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Murphy E, Rollo PS, Segaert K, Hagoort P, Tandon N. Multiple dimensions of syntactic structure are resolved earliest in posterior temporal cortex. Prog Neurobiol 2024; 241:102669. [PMID: 39332803 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2024.102669] [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: 06/04/2024] [Revised: 08/08/2024] [Accepted: 09/24/2024] [Indexed: 09/29/2024]
Abstract
How we combine minimal linguistic units into larger structures remains an unresolved topic in neuroscience. Language processing involves the abstract construction of 'vertical' and 'horizontal' information simultaneously (e.g., phrase structure, morphological agreement), but previous paradigms have been constrained in isolating only one type of composition and have utilized poor spatiotemporal resolution. Using intracranial recordings, we report multiple experiments designed to separate phrase structure from morphosyntactic agreement. Epilepsy patients (n = 10) were presented with auditory two-word phrases grouped into pseudoword-verb ('trab run') and pronoun-verb either with or without Person agreement ('they run' vs. 'they runs'). Phrase composition and Person violations both resulted in significant increases in broadband high gamma activity approximately 300 ms after verb onset in posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG) and posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), followed by inferior frontal cortex (IFC) at 500 ms. While sites sensitive to only morphosyntactic violations were distributed, those sensitive to both composition types were generally confined to pSTS/pMTG and IFC. These results indicate that posterior temporal cortex shows the earliest sensitivity for hierarchical linguistic structure across multiple dimensions, providing neural resources for distinct windows of composition. This region is comprised of sparsely interwoven heterogeneous constituents that afford cortical search spaces for dissociable syntactic relations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliot Murphy
- Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, United States; Texas Institute for Restorative Neurotechnologies, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, United States.
| | - Patrick S Rollo
- Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, United States; Texas Institute for Restorative Neurotechnologies, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, United States
| | - Katrien Segaert
- School of Psychology & Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen 6525 XD, the Netherlands
| | - Peter Hagoort
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen 6525 XD, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen 6525 HR, the Netherlands
| | - Nitin Tandon
- Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, United States; Texas Institute for Restorative Neurotechnologies, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, United States; Memorial Hermann Hospital, Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030, United States.
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2
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Kim J, Kim S, Nam K. Neural Dynamics of Processing Inflectional Morphology: An fMRI Study on Korean Inflected Verbs. Brain Sci 2024; 14:752. [PMID: 39199447 PMCID: PMC11352235 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14080752] [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: 06/26/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to elucidate the neural mechanisms underpinning the visual recognition of morphologically complex verbs in Korean, a morphologically rich, agglutinative language with inherent polymorphemic characteristics. In an fMRI experiment with a lexical decision paradigm, we investigated whether verb inflection types (base, regular, and irregular) are processed through separate mechanisms or a single system. Furthermore, we explored the semantic influence in processing inflectional morphology by manipulating the semantic ambiguity (homonymous vs. unambiguous) of inflected verbs. The results showed equivalent activation levels in the left inferior frontal gyrus for both regular and irregular verbs, challenging the dichotomy between the two. Graded effects of verb regularity were observed in the occipitotemporal regions, with regular inflections eliciting increased activation in the fusiform and lingual gyri. In the middle occipital gyrus, homonyms showed decreased activation relative to that of unambiguous words, specifically for base and irregular forms. Furthermore, the angular gyrus exhibited significant modulation with all verb types, indicating a semantic influence during morphological processing. These findings support single-system theories and the connectionist framework, challenging the assumptions of purely orthographic morphological decomposition and dual-mechanism accounts. Furthermore, they provide evidence for a semantic influence during morphological processing, with differential reliance on semantic activation for regular and irregular inflections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joonwoo Kim
- Department of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea;
| | - Sangyub Kim
- Department of Psychology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea;
| | - Kichun Nam
- Department of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea;
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3
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Mai A, Riès S, Ben-Haim S, Shih JJ, Gentner TQ. Acoustic and language-specific sources for phonemic abstraction from speech. Nat Commun 2024; 15:677. [PMID: 38263364 PMCID: PMC10805762 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44844-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Spoken language comprehension requires abstraction of linguistic information from speech, but the interaction between auditory and linguistic processing of speech remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate the nature of this abstraction using neural responses recorded intracranially while participants listened to conversational English speech. Capitalizing on multiple, language-specific patterns where phonological and acoustic information diverge, we demonstrate the causal efficacy of the phoneme as a unit of analysis and dissociate the unique contributions of phonemic and spectrographic information to neural responses. Quantitive higher-order response models also reveal that unique contributions of phonological information are carried in the covariance structure of the stimulus-response relationship. This suggests that linguistic abstraction is shaped by neurobiological mechanisms that involve integration across multiple spectro-temporal features and prior phonological information. These results link speech acoustics to phonology and morphosyntax, substantiating predictions about abstractness in linguistic theory and providing evidence for the acoustic features that support that abstraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Mai
- University of California, San Diego, Linguistics, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
| | - Stephanie Riès
- San Diego State University, School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
- San Diego State University, Center for Clinical and Cognitive Sciences, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Sharona Ben-Haim
- University of California, San Diego, Neurological Surgery, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Jerry J Shih
- University of California, San Diego, Neurosciences, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Timothy Q Gentner
- University of California, San Diego, Psychology, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- University of California, San Diego, Neurobiology, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- University of California, San Diego, Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
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4
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El Ouardi L, Yeou M, Faroqi-Shah Y. Neural correlates of pronoun processing: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2023; 246:105347. [PMID: 37847932 PMCID: PMC11305457 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2023.105347] [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: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Pronouns are unique linguistic devices that allow for the expression of referential relationships. Despite their communicative utility, the neural correlates of the operations involved in reference assignment and/or resolution, are not well-understood. The present study synthesized the neuroimaging literature on pronoun processing to test extant theories of pronoun comprehension. Following the PRISMA guidelines and thebest-practice recommendations for neuroimaging meta-analyses, a systematic literature search and record assessment were performed. As a result, 16 fMRI studies were included in the meta-analysis, and were coded in Scribe 3.6 for inclusion in the BrainMap database. The activation coordinates for the contrasts of interest were transformed into Talairach space and submitted to an Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) meta-analysis in GingerALE 3.0.1. The results indicated that pronoun processing had functional convergence in the left posterior middle and superior temporal gyri, potentially reflecting the retrieval, prediction and integration roles of these areas for pronoun processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loubna El Ouardi
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States; Applied Language and Culture Studies Laboratory, Chouaib Doukkali University, El Jadida, Morocco.
| | - Mohamed Yeou
- Applied Language and Culture Studies Laboratory, Chouaib Doukkali University, El Jadida, Morocco
| | - Yasmeen Faroqi-Shah
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States
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5
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Tang X, Zhang J, Liu L, Yang M, Li S, Chen J, Ma Y, Zhang J, Liu H, Lu C, Ding G. Distinct brain state dynamics of native and second language processing during narrative listening in late bilinguals. Neuroimage 2023; 280:120359. [PMID: 37661079 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120359] [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: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The process of complex cognition, which includes language processing, is dynamic in nature and involves various network modes or cognitive modes. This dynamic process can be manifested by a set of brain states and transitions between them. Previous neuroimaging studies have shed light on how bilingual brains support native language (L1) and second language (L2) through a shared network. However, the mechanism through which this shared brain network enables L1 and L2 processing remains unknown. This study examined this issue by testing the hypothesis that L1 and L2 processing is associated with distinct brain state dynamics in terms of brain state integration and transition flexibility. A group of late Chinese-English bilinguals was scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while listening to eight short narratives in Chinese (L1) and English (L2). Brain state dynamics were modeled using the leading eigenvector dynamic analysis framework. The results show that L1 processing involves more integrated states and frequent transitions between integrated and segregated states, while L2 processing involves more segregated states and fewer transitions. Our work provides insight into the dynamic process of narrative listening comprehension in late bilinguals and sheds new light on the neural representation of language processing and related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangrong Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Juan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, Beijing 102600, China
| | - Lanfang Liu
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, Zhuhai 519087, China; Center for Cognition and Neuroergonomics, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, Zhuhai 519087, China.
| | - Menghan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover NH 03755, USA
| | - Shijie Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Jie Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yumeng Ma
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30322, USA
| | - Jia Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; School of Psychology, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Haiyi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Chunming Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Guosheng Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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6
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Herrera C, Whittle N, Leek MR, Brodbeck C, Lee G, Barcenas C, Barnes S, Holshouser B, Yi A, Venezia JH. Cortical networks for recognition of speech with simultaneous talkers. Hear Res 2023; 437:108856. [PMID: 37531847 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2023.108856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
The relative contributions of superior temporal vs. inferior frontal and parietal networks to recognition of speech in a background of competing speech remain unclear, although the contributions themselves are well established. Here, we use fMRI with spectrotemporal modulation transfer function (ST-MTF) modeling to examine the speech information represented in temporal vs. frontoparietal networks for two speech recognition tasks with and without a competing talker. Specifically, 31 listeners completed two versions of a three-alternative forced choice competing speech task: "Unison" and "Competing", in which a female (target) and a male (competing) talker uttered identical or different phrases, respectively. Spectrotemporal modulation filtering (i.e., acoustic distortion) was applied to the two-talker mixtures and ST-MTF models were generated to predict brain activation from differences in spectrotemporal-modulation distortion on each trial. Three cortical networks were identified based on differential patterns of ST-MTF predictions and the resultant ST-MTF weights across conditions (Unison, Competing): a bilateral superior temporal (S-T) network, a frontoparietal (F-P) network, and a network distributed across cortical midline regions and the angular gyrus (M-AG). The S-T network and the M-AG network responded primarily to spectrotemporal cues associated with speech intelligibility, regardless of condition, but the S-T network responded to a greater range of temporal modulations suggesting a more acoustically driven response. The F-P network responded to the absence of intelligibility-related cues in both conditions, but also to the absence (presence) of target-talker (competing-talker) vocal pitch in the Competing condition, suggesting a generalized response to signal degradation. Task performance was best predicted by activation in the S-T and F-P networks, but in opposite directions (S-T: more activation = better performance; F-P: vice versa). Moreover, S-T network predictions were entirely ST-MTF mediated while F-P network predictions were ST-MTF mediated only in the Unison condition, suggesting an influence from non-acoustic sources (e.g., informational masking) in the Competing condition. Activation in the M-AG network was weakly positively correlated with performance and this relation was entirely superseded by those in the S-T and F-P networks. Regarding contributions to speech recognition, we conclude: (a) superior temporal regions play a bottom-up, perceptual role that is not qualitatively dependent on the presence of competing speech; (b) frontoparietal regions play a top-down role that is modulated by competing speech and scales with listening effort; and (c) performance ultimately relies on dynamic interactions between these networks, with ancillary contributions from networks not involved in speech processing per se (e.g., the M-AG network).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicole Whittle
- VA Loma Linda Healthcare System, Loma Linda, CA, United States
| | - Marjorie R Leek
- VA Loma Linda Healthcare System, Loma Linda, CA, United States; Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, United States
| | | | - Grace Lee
- Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, United States
| | | | - Samuel Barnes
- Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, United States
| | | | - Alex Yi
- VA Loma Linda Healthcare System, Loma Linda, CA, United States; Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, United States
| | - Jonathan H Venezia
- VA Loma Linda Healthcare System, Loma Linda, CA, United States; Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, United States.
