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De Rosa M, Vignali L, D’Urso A, Ktori M, Bottini R, Crepaldi D. Selective Neural Entrainment Reveals Hierarchical Tuning to Linguistic Regularities in Reading. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2024; 5:528-552. [PMID: 38911459 PMCID: PMC11192515 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
Reading is both a visual and a linguistic task, and as such it relies on both general-purpose, visual mechanisms and more abstract, meaning-oriented processes. Disentangling the roles of these resources is of paramount importance in reading research. The present study capitalizes on the coupling of fast periodic visual stimulation and MEG recordings to address this issue and investigate the role of different kinds of visual and linguistic units in the visual word identification system. We compared strings of pseudo-characters; strings of consonants (e.g., sfcl); readable, but unattested strings (e.g., amsi); frequent, but non-meaningful chunks (e.g., idge); suffixes (e.g., ment); and words (e.g., vibe); and looked for discrimination responses with a particular focus on the ventral, occipito-temporal regions. The results revealed sensitivity to alphabetic, readable, familiar, and lexical stimuli. Interestingly, there was no discrimination between suffixes and equally frequent, but meaningless endings, thus highlighting a lack of sensitivity to semantics. Taken together, the data suggest that the visual word identification system, at least in its early processing stages, is particularly tuned to form-based regularities, most likely reflecting its reliance on general-purpose, statistical learning mechanisms that are a core feature of the visual system as implemented in the ventral stream.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara De Rosa
- Cognitive Neuroscience Department, International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Vignali
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Mattarello, Trento, Italy
| | - Anna D’Urso
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Mattarello, Trento, Italy
| | - Maria Ktori
- Cognitive Neuroscience Department, International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy
| | - Roberto Bottini
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Mattarello, Trento, Italy
| | - Davide Crepaldi
- Cognitive Neuroscience Department, International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy
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Castaldi E, Tinelli F, Filippo G, Bartoli M, Anobile G. Auditory time perception impairment in children with developmental dyscalculia. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2024; 149:104733. [PMID: 38663331 PMCID: PMC11155440 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a specific learning disability which prevents children from acquiring adequate numerical and arithmetical competences. We investigated whether difficulties in children with DD spread beyond the numerical domain and impact also their ability to perceive time. A group of 37 children/adolescent with and without DD were tested with an auditory categorization task measuring time perception thresholds in the sub-second (0.25-1 s) and supra-second (0.75-3 s) ranges. Results showed that auditory time perception was strongly impaired in children with DD at both time scales. The impairment remained even when age, non-verbal reasoning, and gender were regressed out. Overall, our results show that the difficulties of DD can affect magnitudes other than numerical and contribute to the increasing evidence that frames dyscalculia as a disorder affecting multiple neurocognitive and perceptual systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Castaldi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology, and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
| | - Francesca Tinelli
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gasperini Filippo
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mariaelisa Bartoli
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giovanni Anobile
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology, and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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Guerreiro Fernandes F, Raemaekers M, Freudenburg Z, Ramsey N. Considerations for implanting speech brain computer interfaces based on functional magnetic resonance imaging. J Neural Eng 2024; 21:036005. [PMID: 38648782 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ad4178] [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: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Objective.Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have the potential to reinstate lost communication faculties. Results from speech decoding studies indicate that a usable speech BCI based on activity in the sensorimotor cortex (SMC) can be achieved using subdurally implanted electrodes. However, the optimal characteristics for a successful speech implant are largely unknown. We address this topic in a high field blood oxygenation level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, by assessing the decodability of spoken words as a function of hemisphere, gyrus, sulcal depth, and position along the ventral/dorsal-axis.Approach.Twelve subjects conducted a 7T fMRI experiment in which they pronounced 6 different pseudo-words over 6 runs. We divided the SMC by hemisphere, gyrus, sulcal depth, and position along the ventral/dorsal axis. Classification was performed on in these SMC areas using multiclass support vector machine (SVM).Main results.Significant classification was possible from the SMC, but no preference for the left or right hemisphere, nor for the precentral or postcentral gyrus for optimal word classification was detected. Classification while using information from the cortical surface was slightly better than when using information from deep in the central sulcus and was highest within the ventral 50% of SMC. Confusion matrices where highly similar across the entire SMC. An SVM-searchlight analysis revealed significant classification in the superior temporal gyrus and left planum temporale in addition to the SMC.Significance.The current results support a unilateral implant using surface electrodes, covering the ventral 50% of the SMC. The added value of depth electrodes is unclear. We did not observe evidence for variations in the qualitative nature of information across SMC. The current results need to be confirmed in paralyzed patients performing attempted speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Guerreiro Fernandes
