal cortex for visual processing of written language and lexical features. It also highlights unanswered questions that can guide us towards future research directions. Bridging measures of brain structure and function will help us reach a more precise understanding of the transformation from vision to language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sendy Caffarra
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 291 Campus Drive, Li Ka Shing Building, Stanford, CA, 94305-5101, USA
- Stanford University Graduate School of Education, 485 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Mikeletegi 69, 20009, San Sebastian, Spain
- University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 287, 41125, Modena, Italy
| | - Iliana I Karipidis
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, School of Medicine, Stanford University, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, 94305-5717, USA.
| | - Maya Yablonski
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 291 Campus Drive, Li Ka Shing Building, Stanford, CA, 94305-5101, USA
- Stanford University Graduate School of Education, 485 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Jason D Yeatman
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 291 Campus Drive, Li Ka Shing Building, Stanford, CA, 94305-5101, USA
- Stanford University Graduate School of Education, 485 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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50
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Zekelman LR, Zhang F, Makris N, He J, Chen Y, Xue T, Liera D, Drane DL, Rathi Y, Golby AJ, O'Donnell LJ. White matter association tracts underlying language and theory of mind: An investigation of 809 brains from the Human Connectome Project. Neuroimage 2021; 246:118739. [PMID: 34856375 PMCID: PMC8862285 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Language and theory of mind (ToM) are the cognitive capacities that allow for the successful interpretation and expression of meaning. While functional MRI investigations are able to consistently localize language and ToM to specific cortical regions, diffusion MRI investigations point to an inconsistent and sometimes overlapping set of white matter tracts associated with these two cognitive domains. To further examine the white matter tracts that may underlie these domains, we use a two-tensor tractography method to investigate the white matter microstructure of 809 participants from the Human Connectome Project. 20 association white matter tracts (10 in each hemisphere) are uniquely identified by leveraging a neuroanatomist-curated automated white matter tract atlas. The fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and number of streamlines (NoS) are measured for each white matter tract. Performance on neuropsychological assessments of semantic memory (NIH Toolbox Picture Vocabulary Test, TPVT) and emotion perception (Penn Emotion Recognition Test, PERT) are used to measure critical subcomponents of the language and ToM networks, respectively. Regression models are constructed to examine how structural measurements of left and right white matter tracts influence performance across these two assessments. We find that semantic memory performance is influenced by the number of streamlines of the left superior longitudinal fasciculus III (SLF-III), and emotion perception performance is influenced by the number of streamlines of the right SLF-III. Additionally, we find that performance on both semantic memory & emotion perception is influenced by the FA of the left arcuate fasciculus (AF). The results point to multiple, overlapping white matter tracts that underlie the cognitive domains of language and ToM. Results are discussed in terms of hemispheric dominance and concordance with prior investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leo R Zekelman
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA; Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
| | - Fan Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Nikos Makris
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, USA; Center for Morphometric Analysis, Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Psychiatric Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Jianzhong He
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA; Institution of Information Processing and Automation, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuqian Chen
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA; School of Computer Science, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Tengfei Xue
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA; School of Computer Science, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Daniel L Drane
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, US
| | - Yogesh Rathi
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA; Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Alexandra J Golby
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA; Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Lauren J O'Donnell
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
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