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7
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Macías-Macías JM, Ramírez-Quintana JA, Chacón-Murguía MI, Torres-García AA, Corral-Martínez LF. Interpretation of a deep analysis of speech imagery features extracted by a capsule neural network. Comput Biol Med 2023; 159:106909. [PMID: 37071937 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.106909] [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: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Speech imagery has been successfully employed in developing Brain-Computer Interfaces because it is a novel mental strategy that generates brain activity more intuitively than evoked potentials or motor imagery. There are many methods to analyze speech imagery signals, but those based on deep neural networks achieve the best results. However, more research is necessary to understand the properties and features that describe imagined phonemes and words. In this paper, we analyze the statistical properties of speech imagery EEG signals from the KaraOne dataset to design a method that classifies imagined phonemes and words. With this analysis, we propose a Capsule Neural Network that categorizes speech imagery patterns into bilabial, nasal, consonant-vocal, and vowels/iy/ and/uw/. The method is called Capsules for Speech Imagery Analysis (CapsK-SI). The input of CapsK-SI is a set of statistical features of EEG speech imagery signals. The architecture of the Capsule Neural Network is composed of a convolution layer, a primary capsule layer, and a class capsule layer. The average accuracy reached is 90.88%±7 for bilabial, 90.15%±8 for nasal, 94.02%±6 for consonant-vowel, 89.70%±8 for word-phoneme, 94.33%± for/iy/ vowel and, 94.21%±3 for/uw/ vowel detection. Finally, with the activity vectors of the CapsK-SI capsules, we generated brain maps to represent brain activity in the production of bilabial, nasal, and consonant-vocal signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M Macías-Macías
- Tecnológico Nacional de México/IT Chihuahua, Av. Tecnológico 2909, Chihuahua, 31310, Chihuahua, Mexico.
| | - Juan A Ramírez-Quintana
- Tecnológico Nacional de México/IT Chihuahua, Av. Tecnológico 2909, Chihuahua, 31310, Chihuahua, Mexico
| | - Mario I Chacón-Murguía
- Tecnológico Nacional de México/IT Chihuahua, Av. Tecnológico 2909, Chihuahua, 31310, Chihuahua, Mexico
| | - Alejandro A Torres-García
- Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica Óptica y Electrónica, Luis Enrique Erro No 1, Tonanzintla, 72840, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Luis F Corral-Martínez
- Tecnológico Nacional de México/IT Chihuahua, Av. Tecnológico 2909, Chihuahua, 31310, Chihuahua, Mexico
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8
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Gao F, Hua L, He Y, Xu J, Li D, Zhang J, Yuan Z. Word Structure Tunes Electrophysiological and Hemodynamic Responses in the Frontal Cortex. Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:bioengineering10030288. [PMID: 36978679 PMCID: PMC10044899 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10030288] [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: 01/08/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
To date, it is still unclear how word structure might impact lexical processing in the brain for languages with an impoverished system of grammatical morphology such as Chinese. In this study, concurrent electroencephalogram (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recordings were performed to inspect the temporal and spatial brain activities that are related to Chinese word structure (compound vs. derivation vs. non-morphological) effects. A masked priming paradigm was utilized on three lexical conditions (compound constitute priming, derivation constitute priming, and non-morphological priming) to tap Chinese native speakers' structural sensitivity to differing word structures. The compound vs. derivation structure effect was revealed by the behavioral data as well as the temporal and spatial brain activation patterns. In the masked priming task, Chinese derivations exhibited significantly enhanced brain activation in the frontal cortex and involved broader brain networks as compared with lexicalized compounds. The results were interpreted by the differing connection patterns between constitute morphemes within a given word structure from a spreading activation perspective. More importantly, we demonstrated that the Chinese word structure effect showed a distinct brain activation pattern from that of the dual-route mechanism in alphabetic languages. Therefore, this work paved a new avenue for comprehensively understanding the underlying cognitive neural mechanisms associated with Chinese derivations and coordinate compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Gao
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, China
- Institute of Modern Languages and Linguistics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Lin Hua
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, China
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, China
| | - Yuwen He
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, China
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, China
| | - Jie Xu
- Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, China
| | - Defeng Li
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, China
- Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, China
| | - Juan Zhang
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, China
- Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, China
| | - Zhen Yuan
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, China
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, China
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9
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Okayasu M, Inukai T, Tanaka D, Tsumura K, Shintaki R, Takeda M, Nakahara K, Jimura K. The Stroop effect involves an excitatory-inhibitory fronto-cerebellar loop. Nat Commun 2023; 14:27. [PMID: 36631460 PMCID: PMC9834394 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35397-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The Stroop effect is a classical, well-known behavioral phenomenon in humans that refers to robust interference between language and color information. It remains unclear, however, when the interference occurs and how it is resolved in the brain. Here we show that the Stroop effect occurs during perception of color-word stimuli and involves a cross-hemispheric, excitatory-inhibitory loop functionally connecting the lateral prefrontal cortex and cerebellum. Participants performed a Stroop task and a non-verbal control task (which we term the Swimmy task), and made a response vocally or manually. The Stroop effect involved the lateral prefrontal cortex in the left hemisphere and the cerebellum in the right hemisphere, independently of the response type; such lateralization was absent during the Swimmy task, however. Moreover, the prefrontal cortex amplified cerebellar activity, whereas the cerebellum suppressed prefrontal activity. This fronto-cerebellar loop may implement language and cognitive systems that enable goal-directed behavior during perceptual conflicts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moe Okayasu
- Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Tensei Inukai
- Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Daiki Tanaka
- Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Kaho Tsumura
- Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Reiko Shintaki
- Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Masaki Takeda
- Research Center for Brain Communication, Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Nakahara
- Research Center for Brain Communication, Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Japan
| | - Koji Jimura
- Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan.
- Research Center for Brain Communication, Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Japan.
- Department of Informatics, Gunma University, Maebashi, Japan.