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - M Raemaekers
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Z Freudenburg
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - N Ramsey
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Saccone EJ, Tian M, Bedny M. Developing cortex is functionally pluripotent: Evidence from blindness. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 66:101360. [PMID: 38394708 PMCID: PMC10899073 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101360] [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: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
How rigidly does innate architecture constrain function of developing cortex? What is the contribution of early experience? We review insights into these questions from visual cortex function in people born blind. In blindness, occipital cortices are active during auditory and tactile tasks. What 'cross-modal' plasticity tells us about cortical flexibility is debated. On the one hand, visual networks of blind people respond to higher cognitive information, such as sentence grammar, suggesting drastic repurposing. On the other, in line with 'metamodal' accounts, sighted and blind populations show shared domain preferences in ventral occipito-temporal cortex (vOTC), suggesting visual areas switch input modality but perform the same or similar perceptual functions (e.g., face recognition) in blindness. Here we bring these disparate literatures together, reviewing and synthesizing evidence that speaks to whether visual cortices have similar or different functions in blind and sighted people. Together, the evidence suggests that in blindness, visual cortices are incorporated into higher-cognitive (e.g., fronto-parietal) networks, which are a major source long-range input to the visual system. We propose the connectivity-constrained experience-dependent account. Functional development is constrained by innate anatomical connectivity, experience and behavioral needs. Infant cortex is pluripotent, the same anatomical constraints develop into different functional outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J Saccone
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Mengyu Tian
- Center for Educational Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, China
| | - Marina Bedny
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Yeo DJ, Pollack C, Conrad BN, Price GR. Functional and representational differences between bilateral inferior temporal numeral areas. Cortex 2024; 171:113-135. [PMID: 37992508 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.08.018] [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: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
The processing of numerals as visual objects is supported by an "Inferior Temporal Numeral Area" (ITNA) in the bilateral inferior temporal gyri (ITG). Extant findings suggest some degree of hemispheric asymmetry in how the bilateral ITNAs process numerals. Pollack and Price (2019) reported such a hemispheric asymmetry by which a region in the left ITG was sensitive to digits during a visual search for a digit among letters, and a homologous region in the right ITG that showed greater digit sensitivity in individuals with higher calculation skills. However, the ITG regions were localized with separate analyses without directly contrasting their digit sensitivities and relation to calculation skills. So, the extent of and reasons for these functional asymmetries remain unclear. Here we probe whether the functional and representational properties of the ITNAs are asymmetric by applying both univariate and multivariate region-of-interest analyses to Pollack and Price's (2019) data. Contrary to the implications of the original findings, digit sensitivity did not differ between ITNAs, and digit sensitivity in both left and right ITNAs was associated with calculation skills. Representational similarity analyses revealed that the overall representational geometries of digits in the ITNAs were also correlated, albeit weakly, but the representational contents of the ITNAs were largely inconclusive. Nonetheless, we found a right lateralization in engagement in alphanumeric categorization, and that the right ITNA showed greater discriminability between digits and letters. Greater right lateralization of digit sensitivity and digit discriminability in the left ITNA were also related to higher calculation skills. Our findings thus suggest that the ITNAs may not be functionally identical and should be directly contrasted in future work. Our study also highlights the importance of within-individual comparisons for understanding hemispheric asymmetries, and analyses of individual differences and multivariate features to uncover effects that would otherwise be obscured by averages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren J Yeo
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Division of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Courtney Pollack
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Benjamin N Conrad
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Gavin R Price
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.