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10
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Zhang Y, Zhou L, Zuo J, Wang S, Meng W. Analogies of human speech and bird song: From vocal learning behavior to its neural basis. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1100969. [PMID: 36910811 PMCID: PMC9992734 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1100969] [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: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Vocal learning is a complex acquired social behavior that has been found only in very few animals. The process of animal vocal learning requires the participation of sensorimotor function. By accepting external auditory input and cooperating with repeated vocal imitation practice, a stable pattern of vocal information output is eventually formed. In parallel evolutionary branches, humans and songbirds share striking similarities in vocal learning behavior. For example, their vocal learning processes involve auditory feedback, complex syntactic structures, and sensitive periods. At the same time, they have evolved the hierarchical structure of special forebrain regions related to vocal motor control and vocal learning, which are organized and closely associated to the auditory cortex. By comparing the location, function, genome, and transcriptome of vocal learning-related brain regions, it was confirmed that songbird singing and human language-related neural control pathways have certain analogy. These common characteristics make songbirds an ideal animal model for studying the neural mechanisms of vocal learning behavior. The neural process of human language learning may be explained through similar neural mechanisms, and it can provide important insights for the treatment of language disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutao Zhang
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Lifang Zhou
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Jiachun Zuo
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Songhua Wang
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Wei Meng
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
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11
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Gow DW, Avcu E, Schoenhaut A, Sorensen DO, Ahlfors SP. Abstract representations in temporal cortex support generative linguistic processing. LANGUAGE, COGNITION AND NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 38:765-778. [PMID: 37332658 PMCID: PMC10270390 DOI: 10.1080/23273798.2022.2157029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Generativity, the ability to create and evaluate novel constructions, is a fundamental property of human language and cognition. The productivity of generative processes is determined by the scope of the representations they engage. Here we examine the neural representation of reduplication, a productive phonological process that can create novel forms through patterned syllable copying (e.g. ba-mih → ba-ba-mih, ba-mih-mih, or ba-mih-ba). Using MRI-constrained source estimates of combined MEG/EEG data collected during an auditory artificial grammar task, we identified localized cortical activity associated with syllable reduplication pattern contrasts in novel trisyllabic nonwords. Neural decoding analyses identified a set of predominantly right hemisphere temporal lobe regions whose activity reliably discriminated reduplication patterns evoked by untrained, novel stimuli. Effective connectivity analyses suggested that sensitivity to abstracted reduplication patterns was propagated between these temporal regions. These results suggest that localized temporal lobe activity patterns function as abstract representations that support linguistic generativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W. Gow
- Department of Neurology Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02114
- Department of Psychology, Salem State University; Salem, MA, 01970
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital; Charlestown, MA, 02129
- Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA 02115
| | - Enes Avcu
- Department of Neurology Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02114
| | - Adriana Schoenhaut
- Department of Neurology Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02114
| | - David O. Sorensen
- Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA 02115
| | - Seppo P. Ahlfors
- Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02114
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12
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Alekseeva M, Myachykov A, Shtyrov Y. Inflectional zero morphology - Linguistic myth or neurocognitive reality? Front Psychol 2022; 13:1015435. [PMID: 36571055 PMCID: PMC9773071 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1015435] [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: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of language, its structure and grammar are an essential part of our education and daily activities. Despite the importance of language in our lives, linguistic theories that explain how the language system operates are often disconnected from our knowledge of the brain's neurocognitive mechanisms underpinning the linguistic function. This is reflected, for example, in the inclusion of abstract and often controversial elements into theories of language. Here, we discuss the case of the so-called null constituent and its smallest and the most controversial variant - the zero morpheme, a hypothetical morphosyntactic device that has no overt physical (phonological or orthographic) expression. Focusing on the putative inflectional zero morpheme, we discuss the theoretical origins and pitfalls of this approach and advocate the important role for neurobiological research that could try to elucidate the neurocognitive reality of such constructs in linguistic communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Alekseeva
- Centre for Cognition and Decision Making, Higher School of Economics, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Moscow, Russia,*Correspondence: Maria Alekseeva,
| | - Andriy Myachykov
- Centre for Cognition and Decision Making, Higher School of Economics, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Moscow, Russia,Department of Psychology, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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13
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Pescuma VN, Ktori M, Beyersmann E, Sowman PF, Castles A, Crepaldi D. Automatic morpheme identification across development: Magnetoencephalography (MEG) evidence from fast periodic visual stimulation. Front Psychol 2022; 13:932952. [PMID: 36160574 PMCID: PMC9491359 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.932952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study combined magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings with fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) to investigate automatic neural responses to morphemes in developing and skilled readers. Native English-speaking children (N = 17, grade 5–6) and adults (N = 28) were presented with rapid streams of base stimuli (6 Hz) interleaved periodically with oddballs (i.e., every fifth item, oddball stimulation frequency: 1.2 Hz). In a manipulation-check condition, tapping into word recognition, oddballs featured familiar words (e.g., roll) embedded in a stream of consonant strings (e.g., ktlq). In the experimental conditions, the contrast between oddball and base stimuli was manipulated in order to probe selective stem and suffix identification in morphologically structured pseudowords (e.g., stem + suffix pseudowords such as softity embedded in nonstem + suffix pseudowords such as trumess). Neural responses at the oddball frequency and harmonics were analyzed at the sensor level using non-parametric cluster-based permutation tests. As expected, results in the manipulation-check condition revealed a word-selective response reflected by a predominantly left-lateralized cluster that emerged over temporal, parietal, and occipital sensors in both children and adults. However, across the experimental conditions, results yielded a differential pattern of oddball responses in developing and skilled readers. Children displayed a significant response that emerged in a mostly central occipital cluster for the condition tracking stem identification in the presence of suffixes (e.g., softity vs. trumess). In contrast, adult participants showed a significant response that emerged in a cluster located in central and left occipital sensors for the condition tracking suffix identification in the presence of stems (e.g., softity vs. stopust). The present results suggest that while the morpheme identification system in Grade 5–6 children is not yet adult-like, it is sufficiently mature to automatically analyze the morphemic structure of novel letter strings. These findings are discussed in the context of theoretical accounts of morphological processing across reading development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina N. Pescuma
- Cognitive Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
- *Correspondence: Valentina N. Pescuma,
| | - Maria Ktori
- Cognitive Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Elisabeth Beyersmann
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Macquarie University Centre for Reading, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Paul F. Sowman
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Anne Castles
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Macquarie University Centre for Reading, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Davide Crepaldi
- Cognitive Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
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14
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Berro DH, Lemée JM, Leiber LM, Emery E, Menei P, Ter Minassian A. Overt speech critically changes lateralization index and did not allow determination of hemispheric dominance for language: an fMRI study. BMC Neurosci 2021; 22:74. [PMID: 34852787 PMCID: PMC8638205 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-021-00671-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pre-surgical mapping of language using functional MRI aimed principally to determine the dominant hemisphere. This mapping is currently performed using covert linguistic task in way to avoid motion artefacts potentially biasing the results. However, overt task is closer to natural speaking, allows a control on the performance of the task, and may be easier to perform for stressed patients and children. However, overt task, by activating phonological areas on both hemispheres and areas involved in pitch prosody control in the non-dominant hemisphere, is expected to modify the determination of the dominant hemisphere by the calculation of the lateralization index (LI). Objective Here, we analyzed the modifications in the LI and the interactions between cognitive networks during covert and overt speech task. Methods Thirty-three volunteers participated in this study, all but four were right-handed. They performed three functional sessions consisting of (1) covert and (2) overt generation of a short sentence semantically linked with an audibly presented word, from which we estimated the “Covert” and “Overt” contrasts, and a (3) resting-state session. The resting-state session was submitted to spatial independent component analysis to identify language network at rest (LANG), cingulo-opercular network (CO), and ventral attention network (VAN). The LI was calculated using the bootstrapping method. Results The LI of the LANG was the most left-lateralized (0.66 ± 0.38). The LI shifted from a moderate leftward lateralization for the Covert contrast (0.32 ± 0.38) to a right lateralization for the Overt contrast (− 0.13 ± 0.30). The LI significantly differed from each other. This rightward shift was due to the recruitment of right hemispheric temporal areas together with the nodes of the CO. Conclusion Analyzing the overt speech by fMRI allowed improvement in the physiological knowledge regarding the coordinated activity of the intrinsic connectivity networks. However, the rightward shift of the LI in this condition did not provide the basic information on the hemispheric language dominance. Overt linguistic task cannot be recommended for clinical purpose when determining hemispheric dominance for language. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12868-021-00671-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Hassanein Berro
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Caen Normandy, Avenue de la Côte de Nacre, 14000, Caen, France. .,Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, CEA, CNRS, ISTCT/CERVOxy group, GIP Cyceron, Caen, France. .,INSERM, CRCINA, Team 17, IRIS building, Angers, France.
| | - Jean-Michel Lemée
- INSERM, CRCINA, Team 17, IRIS building, Angers, France.,Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Angers, Angers, France
| | | | - Evelyne Emery
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Caen Normandy, Avenue de la Côte de Nacre, 14000, Caen, France.,INSERM, UMR-S U1237, PhIND group, GIP Cyceron, Caen, France
| | - Philippe Menei
- INSERM, CRCINA, Team 17, IRIS building, Angers, France.,Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Angers, Angers, France
| | - Aram Ter Minassian
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital of Angers, Angers, France.,LARIS, ISISV team, University of Angers, Angers, France
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15
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Abstract
The first 40 years of research on the neurobiology of sign languages (1960-2000) established that the same key left hemisphere brain regions support both signed and spoken languages, based primarily on evidence from signers with brain injury and at the end of the 20th century, based on evidence from emerging functional neuroimaging technologies (positron emission tomography and fMRI). Building on this earlier work, this review focuses on what we have learned about the neurobiology of sign languages in the last 15-20 years, what controversies remain unresolved, and directions for future research. Production and comprehension processes are addressed separately in order to capture whether and how output and input differences between sign and speech impact the neural substrates supporting language. In addition, the review includes aspects of language that are unique to sign languages, such as pervasive lexical iconicity, fingerspelling, linguistic facial expressions, and depictive classifier constructions. Summary sketches of the neural networks supporting sign language production and comprehension are provided with the hope that these will inspire future research as we begin to develop a more complete neurobiological model of sign language processing.
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16
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Truzman T, Rochon E, Meltzer J, Leonard C, Bitan T. Simultaneous Normalization and Compensatory Changes in Right Hemisphere Connectivity during Aphasia Therapy. Brain Sci 2021; 11:1330. [PMID: 34679395 PMCID: PMC8534113 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11101330] [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: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in brain connectivity during language therapy were examined among participants with aphasia (PWA), aiming to shed light on neural reorganization in the language network. Four PWA with anomia following left hemisphere stroke and eight healthy controls (HC) participated in the study. Two fMRI scans were administered to all participants with a 3.5-month interval. The fMRI scans included phonological and semantic tasks, each consisting of linguistic and perceptual matching conditions. Between the two fMRI scans, PWA underwent Phonological Components Analysis treatment. Changes in effective connectivity during the treatment were examined within right hemisphere (RH) architecture. The results illustrate that following the treatment, the averaged connectivity of PWA across all perceptual and linguistic conditions in both tasks increased resemblance to HC, reflecting the normalization of neural processes associated with silent object name retrieval. In contrast, connections that were specifically enhanced by the phonological condition in PWA decreased in their resemblance to HC, reflecting emerging compensatory reorganization in RH connectivity to support phonological processing. These findings suggest that both normalization and compensation play a role in neural language reorganization at the chronic stage, occurring simultaneously in the same brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tammar Truzman
- Communication Sciences and Disorders Department and IIPDM, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
- The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Elizabeth Rochon
- Department of Speech Language Pathology and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1V7, Canada; (E.R.); (J.M.); (C.L.); (T.B.)
- KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehab, University Health Network (UHN), Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada
| | - Jed Meltzer
- Department of Speech Language Pathology and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1V7, Canada; (E.R.); (J.M.); (C.L.); (T.B.)
- Psychology Department, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada
| | - Carol Leonard
- Department of Speech Language Pathology and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1V7, Canada; (E.R.); (J.M.); (C.L.); (T.B.)
- School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Tali Bitan
- The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
- Department of Speech Language Pathology and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1V7, Canada; (E.R.); (J.M.); (C.L.); (T.B.)
- Psychology Department and IIPDM, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
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17
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Lee HJ, Cheng SK, Lee CY, Kuo WJ. The neural basis of compound word processing revealed by varying semantic transparency and morphemic neighborhood size. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 221:104985. [PMID: 34280834 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.104985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the neural basis of compound word processing by using fMRI and Chinese two-character compounds for lexical decision. Semantic transparency and morphemic neighborhood size were manipulated to augment the processing profile for measurement. The behavioral results disclosed a semantic transparency effect and its interaction with the neighborhood size, which supported existence of a mechanism for compound processing. The fMRI results located a neural substrate in the left inferior prefrontal cortex (BA 45) which reacted in an interactive manner to the two variables. While its activities were lower when their neighborhood size was larger for processing transparent compounds, its activities became higher when their neighborhood size was larger for processing opaque compounds. When scaling to a larger scope, the function of this mechanism fitted well with the theoretical account of unification function of the left inferior frontal cortex for language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsin-Ju Lee
- Physical Sciences Platform, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Shih-Kuen Cheng
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Ying Lee
- Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Jui Kuo
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan; Brain Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan; Research Center for Brain, Mind, and Learning, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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18
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Hauptman M, Blanco-Elorrieta E, Pylkkänen L. Inflection across Categories: Tracking Abstract Morphological Processing in Language Production with MEG. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:1721-1736. [PMID: 34515304 PMCID: PMC9016284 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab309] [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: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Coherent language production requires that speakers adapt words to their grammatical contexts. A fundamental challenge in establishing a functional delineation of this process in the brain is that each linguistic process tends to correlate with numerous others. Our work investigated the neural basis of morphological inflection by measuring magnetoencephalography during the planning of inflected and uninflected utterances that varied across several linguistic dimensions. Results reveal increased activity in the left lateral frontotemporal cortex when inflection is planned, irrespective of phonological specification, syntactic context, or semantic type. Additional findings from univariate and connectivity analyses suggest that the brain distinguishes between different types of inflection. Specifically, planning noun and verb utterances requiring the addition of the suffix -s elicited increased activity in the ventral prefrontal cortex. A broadly distributed effect of syntactic context (verb vs. noun) was also identified. Results from representational similarity analysis indicate that this effect cannot be explained in terms of word meaning. Together, these results 1) offer evidence for a neural representation of abstract inflection that separates from other stimulus properties and 2) challenge theories that emphasize semantic content as a source of verb/noun processing differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Hauptman
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.,NYUAD Institute, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, P.O. Box 129188, UAE
| | - Esti Blanco-Elorrieta
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.,Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Liina Pylkkänen
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.,NYUAD Institute, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, P.O. Box 129188, UAE.,Department of Linguistics, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
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19
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Panachakel JT, Ramakrishnan AG. Decoding Covert Speech From EEG-A Comprehensive Review. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:642251. [PMID: 33994922 PMCID: PMC8116487 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.642251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past decade, many researchers have come up with different implementations of systems for decoding covert or imagined speech from EEG (electroencephalogram). They differ from each other in several aspects, from data acquisition to machine learning algorithms, due to which, a comparison between different implementations is often difficult. This review article puts together all the relevant works published in the last decade on decoding imagined speech from EEG into a single framework. Every important aspect of designing such a system, such as selection of words to be imagined, number of electrodes to be recorded, temporal and spatial filtering, feature extraction and classifier are reviewed. This helps a researcher to compare the relative merits and demerits of the different approaches and choose the one that is most optimal. Speech being the most natural form of communication which human beings acquire even without formal education, imagined speech is an ideal choice of prompt for evoking brain activity patterns for a BCI (brain-computer interface) system, although the research on developing real-time (online) speech imagery based BCI systems is still in its infancy. Covert speech based BCI can help people with disabilities to improve their quality of life. It can also be used for covert communication in environments that do not support vocal communication. This paper also discusses some future directions, which will aid the deployment of speech imagery based BCI for practical applications, rather than only for laboratory experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerrin Thomas Panachakel
- Medical Intelligence and Language Engineering Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
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20
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Choi HS, Marslen-Wilson WD, Lyu B, Randall B, Tyler LK. Decoding the Real-Time Neurobiological Properties of Incremental Semantic Interpretation. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:233-247. [PMID: 32869058 PMCID: PMC7727355 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Communication through spoken language is a central human capacity, involving a wide range of complex computations that incrementally interpret each word into meaningful sentences. However, surprisingly little is known about the spatiotemporal properties of the complex neurobiological systems that support these dynamic predictive and integrative computations. Here, we focus on prediction, a core incremental processing operation guiding the interpretation of each upcoming word with respect to its preceding context. To investigate the neurobiological basis of how semantic constraints change and evolve as each word in a sentence accumulates over time, in a spoken sentence comprehension study, we analyzed the multivariate patterns of neural activity recorded by source-localized electro/magnetoencephalography (EMEG), using computational models capturing semantic constraints derived from the prior context on each upcoming word. Our results provide insights into predictive operations subserved by different regions within a bi-hemispheric system, which over time generate, refine, and evaluate constraints on each word as it is heard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hun S Choi
- Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0DX, UK
| | - William D Marslen-Wilson
- Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0DX, UK
| | - Bingjiang Lyu
- Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0DX, UK
| | - Billi Randall
- Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0DX, UK
| | - Lorraine K Tyler
- Address correspondence to Lorraine K. Tyler, Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.
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21
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The neural substrate of noun morphological inflection: A rapid event-related fMRI study in Italian. Neuropsychologia 2020; 151:107699. [PMID: 33271155 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The present research investigated the neural correlates of nominal inflection and aimed at disclosing their possible link with the frequency distribution of noun inflectional features: grammatical gender, inflectional suffixes and inflectional classes. The properties of the Italian nominal system were exploited since it allows to explore exhaustively fine-grained phenomena in the inflectional processing. An event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment was carried out where Italian masculine and feminine nouns were visually presented to 50 healthy participants in an overt inflectional task: the generation of the plural from the singular and vice versa. The grammatical gender and the citation form suffix of nouns were manipulated in a factorial design. Functional data showed that inflectional operations for nouns activate an extensive cortical network involving the left inferior and right superior frontal gyri, the left and right middle temporal gyri, the posterior cingulate cortex and the cerebellum. Activations were variably modulated by the distributional features of gender-dependent properties of nouns. Particularly, cortical activity increased during inflectional operations for small and/or scarcely consistent inflectional classes. These findings demonstrate the relevance of specific morphological (inflectional suffixes) and distributional features (size and consistency) shared by groups of words (inflectional classes) in a language, particularly when implementing cognitive operations required for language processing.
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22
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Leminen M, Leminen A, Smolander S, Arkkila E, Shtyrov Y, Laasonen M, Kujala T. Quick reorganization of memory traces for morphologically complex words in young children. Neuropsychologia 2019; 138:107309. [PMID: 31857117 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107309] [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: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/15/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Formation of neural mechanisms for morphosyntactic processing in young children is still poorly understood. Here, we addressed neural processing and rapid online acquisition of familiar and unfamiliar combinations of morphemes. Three different types of morphologically complex words - derived, inflected, and novel (pseudostem + real suffix) - were presented in a passive listening setting to 16 typically developing 3-4-year old children (as part of a longitudinal Helsinki SLI follow-up study). The mismatch negativity (MMN) component of event-related potentials (ERP), an established index of long-term linguistic memory traces in the brain, was analysed separately for the initial and final periods of the exposure to these items. We found MMN response enhancement for the inflected words towards the end of the recording session, whereas no response change was observed for the derived or novel complex forms. This enhancement indicates rapid build-up of a new memory trace for the combination of real morphemes, suggesting a capacity for online formation of whole-form lexicalized representations as one of the morphological mechanisms in the developing brain. Furthermore, this enhancement increased with age, suggesting the development of automatic morphological processing circuits in the age range of 3-4 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miika Leminen
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Phoniatrics, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, PO Box 250, FIN-00029, HUS, Finland; Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, PO Box 21, FIN-00014, University of Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Alina Leminen
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, PO Box 21, FIN-00014, University of Helsinki, Finland; Cognitive Science, Department of Digital Humanitiers, Faculty of Arts, PO Box 9, FIN-00014, University of Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Sini Smolander
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Phoniatrics, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, PO Box 250, FIN-00029, HUS, Finland; Research Unit of Logopedics, PO Box 8000, FIN-90014, University of Oulu, Finland.
| | - Eva Arkkila
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Phoniatrics, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, PO Box 250, FIN-00029, HUS, Finland.
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Institute for Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark; Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, St.Petersburg State University, Makarova emb, 6, St.Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation.
| | - Marja Laasonen
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Phoniatrics, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, PO Box 250, FIN-00029, HUS, Finland; Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, Faculty of Social Sciences, FIN-20014, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Clinical Medicine, PO Box 63, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Teija Kujala
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, PO Box 21, FIN-00014, University of Helsinki, Finland.