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Peterson M, Braga RM, Floris DL, Nielsen JA. Evidence for a Compensatory Relationship between Left- and Right-Lateralized Brain Networks. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.08.570817. [PMID: 38106130 PMCID: PMC10723397 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.08.570817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
The two hemispheres of the human brain are functionally asymmetric. At the network level, the language network exhibits left-hemisphere lateralization. While this asymmetry is widely replicated, the extent to which other functional networks demonstrate lateralization remains a subject of Investigation. Additionally, it is unknown how the lateralization of one functional network may affect the lateralization of other networks within individuals. We quantified lateralization for each of 17 networks by computing the relative surface area on the left and right cerebral hemispheres. After examining the ecological, convergent, and external validity and test-retest reliability of this surface area-based measure of lateralization, we addressed two hypotheses across multiple datasets (Human Connectome Project = 553, Human Connectome Project-Development = 343, Natural Scenes Dataset = 8). First, we hypothesized that networks associated with language, visuospatial attention, and executive control would show the greatest lateralization. Second, we hypothesized that relationships between lateralized networks would follow a dependent relationship such that greater left-lateralization of a network would be associated with greater right-lateralization of a different network within individuals, and that this pattern would be systematic across individuals. A language network was among the three networks identified as being significantly left-lateralized, and attention and executive control networks were among the five networks identified as being significantly right-lateralized. Next, correlation matrices, an exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analyses were used to test the second hypothesis and examine the organization of lateralized networks. We found general support for a dependent relationship between highly left- and right-lateralized networks, meaning that across subjects, greater left lateralization of a given network (such as a language network) was linked to greater right lateralization of another network (such as a ventral attention/salience network) and vice versa. These results further our understanding of brain organization at the macro-scale network level in individuals, carrying specific relevance for neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by disruptions in lateralization such as autism and schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline Peterson
- Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Rodrigo M. Braga
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Dorothea L. Floris
- Methods of Plasticity Research, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jared A. Nielsen
- Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
- Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84604, USA
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Liu L, Liu D, Guo T, Schwieter JW, Liu H. The right superior temporal gyrus plays a role in semantic-rule learning: Evidence supporting a reinforcement learning model. Neuroimage 2023; 282:120393. [PMID: 37820861 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
In real-life communication, individuals use language that carries evident rewarding and punishing elements, such as praise and criticism. A common trend is to seek more praise while avoiding criticism. Furthermore, semantics is crucial for conveying information, but such semantic access to native and foreign languages is subtly distinct. To investigate how rule learning occurs in different languages and to highlight the importance of semantics in this process, we investigated both verbal and non-verbal rule learning in first (L1) and second (L2) languages using a reinforcement learning framework, including a semantic rule and a color rule. Our computational modeling on behavioral and brain imaging data revealed that individuals may be more motivated to learn and adhere to rules in an L1 compared to L2, with greater striatum activation during the outcome phase in the L1. Additionally, results on the learning rates and inverse temperature in the two rule learning tasks showed that individuals tend to be conservative and are reluctant to change their judgments regarding rule learning of semantic information. Moreover, the greater the prediction errors, the greater activation of the right superior temporal gyrus in the semantic-rule learning condition, demonstrating that such learning has differential neural correlates than symbolic rule learning. Overall, the findings provide insight into the neural mechanisms underlying rule learning in different languages, and indicate that rule learning involving verbal semantics is not a general symbolic learning that resembles a conditioned stimulus-response, but rather has its own specific characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linyan Liu
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Dongxue Liu
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Tingting Guo
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, China
| | - John W Schwieter
- Language Acquisition, Multilingualism, and Cognition Laboratory / Bilingualism Matters @ Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada; Department of Linguistics and Languages, McMaster University, Canada
| | - Huanhuan Liu
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, China.