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23
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Abstract
Morphemes (e.g. [tune], [-ful], [-ly]) are the basic blocks with which complex meaning is built. Here, I explore the critical role that morpho-syntactic rules play in forming the meaning of morphologically complex words, from two primary standpoints: (i) how semantically rich stem morphemes (e.g. explode, bake, post) combine with syntactic operators (e.g. -ion, -er, -age) to output a semantically predictable result; (ii) how this process can be understood in terms of mathematical operations, easily allowing the brain to generate representations of novel morphemes and comprehend novel words. With these ideas in mind, I offer a model of morphological processing that incorporates semantic and morpho-syntactic operations in service to meaning composition, and discuss how such a model could be implemented in the human brain. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards mechanistic models of meaning composition'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Gwilliams
- Psychology Department, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
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24
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Vukovic N, Shtyrov Y. Learning with the wave of the hand: Kinematic and TMS evidence of primary motor cortex role in category-specific encoding of word meaning. Neuroimage 2019; 202:116179. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
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25
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Lemée JM, Berro DH, Bernard F, Chinier E, Leiber LM, Menei P, Ter Minassian A. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging versus task-based activity for language mapping and correlation with perioperative cortical mapping. Brain Behav 2019; 9:e01362. [PMID: 31568681 PMCID: PMC6790308 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Revised: 05/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Preoperative language mapping using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) aims to identify eloquent areas in the vicinity of surgically resectable brain lesions. fMRI methodology relies on the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) analysis to identify brain language areas. Task-based fMRI studies the BOLD signal increase in brain areas during a language task to identify brain language areas, which requires patients' cooperation, whereas resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) allows identification of functional networks without performing any explicit task through the analysis of the synchronicity of spontaneous BOLD signal oscillation between brain areas. The aim of this study was to compare preoperative language mapping using rsfMRI and task fMRI to cortical mapping (CM) during awake craniotomies. METHODS Fifty adult patients surgically treated for a brain lesion were enrolled. All patients had a presurgical language mapping with both task fMRI and rsfMRI. Identified language networks were compared to perioperative language mapping using electric cortical stimulation. RESULTS Resting-state fMRI was able to detect brain language areas during CM with a sensitivity of 100% compared to 65.6% with task fMRI. However, we were not able to perform a specificity analysis and compare task-based and rest fMRI with our perioperative setting in the current study. In second-order analysis, task fMRI imaging included main nodes of the SN and main areas involved in semantics were identified in rsfMRI. CONCLUSION Resting-state fMRI for presurgical language mapping is easy to implement, allowing the identification of functional brain language network with a greater sensitivity than task-based fMRI, at the cost of some precautions and a lower specificity. Further study is required to compare both the sensitivity and the specificity of the two methods and to evaluate the clinical value of rsfMRI as an alternative tool for the presurgical identification of brain language areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Michel Lemée
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Angers, Angers, France.,INSERM CRCINA Équipe 17, Bâtiment IRIS, Angers, France
| | | | - Florian Bernard
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Angers, Angers, France.,Angers Medical Faculty, Anatomy Laboratory, Angers, France
| | - Eva Chinier
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University Hospital of Angers, Nantes, France
| | | | - Philippe Menei
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Angers, Angers, France.,INSERM CRCINA Équipe 17, Bâtiment IRIS, Angers, France
| | - Aram Ter Minassian
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital of Angers, Angers, France.,LARIS EA 7315, Image Signal et Sciences du Vivant, Angers Teaching Hospital, Angers, France
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Lukic S, Meltzer-Asscher A, Higgins J, Parrish TB, Thompson CK. Neurocognitive correlates of category ambiguous verb processing: The single versus dual lexical entry hypotheses. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2019; 194:65-76. [PMID: 31103888 PMCID: PMC6855381 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2019.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Revised: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Word-class ambiguous words engender greater processing time and fMRI (BOLD signal) activation than unambiguous ones. Theoretical accounts of this phenomenon suggest that words with multiple meanings (1) are associated with multiple lexical entries and thus require greater selection demands, or (2) undergo computationally expensive grammatical processes that convert words from one word-class to another. Using an fMRI grammaticality judgment task, we tested these accounts by examining word-class ambiguous polysemic (e.g., brush) and homonymic (e.g., bear) verbs, and unambiguous verbs (e.g., bake). Results showed that ambiguous verbs evoked longer response times and greater neural activation in the left inferior frontal and parietal gyri. However, homonymic verbs also showed increased left inferior frontal and temporal neural activations compared to polysemic verbs. This indicates that rather than having multiple lexical representations like homonyms, polysemic verbs may share a core representation with their noun counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sladjana Lukic
- Northwestern University, Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, United States; Northwestern University, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, School of Communication, United States.
| | - Aya Meltzer-Asscher
- Tel Aviv University, Department of Linguistics, Sagol School of Neuroscience, Israel
| | - James Higgins
- Northwestern University, Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, United States; Northwestern University, Radiology, United States
| | - Todd B Parrish
- Northwestern University, Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, United States; Northwestern University, Radiology, United States
| | - Cynthia K Thompson
- Northwestern University, Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery, United States; Northwestern University, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, School of Communication, United States; Northwestern University, Neurology, Feinberg, School of Medicine, United States
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Acquisition of L2 morphology by adult language learners. Cortex 2019; 116:74-90. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Novén M, Schremm A, Nilsson M, Horne M, Roll M. Cortical thickness of Broca's area and right homologue is related to grammar learning aptitude and pitch discrimination proficiency. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2019; 188:42-47. [PMID: 30572263 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2018.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2018] [Revised: 11/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Aptitude for and proficiency in acquiring new languages varies in the human population but their neural bases are largely unknown. We investigated the influence of cortical thickness on language learning predictors measured by the LLAMA tests and a pitch-change discrimination test. The LLAMA tests are first language-independent assessments of language learning aptitude for vocabulary, phonetic working memory, sound-symbol correspondence (not used in this study), and grammatical inferencing. Pitch perception proficiency is known to predict aptitude for learning new phonology. Results show a correlation between scores in a grammatical meaning-inferencing aptitude test and cortical thickness of Broca's area (r(30) = 0.65, p = 0.0202) and other frontal areas (r(30) = 0.66, p = 0.0137). Further, a correlation was found between proficiency in discriminating pitch-change direction and cortical thickness of the right Broca homologue (r(30) = 0.57, p = 0.0006). However, no correlations were found for aptitude for vocabulary learning or phonetic working memory. Results contribute to locating cortical regions important for language-learning aptitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikael Novén
- Department of Linguistics and Phonetics, Lund University, 221 00, Sweden.
| | - Andrea Schremm
- Department of Linguistics and Phonetics, Lund University, 221 00, Sweden.
| | - Markus Nilsson
- Lund University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Radiology, Lund 221 00, Sweden.
| | - Merle Horne
- Department of Linguistics and Phonetics, Lund University, 221 00, Sweden.
| | - Mikael Roll
- Department of Linguistics and Phonetics, Lund University, 221 00, Sweden.
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Regel S, Opitz A, Müller G, Friederici AD. Processing inflectional morphology: ERP evidence for decomposition of complex words according to the affix structure. Cortex 2018; 116:143-153. [PMID: 30466728 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2017] [Revised: 06/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated the processing of inflectional morphology by registrating event-related brain potentials (ERPs) during sentence reading. In particular, we examined nouns combined with affixes that have distinct structural characteristics as proposed by morphological theory. Affixes were either complex consisting of functionally distinguishable subparts as occurring for German plural morphology, or simple consisting of one part only. To test possible differences in processing these affixes we compared grammatical nouns [e.g., Kartons (cartons)] to ungrammatical ones (e.g., *Kartonen) in two different syntactic contexts represented by a complex, or simple affix. The ERPs showed that ungrammatical nouns consisting of complex affixes elicited a left anterior negativity (LAN) reflecting enhanced morphosyntactic processing, which was absent for equivalent nouns consisting of simple affixes. This finding suggests that inflected words are decomposed dependent on the affix structure, whereby the affixes themselves seem to consist of morphological subparts in accordance with current morphological theories (Müller, 2007; Noyer, 1992). Moreover, ungrammatical nouns elicited early (reduced P200) and late (P600) ERP components relative to their grammatical equivalents, which implies an engagement of syntactic processes presumably based on intially enhanced pre-lexical processing of these irregularized nouns. The findings are discussed with respect to theoretical and neuropsychological accounts to inflectional morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Regel
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | | | | | - Angela D Friederici
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany
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Leminen A, Smolka E, Duñabeitia JA, Pliatsikas C. Morphological processing in the brain: The good (inflection), the bad (derivation) and the ugly (compounding). Cortex 2018; 116:4-44. [PMID: 30268324 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Revised: 07/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
There is considerable behavioral evidence that morphologically complex words such as 'tax-able' and 'kiss-es' are processed and represented combinatorially. In other words, they are decomposed into their constituents 'tax' and '-able' during comprehension (reading or listening), and producing them might also involve on-the-spot combination of these constituents (especially for inflections). However, despite increasing amount of neurocognitive research, the neural mechanisms underlying these processes are still not fully understood. The purpose of this critical review is to offer a comprehensive overview on the state-of-the-art of the research on the neural mechanisms of morphological processing. In order to take into account all types of complex words, we include findings on inflected, derived, and compound words presented both visually and aurally. More specifically, we cover a wide range of electro- and magnetoencephalography (EEG and MEG, respectively) as well as structural/functional magnetic resonance imaging (s/fMRI) studies that focus on morphological processing. We present the findings with respect to the temporal course and localization of morphologically complex word processing. We summarize the observed findings, their interpretations with respect to current psycholinguistic models, and discuss methodological approaches as well as their possible limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Leminen
- Cognitive Science, Department of Digital Humanities, Faculty of Arts, University of Helsinki, Finland; Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Eva Smolka
- Department of Linguistics, University of Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jon A Duñabeitia
- Facultad de Lenguas y Educación, Universidad Nebrija, Madrid, Spain; Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), Donostia, Spain
| | - Christos Pliatsikas
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
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Neophytou K, Manouilidou C, Stockall L, Marantz A. Syntactic and semantic restrictions on morphological recomposition: MEG evidence from Greek. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2018; 183:11-20. [PMID: 29778061 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2018.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Revised: 04/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Complex morphological processing has been extensively studied in the past decades. However, most of this work has either focused on only certain steps involved in this process, or it has been conducted on a few languages, like English. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the spatiotemporal cortical processing profile of the distinct steps previously reported in the literature, from decomposition to re-composition of morphologically complex items, in a relatively understudied language, Greek. Using magnetoencephalography, we confirm the role of the fusiform gyrus in early, form-based morphological decomposition, we relate the syntactic licensing of stem-suffix combinations to the ventral visual processing stream, somewhat independent from lexical access for the stem, and we further elucidate the role of orbitofrontal regions in semantic composition. Thus, the current study offers the most comprehensive test to date of visual morphological processing and additional, crosslinguistic validation of the steps involved in it.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Neophytou
- NYUAD Institute, New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
| | - C Manouilidou
- Department of Comparative and General Linguistics, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - L Stockall
- Department of Linguistics, Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom; NYUAD Institute, New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - A Marantz
- NYUAD Institute, New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Department of Psychology, New York University, USA; Department of Linguistics, New York University, USA
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32
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Dual neurobiological systems underlying language evolution: inferring the ancestral state. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Moreno A, Limousin F, Dehaene S, Pallier C. Brain correlates of constituent structure in sign language comprehension. Neuroimage 2018; 167:151-161. [PMID: 29175202 PMCID: PMC6044420 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.11.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Revised: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 11/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
During sentence processing, areas of the left superior temporal sulcus, inferior frontal gyrus and left basal ganglia exhibit a systematic increase in brain activity as a function of constituent size, suggesting their involvement in the computation of syntactic and semantic structures. Here, we asked whether these areas play a universal role in language and therefore contribute to the processing of non-spoken sign language. Congenitally deaf adults who acquired French sign language as a first language and written French as a second language were scanned while watching sequences of signs in which the size of syntactic constituents was manipulated. An effect of constituent size was found in the basal ganglia, including the head of the caudate and the putamen. A smaller effect was also detected in temporal and frontal regions previously shown to be sensitive to constituent size in written language in hearing French subjects (Pallier et al., 2011). When the deaf participants read sentences versus word lists, the same network of language areas was observed. While reading and sign language processing yielded identical effects of linguistic structure in the basal ganglia, the effect of structure was stronger in all cortical language areas for written language relative to sign language. Furthermore, cortical activity was partially modulated by age of acquisition and reading proficiency. Our results stress the important role of the basal ganglia, within the language network, in the representation of the constituent structure of language, regardless of the input modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Moreno
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France.