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Benn Y, Ivanova AA, Clark O, Mineroff Z, Seikus C, Silva JS, Varley R, Fedorenko E. The language network is not engaged in object categorization. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:10380-10400. [PMID: 37557910 PMCID: PMC10545444 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The relationship between language and thought is the subject of long-standing debate. One claim states that language facilitates categorization of objects based on a certain feature (e.g. color) through the use of category labels that reduce interference from other, irrelevant features. Therefore, language impairment is expected to affect categorization of items grouped by a single feature (low-dimensional categories, e.g. "Yellow Things") more than categorization of items that share many features (high-dimensional categories, e.g. "Animals"). To test this account, we conducted two behavioral studies with individuals with aphasia and an fMRI experiment with healthy adults. The aphasia studies showed that selective low-dimensional categorization impairment was present in some, but not all, individuals with severe anomia and was not characteristic of aphasia in general. fMRI results revealed little activity in language-responsive brain regions during both low- and high-dimensional categorization; instead, categorization recruited the domain-general multiple-demand network (involved in wide-ranging cognitive tasks). Combined, results demonstrate that the language system is not implicated in object categorization. Instead, selective low-dimensional categorization impairment might be caused by damage to brain regions responsible for cognitive control. Our work adds to the growing evidence of the dissociation between the language system and many cognitive tasks in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yael Benn
- Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BH, United Kingdom
| | - Anna A Ivanova
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Oliver Clark
- Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BH, United Kingdom
| | - Zachary Mineroff
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Chloe Seikus
- Division of Psychology & Language Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Jack Santos Silva
- Division of Psychology & Language Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Rosemary Varley
- Division of Psychology & Language Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Evelina Fedorenko
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
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Boeken OJ, Markett S. Systems-level decoding reveals the cognitive and behavioral profile of the human intraparietal sulcus. FRONTIERS IN NEUROIMAGING 2023; 1:1074674. [PMID: 37555176 PMCID: PMC10406318 DOI: 10.3389/fnimg.2022.1074674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The human intraparietal sulcus (IPS) covers large portions of the posterior cortical surface and has been implicated in a variety of cognitive functions. It is, however, unclear how cognitive functions dissociate between the IPS's heterogeneous subdivisions, particularly in perspective to their connectivity profile. METHODS We applied a neuroinformatics driven system-level decoding on three cytoarchitectural distinct subdivisions (hIP1, hIP2, hIP3) per hemisphere, with the aim to disentangle the cognitive profile of the IPS in conjunction with functionally connected cortical regions. RESULTS The system-level decoding revealed nine functional systems based on meta-analytical associations of IPS subdivisions and their cortical coactivations: Two systems-working memory and numeric cognition-which are centered on all IPS subdivisions, and seven systems-attention, language, grasping, recognition memory, rotation, detection of motions/shapes and navigation-with varying degrees of dissociation across subdivisions and hemispheres. By probing the spatial overlap between systems-level co-activations of the IPS and seven canonical intrinsic resting state networks, we observed a trend toward more co-activation between hIP1 and the front parietal network, between hIP2 and hIP3 and the dorsal attention network, and between hIP3 and the visual and somatomotor network. DISCUSSION Our results confirm previous findings on the IPS's role in cognition but also point to previously unknown differentiation along the IPS, which present viable starting points for future work. We also present the systems-level decoding as promising approach toward functional decoding of the human connectome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ole Jonas Boeken
- Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute for Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Grasso PA, Petrizzo I, Caponi C, Anobile G, Arrighi R. Visual P2p component responds to perceived numerosity. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:1014703. [DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.1014703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerosity perception is a key ability for human and non-human species, probably mediated by dedicated brain mechanisms. Electrophysiological studies revealed the existence of both early and mid-latency components of the Electrophysiological (EEG) signal sensitive to numerosity changes. However, it is still unknown whether these components respond to physical or perceived variation in numerical attributes. We here tackled this point by recording electrophysiological signal while participants performed a numerosity adaptation task, a robust psychophysical method yielding changes in perceived numerosity judgments despite physical numerosity invariance. Behavioral measures confirmed that the test stimulus was consistently underestimated when presented after a high numerous adaptor while perceived as veridical when presented after a neutral adaptor. Congruently, EEG results revealed a potential at around 200 ms (P2p) which was reduced when the test stimulus was presented after the high numerous adaptor. This result was much prominent over the left posterior cluster of electrodes and correlated significantly with the amount of adaptation. No earlier modulations were retrievable when changes in numerosity were illusory while both early and mid-latency modulations occurred for physical changes. Taken together, our results reveal that mid-latency P2p mainly reflects perceived changes in numerical attributes, while earlier components are likely to be bounded to the physical characteristics of the stimuli. These results suggest that short-term plastic mechanisms induced by numerosity adaptation may involve a relatively late processing stage of the visual hierarchy likely engaging cortical areas beyond the primary visual cortex. Furthermore, these results also indicate mid-latency electrophysiological correlates as a signature of the internal representation of numerical information.
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Tuckute G, Paunov A, Kean H, Small H, Mineroff Z, Blank I, Fedorenko E. Frontal language areas do not emerge in the absence of temporal language areas: A case study of an individual born without a left temporal lobe. Neuropsychologia 2022; 169:108184. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Maldonado Moscoso PA, Greenlee MW, Anobile G, Arrighi R, Burr DC, Castaldi E. Groupitizing modifies neural coding of numerosity. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 43:915-928. [PMID: 34877718 PMCID: PMC8764479 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerical estimation of arrays of objects is faster and more accurate when items can be clustered into groups, a phenomenon termed “groupitizing.” Grouping can facilitate segregation into subitizable “chunks,” each easily estimated, then summed. The current study investigates whether spatial grouping of arrays drives specific neural responses during numerical estimation, reflecting strategies such as exact calculation and fact retrieval. Fourteen adults were scanned with fMRI while estimating either the numerosity or shape of arrays of items, either randomly distributed or spatially grouped. Numerosity estimation of both classes of stimuli elicited common activation of a right lateralized frontoparietal network. Grouped stimuli additionally recruited regions in the left hemisphere and bilaterally in the angular gyrus. Multivariate pattern analysis showed that classifiers trained with the pattern of neural activations read out from parietal regions, but not from the primary visual areas, can decode different numerosities both within and across spatial arrangements. The behavioral numerical acuity correlated with the decoding performance of the parietal but not with occipital regions. Overall, this experiment suggests that the estimation of grouped stimuli relies on the approximate number system for numerosity estimation, but additionally recruits regions involved in calculation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula A Maldonado Moscoso
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,Institut für Psychologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Mark W Greenlee
- Institut für Psychologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Giovanni Anobile
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Roberto Arrighi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - David C Burr
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Elisa Castaldi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Raja R, Na X, Glasier CM, Badger TM, Bellando J, Ou X. Associations between Cortical Asymmetry and Domain Specific Cognitive Functions in Healthy Children. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2021; 2021:3127-3132. [PMID: 34891904 PMCID: PMC9179091 DOI: 10.1109/embc46164.2021.9630831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Cortical asymmetry and functional lateralization form intriguing and fundamental features of human brain organization, and is complicated by individual differences and evolvement with age. While many studies have investigated neuroanatomical differences between hemispheres as well as functional lateralization of the brain for different age groups, few have looked into the associations between cortical asymmetry and development of cognitive functions in children. In this study, we aimed to identify relationships between hemispheric asymmetry in brain cortex measured by MRI and cognitive development in healthy young children evaluated by a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests. Structural MRI data were obtained from 71 children in the age range of 7.5 to 8.5 years. Structural lateralization index (SLI), a reflection of the brain asymmetry, was computed for each of the 3 cortical morphometry measurements: cortical thickness, surface area and gray matter volume. A total of 34 bilateral regions were studied for the whole brain cortex as defined by the Desikan atlas. Region-wise SLI was correlated with domain specific cognitive scores using partial correlation analysis controlled for the potential confounding effects of age and sex. Significant correlations were identified between test scores of multiple cognitive domains and SLI of several cortical regions. Specifically, SLI of total surface area of precuneus and insula significantly correlated with measures of executive function behavior; significant relationships were also found between SLI of mean cortical thickness of superior parietal cortex and memory and language tests scores; in addition, SLI of parahippocampal gyrus also showed significant correlations with language test scores for all 3 morphometry features. These findings revealed regional hemispheric asymmetries that may be linked to specific cognitive abilities in children.Clinical relevance- This study shows associations between structural lateralization in different brain cortical regions and variations in specific cognitive functions in healthy children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajikha Raja
- Department of Radiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205 USA
| | - Xiaoxu Na
- Department of Radiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205 USA