| | - Fanny Limousin
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Stanislas Dehaene
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France; Collège de France, 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Christophe Pallier
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France.
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Li Y, Li P, Yang QX, Eslinger PJ, Sica CT, Karunanayaka P. Lexical-Semantic Search Under Different Covert Verbal Fluency Tasks: An fMRI Study. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:131. [PMID: 28848407 PMCID: PMC5550713 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Verbal fluency is a measure of cognitive flexibility and word search strategies that is widely used to characterize impaired cognitive function. Despite the wealth of research on identifying and characterizing distinct aspects of verbal fluency, the anatomic and functional substrates of retrieval-related search and post-retrieval control processes still have not been fully elucidated. Methods: Twenty-one native English-speaking, healthy, right-handed, adult volunteers (mean age = 31 years; range = 21-45 years; 9 F) took part in a block-design functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) study of free recall, covert word generation tasks when guided by phonemic (P), semantic-category (C), and context-based fill-in-the-blank sentence completion (S) cues. General linear model (GLM), Independent Component Analysis (ICA), and psychophysiological interaction (PPI) were used to further characterize the neural substrate of verbal fluency as a function of retrieval cue type. Results: Common localized activations across P, C, and S tasks occurred in the bilateral superior and left inferior frontal gyrus, left anterior cingulate cortex, bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA), and left insula. Differential task activations were centered in the occipital, temporal and parietal regions as well as the thalamus and cerebellum. The context-based fluency task, i.e., the S task, elicited higher differential brain activity in a lateralized frontal-temporal network typically engaged in complex language processing. P and C tasks elicited activation in limited pathways mainly within the left frontal regions. ICA and PPI results of the S task suggested that brain regions distributed across both hemispheres, extending beyond classical language areas, are recruited for lexical-semantic access and retrieval during sentence completion. Conclusion: Study results support the hypothesis of overlapping, as well as distinct, neural networks for covert word generation when guided by different linguistic cues. The increased demand on word retrieval is met by the concurrent recruitment of classical as well as non-classical language-related brain regions forming a large cognitive neural network. The retrieval-related search and post-retrieval control processes that subserve verbal fluency, therefore, reverberates across distinct functional networks as determined by respective task demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunqing Li
- Department of Radiology, Pennsylvania State University College of MedicineHershey, PA, United States
| | - Ping Li
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, PA, United States
| | - Qing X Yang
- Department of Radiology, Pennsylvania State University College of MedicineHershey, PA, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Pennsylvania State University College of MedicineHershey, PA, United States
| | - Paul J Eslinger
- Department of Radiology, Pennsylvania State University College of MedicineHershey, PA, United States.,Department of Neurology, Pennsylvania State University College of MedicineHershey, PA, United States.,Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Pennsylvania State University College of MedicineHershey, PA, United States
| | - Chris T Sica
- Department of Radiology, Pennsylvania State University College of MedicineHershey, PA, United States
| | - Prasanna Karunanayaka
- Department of Radiology, Pennsylvania State University College of MedicineHershey, PA, United States
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Blumenthal-Dramé A, Glauche V, Bormann T, Weiller C, Musso M, Kortmann B. Frequency and Chunking in Derived Words: A Parametric fMRI Study. J Cogn Neurosci 2017; 29:1162-1177. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
In usage-based linguistic theories, the assumption that high-frequency language strings are mentally represented as unitary chunks has been invoked to account for a wide range of phenomena. However, neurocognitive evidence in support of this assumption is still lacking. In line with Gestalt psychological assumptions, we propose that a language string qualifies as a chunk if the following two conditions are simultaneously satisfied: The perception of the whole string does not involve strong activation of its individual component parts, but the component parts in isolation strongly evoke the whole. Against this background, we explore the relationship between different frequency metrics and the chunk status of derived words (e.g., “government,” “worthless”) in a masked visual priming experiment with two conditions of interest. One condition investigates “whole-to-part” priming (worthless–WORTH), whereas the other one analyzes “part-to-whole” priming (tear–TEARLESS). Both conditions combine mixed-effects regression analyses of lexical decision RTs with a parametric fMRI design. Relative frequency (the frequency of the whole word relative to that of its onset-embedded part) emerges as the only frequency metric to correlate with chunk status in behavioral terms. The fMRI results show that relative frequency modulates activity in regions that have been related to morphological (de)composition or general task performance difficulty (notably left inferior frontal areas) and in regions associated with competition between whole, undecomposed words (right inferior frontal areas). We conclude that relative frequency affects early stages of processing, thereby supporting the usage-based concept of frequency-induced chunks.
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Privileged Functional Connectivity between the Visual Word Form Area and the Language System. J Neurosci 2017; 37:5288-5297. [PMID: 28450544 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0138-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Revised: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 04/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The visual word form area (VWFA) is a region in the left occipitotemporal sulcus of literate individuals that is purportedly specialized for visual word recognition. However, there is considerable controversy about its functional specificity and connectivity, with some arguing that it serves as a domain-general, rather than word-specific, visual processor. The VWFA is a critical region for testing hypotheses about the nature of cortical organization, because it is known to develop only through experience (i.e., reading acquisition), and widespread literacy is too recent to have influenced genetic determinants of brain organization. Using a combination of advanced fMRI analysis techniques, including individual functional localization, multivoxel pattern analysis, and high-resolution resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analyses, with data from 33 healthy adult human participants, we demonstrate that (1) the VWFA can discriminate words from nonword letter strings (pseudowords); (2) the VWFA has preferential RSFC with Wernicke's area and other core regions of the language system; and (3) the strength of the RSFC between the VWFA and Wernicke's area predicts performance on a semantic classification task with words but not other categories of visual stimuli. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that the VWFA is specialized for lexical processing of real words because of its functional connectivity with Wernicke's area.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The visual word form area (VWFA) is critical for determining the nature of category-related organization of the ventral visual system. However, its functional specificity and connectivity are fiercely debated. Recent work concluded that the VWFA is a domain-general, rather than word-specific, visual processor with no preferential functional connectivity with the language system. Using more advanced techniques, our results stand in stark contrast to these earlier findings. We demonstrate that the VWFA is highly specialized for lexical processing of real words, and that a fundamental factor driving this specialization is its preferential intrinsic functional connectivity with core regions of the language system. Our results support the hypothesis that intrinsic functional connectivity contributes to category-related specialization within the human ventral visual system.
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Klimovich-Gray A, Bozic M, Marslen-Wilson WD. Domain-specific and Domain-general Processing in Left Perisylvian Cortex: Evidence from Russian. J Cogn Neurosci 2017; 29:382-397. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The processing of words containing inflectional affixes triggers morphophonological parsing and affix-related grammatical information processing. Increased perceptual complexity related to stem-affix parsing is hypothesized to create predominantly domain-general processing demands, whereas grammatical processing primarily implicates domain-specific linguistic demands. Exploiting the properties of Russian morphology and syntax, we designed an fMRI experiment to separate out the neural systems supporting these two demand types, contrasting inflectional complexity, syntactic (phrasal) complexity, and derivational complexity in three comparisons: (a) increase in parsing demands while controlling for grammatical complexity (inflections vs. phrases), (b) increase in grammatical processing demands, and (c) combined demands of morphophonological parsing and grammatical processing (inflections and phrases vs. derivations). Left inferior frontal and bilateral temporal areas are most active when the two demand types are combined, with inflectional and phrasal complexity contrasting strongly with derivational complexity (which generated only bilateral temporal activity). Increased stem-affix parsing demands alone did not produce unique activations, whereas grammatical structure processing activated bilateral superior and middle temporal areas. Selective left frontotemporal language system engagement for short phrases and inflections seems to be driven by simultaneous and interdependent domain-general and domain-specific processing demands.
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Bridgers FF, Kacinik N. How Linearity and Structural Complexity Interact and Affect the Recognition of Italian Derived Words. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC RESEARCH 2017; 46:175-200. [PMID: 27086299 DOI: 10.1007/s10936-016-9427-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The majority of words in most languages consist of derived poly-morphemic words but a cross-linguistic review of the literature (Amenta and Crepaldi in Front Psychol 3:232-243, 2012) shows a contradictory picture with respect to how such words are represented and processed. The current study examined the effects of linearity and structural complexity on the processing of Italian derived words. Participants performed a lexical decision task on three types of prefixed and suffixed words and nonwords differing in the complexity of their internal structure. The processing of these words was indeed found to vary according to the nature of the affixes, the order in which they appear, and the type of information the affix encodes. The results thus indicate that derived words are not a uniform class and the best account of these findings appears to be a constraint-based or probabilistic multi-route processing model (e.g., Kuperman et al. in Lang Cogn Process 23:1089-1132, 2008; J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform 35:876-895, 2009; J Mem Lang 62:83-97, 2010).
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Affiliation(s)
- Franca Ferrari Bridgers
- Department of Speech and Theatre Arts, Queensborough Community College, CUNY, Queens, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Natalie Kacinik
- Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College, CUNY, Brooklyn, New York, NY, USA
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Carota F, Bozic M, Marslen-Wilson W. Decompositional Representation of Morphological Complexity: Multivariate fMRI Evidence from Italian. J Cogn Neurosci 2016; 28:1878-1896. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Derivational morphology is a cross-linguistically dominant mechanism for word formation, combining existing words with derivational affixes to create new word forms. However, the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the representation and processing of such forms remain unclear. Recent cross-linguistic neuroimaging research suggests that derived words are stored and accessed as whole forms, without engaging the left-hemisphere perisylvian network associated with combinatorial processing of syntactically and inflectionally complex forms. Using fMRI with a “simple listening” no-task procedure, we reexamine these suggestions in the context of the root-based combinatorially rich Italian lexicon to clarify the role of semantic transparency (between the derived form and its stem) and affix productivity in determining whether derived forms are decompositionally represented and which neural systems are involved. Combined univariate and multivariate analyses reveal a key role for semantic transparency, modulated by affix productivity. Opaque forms show strong cohort competition effects, especially for words with nonproductive suffixes (ventura, “destiny”). The bilateral frontotemporal activity associated with these effects indicates that opaque derived words are processed as whole forms in the bihemispheric language system. Semantically transparent words with productive affixes (libreria, “bookshop”) showed no effects of lexical competition, suggesting morphologically structured co-representation of these derived forms and their stems, whereas transparent forms with nonproductive affixes (pineta, pine forest) show intermediate effects. Further multivariate analyses of the transparent derived forms revealed affix productivity effects selectively involving left inferior frontal regions, suggesting that the combinatorial and decompositional processes triggered by such forms can vary significantly across languages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Carota
- University of Cambridge
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Mirjana Bozic
- University of Cambridge
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Regel S, Kotz SA, Henseler I, Friederici AD. Left inferior frontal gyrus mediates morphosyntax: ERP evidence from verb processing in left-hemisphere damaged patients. Cortex 2016; 86:156-171. [PMID: 28011396 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2016.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2015] [Revised: 01/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Neurocognitive models of language comprehension have proposed different mechanisms with different neural substrates mediating human language processing. Whether the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) is engaged in morpho-syntactic information processing is currently still controversially debated. The present study addresses this issue by examining the processing of irregular verb inflection in real words (e.g., swim > swum > swam) and pseudowords (e.g., frim > frum > fram) by using event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in neurological patients with lesions in the LIFG involving Broca's area as well as healthy controls. Different ERP patterns in response to the grammatical violations were observed in both groups. Controls showed a biphasic negativity-P600 pattern in response to incorrect verb inflections whereas patients with LIFG lesions displayed a N400. For incorrect pseudoword inflections, a late positivity was found in controls, while no ERP effects were obtained in patients. These findings of different ERP patterns in the two groups strongly indicate an involvement of LIFG in morphosyntactic processing, thereby suggesting brain regions' specialization for different language functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Regel
- Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Sonja A Kotz
- Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany; Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Ilona Henseler
- Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany
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41
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Morphology, orthography, and the two hemispheres: A divided visual field study with Hindi/Urdu biliterates. Neuropsychologia 2016; 98:46-55. [PMID: 27461076 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.07.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2016] [Revised: 07/20/2016] [Accepted: 07/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Although identical on the spoken level, Hindi and Urdu differ markedly on the written level in terms of reading/writing direction and orthographic depth, with discernible processing consequences. The present study used a divided field paradigm to study the impact of writing system characteristics of Hindi and Urdu on word naming latencies in skilled biliterate users of these languages. Hindi (read/written from left to right) was hypothesized to show a larger right field advantage than Urdu (read/written from right to left); Hindi words sharing form overlap with primes were expected to show a significant priming effect in the left visual field, but a significant right field effect for morphologically-primed naming. Both these expectations were confirmed. An overall right field advantage was obtained for one syllable Hindi and Urdu words; two syllable Urdu words showed either no visual field differences or a left field advantage, and the right field advantage for Hindi was significantly greater for two syllable than one syllable words. Further, Hindi words showed significant form priming (relative to control stimuli) in the left visual field and significant morphological priming (relative to form priming) in the right visual field. By contrast, Urdu words showed no significant form priming in either visual field, and significantly greater morphological than form priming in the left visual field. These results are taken to suggest that visual field asymmetries in word naming are sensitive to differences in reading habit-related scanning biases and to orthographic depth-related differences in word recognition processes.
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Leminen A, Kimppa L, Leminen MM, Lehtonen M, Mäkelä JP, Shtyrov Y. Acquisition and consolidation of novel morphology in human neocortex: A neuromagnetic study. Cortex 2016; 83:1-16. [PMID: 27458780 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2016.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Revised: 06/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Research into neurobiological mechanisms of morphosyntactic processing of language has suggested specialised systems for decomposition and storage, which are used flexibly during the processing of complex polymorphemic words (such as those formed through affixation, e.g., boy + s = noun + plural marker or boy + ish = noun plus attenuator). However, neural underpinnings of acquisition of novel morphology are still unknown. We implicitly trained our participants with new derivational affixes through a word-picture association task and investigated the neural processes underlying formation of neural memory traces for new affixes. The participants' brain activity was recorded using magnetoencephalography (MEG), as they passively listened to the newly trained and untrained suffixes combined with real word and pseudoword stems. The MEG recording was repeated after a night's sleep using the same stimuli, to test the effects of overnight consolidation. The newly trained suffixes combined with real stems elicited stronger source activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) at ∼50 msec after the suffix onset than untrained suffixes, suggesting memory trace formation for the newly learned suffixes already on the same day. The following day, the suffix learning effect spread to the left superior temporal gyrus (STG) where it was again manifest as a response enhancement, particularly at ∼200-300 msec after the suffix onset, which might reflect an additional effect of overnight consolidation. Overall, the results demonstrate the rapid and dynamic processes of both immediate build-up and longer-term consolidation of neocortical memory traces for novel morphology, taking place after a short period of exposure to novel morphology and involving fronto-temporal perisylvian language circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Leminen
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Cognitive Science, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Lilli Kimppa
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Cognitive Science, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Miika M Leminen
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Cognitive Science, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Minna Lehtonen
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Cognitive Science, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Jyrki P Mäkelä
- BioMag Laboratory, HUS Medical Imaging Center, Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Centre for Cognition and Decision Making, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
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Moseley RL, Correia MM, Baron-Cohen S, Shtyrov Y, Pulvermüller F, Mohr B. Reduced Volume of the Arcuate Fasciculus in Adults with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Conditions. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:214. [PMID: 27242478 PMCID: PMC4867673 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2015] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Atypical language is a fundamental feature of autism spectrum conditions (ASC), but few studies have examined the structural integrity of the arcuate fasciculus, the major white matter tract connecting frontal and temporal language regions, which is usually implicated as the main transfer route used in processing linguistic information by the brain. Abnormalities in the arcuate have been reported in young children with ASC, mostly in low-functioning or non-verbal individuals, but little is known regarding the structural properties of the arcuate in adults with ASC or, in particular, in individuals with ASC who have intact language, such as those with high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome. We used probabilistic tractography of diffusion-weighted imaging to isolate and scrutinize the arcuate in a mixed-gender sample of 18 high-functioning adults with ASC (17 Asperger syndrome) and 14 age- and IQ-matched typically developing controls. Arcuate volume was significantly reduced bilaterally with clearest differences in the right hemisphere. This finding remained significant in an analysis of all male participants alone. Volumetric reduction in the arcuate was significantly correlated with the severity of autistic symptoms as measured by the Autism-Spectrum Quotient. These data reveal that structural differences are present even in high-functioning adults with ASC, who presented with no clinically manifest language deficits and had no reported developmental language delay. Arcuate structural integrity may be useful as an index of ASC severity and thus as a predictor and biomarker for ASC. Implications for future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L Moseley
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth UniversityDorset, UK; Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitCambridge, UK; Brain Mapping Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of CambridgeCambridge, UK; Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of CambridgeCambridge, UK
| | - Marta M Correia
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit Cambridge, UK
| | - Simon Baron-Cohen
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of CambridgeCambridge, UK; Cambridge Lifespan Asperger Syndrome Service Clinic, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough National Health Service Foundation TrustCambridge, UK
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitCambridge, UK; Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus UniversityAarhus, Denmark; Centre for Cognition and Decision Making, National Research University Higher School of EconomicsMoscow, Russia
| | - Friedemann Pulvermüller
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitCambridge, UK; Brain Language Laboratory, Freie Universität BerlinBerlin, Germany
| | - Bettina Mohr
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin, Germany
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Mollo G, Pulvermüller F, Hauk O. Movement priming of EEG/MEG brain responses for action-words characterizes the link between language and action. Cortex 2015; 74:262-76. [PMID: 26706997 PMCID: PMC4729318 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2015.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2014] [Revised: 08/06/2015] [Accepted: 10/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Activation in sensorimotor areas of the brain following perception of linguistic stimuli referring to objects and actions has been interpreted as evidence for strong theories of embodied semantics. Although a large number of studies have demonstrated this “language-to-action” link, important questions about how activation in the sensorimotor system affects language performance (“action-to-language” link) are yet unanswered. As several authors have recently pointed out, the debate should move away from an “embodied or not” focus, and rather aim to characterize the functional contributions of sensorimotor systems to language processing in more detail. For this purpose, we here introduce a novel movement priming paradigm in combination with electro- and magnetoencephalography (EEG/MEG), which allows investigating effects of motor cortex pre-activation on the spatio-temporal dynamics of action-word evoked brain activation. Participants initiated experimental trials by either finger- or foot-movements before executing a two alternative forced choice task employing action-words. We found differential brain activation during the early stages of subsequent hand- and leg-related word processing, respectively, albeit in the absence of behavioral effects. Distributed source estimation based on combined EEG/MEG measurements revealed that congruency effects between effector type used for response initiation (hand or foot) and action-word category (hand- or foot-related) occurred not only in motor cortex, but also in a classical language comprehension area, posterior superior temporal cortex, already 150 msec after the visual presentation of the word stimulus. This suggests that pre-activation of hand- and leg-motor networks may differentially facilitate the ignition of semantic cell assemblies for hand- and leg-related words, respectively. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of movement priming in combination with neuroimaging to functionally characterize the link between language and sensorimotor systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Mollo
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK; University of York, Department of Psychology, York, UK; Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G D'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy
| | - Friedemann Pulvermüller
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK; Brain Language Laboratory, Department of Philosophy, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Olaf Hauk
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK.
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Roll M, Söderström P, Mannfolk P, Shtyrov Y, Johansson M, van Westen D, Horne M. Word tones cueing morphosyntactic structure: Neuroanatomical substrates and activation time-course assessed by EEG and fMRI. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2015; 150:14-21. [PMID: 26291769 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2015.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2015] [Revised: 06/24/2015] [Accepted: 07/18/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies distinguish between right hemisphere-dominant processing of prosodic/tonal information and left-hemispheric modulation of grammatical information as well as lexical tones. Swedish word accents offer a prime testing ground to better understand this division. Although similar to lexical tones, word accents are determined by words' morphosyntactic structure, which enables listeners to use the tone at the beginning of a word to predict its grammatical ending. We recorded electrophysiological and hemodynamic brain responses to words where stem tones matched or mismatched inflectional suffixes. Tones produced brain potential effects after 136 ms, correlating with subject variability in average BOLD in left primary auditory cortex, superior temporal gyrus, and inferior frontal gyrus. Invalidly cued suffixes activated the left inferior parietal lobe, arguably reflecting increased processing cost of their meaning. Thus, interaction of word accent tones with grammatical morphology yielded a rapid neural response correlating in subject variability with activations in predominantly left-hemispheric brain areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikael Roll
- Department of Linguistics and Phonetics, Lund University, Sweden.
| | - Pelle Söderström
- Department of Linguistics and Phonetics, Lund University, Sweden
| | - Peter Mannfolk
- Department of Medical Radiation Physics, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Sweden
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Institute for Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
| | | | - Danielle van Westen
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Sweden
| | - Merle Horne
- Department of Linguistics and Phonetics, Lund University, Sweden
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Fonteneau E, Bozic M, Marslen-Wilson WD. Brain Network Connectivity During Language Comprehension: Interacting Linguistic and Perceptual Subsystems. Cereb Cortex 2015; 25:3962-76. [PMID: 25452574 PMCID: PMC4585526 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhu283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The dynamic neural processes underlying spoken language comprehension require the real-time integration of general perceptual and specialized linguistic information. We recorded combined electro- and magnetoencephalographic measurements of participants listening to spoken words varying in perceptual and linguistic complexity. Combinatorial linguistic complexity processing was consistently localized to left perisylvian cortices, whereas competition-based perceptual complexity triggered distributed activity over both hemispheres. Functional connectivity showed that linguistically complex words engaged a distributed network of oscillations in the gamma band (20-60 Hz), which only partially overlapped with the network supporting perceptual analysis. Both processes enhanced cross-talk between left temporal regions and bilateral pars orbitalis (BA47). The left-lateralized synchrony between temporal regions and pars opercularis (BA44) was specific to the linguistically complex words, suggesting a specific role of left frontotemporal cross-cortical interactions in morphosyntactic computations. Synchronizations in oscillatory dynamics reveal the transient coupling of functional networks that support specific computational processes in language comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Fonteneau
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mirjana Bozic
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK
| | - William D. Marslen-Wilson
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK
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Bachrach A, Jola C, Pallier C. Neuronal bases of structural coherence in contemporary dance observation. Neuroimage 2015; 124:464-472. [PMID: 26348557 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.08.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2015] [Revised: 08/19/2015] [Accepted: 08/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The neuronal processes underlying dance observation have been the focus of an increasing number of brain imaging studies over the past decade. However, the existing literature mainly dealt with effects of motor and visual expertise, whereas the neural and cognitive mechanisms that underlie the interpretation of dance choreographies remained unexplored. Hence, much attention has been given to the action observation network (AON) whereas the role of other potentially relevant neuro-cognitive mechanisms such as mentalizing (theory of mind) or language (narrative comprehension) in dance understanding is yet to be elucidated. We report the results of an fMRI study where the structural coherence of short contemporary dance choreographies was manipulated parametrically using the same taped movement material. Our participants were all trained dancers. The whole-brain analysis argues that the interpretation of structurally coherent dance phrases involves a subpart (superior parietal) of the AON as well as mentalizing regions in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. An ROI analysis based on a similar study using linguistic materials (Pallier et al., 2011) suggests that structural processing in language and dance might share certain neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asaf Bachrach
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, UniversitéParis-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin center, 91191Gif/Yvette, France; Structures Formelles du Langage UMR 7023 (CNRS - Université Paris 8), Paris 75017, France.
| | - Corinne Jola
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, UniversitéParis-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin center, 91191Gif/Yvette, France; Division of Psychology, Abertay University , Dundee DD1 1HG, UK
| | - Christophe Pallier
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, UniversitéParis-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin center, 91191Gif/Yvette, France
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Regel S, Opitz A, Müller G, Friederici AD. The Past Tense Debate Revisited: Electrophysiological Evidence for Subregularities of Irregular Verb Inflection. J Cogn Neurosci 2015; 27:1870-85. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Neuropsychological research investigating mental grammar and lexicon has largely been based on the processing of regular and irregular inflection. Past tense inflection of regular verbs is assumed to be generated by a syntactic rule (e.g., show-ed), whereas irregular verbs consist of rather unsystematic alternations (e.g., caught) represented as lexical entries. Recent morphological accounts, however, hold that irregular inflection is not entirely rule-free but relies on morphological principles. These subregularities are computed by the syntactic system. We tested this latter hypothesis by examining alternations of irregular German verbs as well as pseudowords using ERPs. Participants read series of irregular verb inflection including present tense, past participle, and past tense forms embedded in minimal syntactic contexts. The critical past tense form was correct (e.g., er sang [he sang]) or incorrect by being either partially consistent (e.g., *er sung [*he sung]) or inconsistent (e.g., *er sing [*he sing]) with the proposed morphological principles. Correspondingly, in a second experimental block, pseudowords (e.g., tang/*tung/*ting) were presented. ERPs for real words revealed a biphasic ERP pattern consisting of a negativity and P600 for both incorrect forms in comparison to the correct equivalents. Most interestingly, the P600 amplitude for the incorrect forms was gradually modulated by the type of anomaly with medium amplitude for consistent past tense forms and largest amplitude for inconsistent past tense forms. ERPs for pseudoword past tense forms showed a similar gradual modulation of N400. The findings support the assumption that irregular verbs are processed by rule-based mechanisms because of subregularities of their past tense inflection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Regel
- 1Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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Goucha T, Friederici AD. The language skeleton after dissecting meaning: A functional segregation within Broca's Area. Neuroimage 2015; 114:294-302. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Revised: 02/26/2015] [Accepted: 04/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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Embick D, Poeppel D. Towards a computational(ist) neurobiology of language: Correlational, integrated, and explanatory neurolinguistics. LANGUAGE, COGNITION AND NEUROSCIENCE 2015; 30:357-366. [PMID: 25914888 PMCID: PMC4405236 DOI: 10.1080/23273798.2014.980750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
We outline what an integrated approach to language research that connects experimental, theoretical, and neurobiological domains of inquiry would look like, and ask to what extent unification is possible across domains. At the center of the program is the idea that computational/representational (CR) theories of language must be used to investigate its neurobiological (NB) foundations. We consider different ways in which CR and NB might be connected. These are (1) A Correlational way, in which NB computation is correlated with the CR theory; (2) An Integrated way, in which NB data provide crucial evidence for choosing among CR theories; and (3) an Explanatory way, in which properties of NB explain why a CR theory is the way it is. We examine various questions concerning the prospects for Explanatory connections in particular, including to what extent it makes sense to say that NB could be specialized for particular computations.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Embick
- Department of Linguistics, 619 Williams Hall, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305, (215) 573-5965
| | - David Poeppel
- Department of Psychology, New York University, 6 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003. Max-Planck-Institute (MPIEA), Grüneburgweg 14, 60322 Frankfurt, Germany
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