| | - Charles M. Glasier
- Department of Radiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205 USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205 USA
| | - Thomas M. Badger
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205 USA
- Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center, Little Rock, AR 72205 USA
| | - Jayne Bellando
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205 USA
| | - Xiawei Ou
- Department of Radiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205 USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205 USA
- Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center, Little Rock, AR 72205 USA
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14
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Aphasia and Math: Deficits with Basic Number Comprehension and in Numerical Activities of Daily Living. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2021; 27:939-951. [PMID: 33568239 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617720001368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In the present study, we explored numerical problems in individuals with aphasia. We investigate whether numerical deficits, usually accompanying aphasia, can be observed on number comprehension tasks that do not necessarily require an oral response. METHOD Individuals with aphasia were classified into anterior, posterior, and global subgroups according to the lesion type. To investigate numerical cognition, we used a relatively recent tool, the Numerical Activities of Daily Living (NADL). RESULTS The results showed that individuals with aphasia have problems with tasks of basic number comprehension as well as in most NADL. In the formal part of the NADL, anterior aphasic patients made comparatively more errors than the posterior aphasic patients. Global aphasic patients presented an invariably poor performance on almost all tasks. CONCLUSION The results provide insight into how numerical deficits may impair an individual with aphasia in activities of daily living. This study is a preliminary attempt to start the validation process of the NADL for the Greek population.
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Bethard JD, Ainger TJ, Gonciar A, Nyárádi Z. Surviving (but not thriving) after cranial vault trauma: A case study from Transylvania. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2021; 34:122-129. [PMID: 34243131 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2021.06.006] [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: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To link an antemortem cranial injury on the left parietal bone with potential neurocognitive consequences. MATERIALS The skeleton of a male individual from a Székely archaeological site in Transylvania was examined. The skeleton was radiocarbon dated to Cal AD 1450 and AD 1640 and presented a well-healed antemortem penetrating cranial injury on the left parietal bone. METHODS Macroscopic and radiographic analyses were conducted and the cranium was also archived digitally with a Faro FreeStyle3D scanner. In addition, well-known literature from neuroscience was synthesized in order to better understand the likely neurological consequences of the injury. RESULTS The literature suggests that tasks of attention and working memory, sensory processing, language processing, and vision are affected when the parietal lobe of the brain is injured. CONCLUSIONS Burial 195 did not likely return to a 'normal' life after he survived the cranial injury. SIGNIFICANCE This study demonstrates that bioarcheological interpretations involving antemortem cranial injuries can be enhanced by collaboration with neuroscientists. Bioarcheological interpretations are improved when the consequences of soft tissue injuries are understood. LIMITATIONS This study was limited by a lack of historical documents relevant to the region, time period, and specific case study. In addition, interpretations are cautionary because brain functioning cannot be assessed in vivo in the absence of life. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Bioarcheologists who study antemortem cranial injuries should continue to collaborate with neuroscientists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D Bethard
- University of South Florida, Department of Anthropology, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, SOC107, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.
| | - Timothy J Ainger
- University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Department of Neurology, 740 S. Limestone, Kentucky Clinic J-414, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | | | - Zsolt Nyárádi
- Haáz Rezső Múzeum, Strada Beclean 2-6, Odorheiu Secuiesc 535600, Romania
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16
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Papadatou-Pastou M, Panagiotidou DA, Abbondanza F, Fischer U, Paracchini S, Karagiannakis G. Hand preference and Mathematical Learning Difficulties: New data from Greece, the United Kingdom, and Germany and two meta-analyses of the literature. Laterality 2021; 26:485-538. [PMID: 33823756 DOI: 10.1080/1357650x.2021.1906693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Increased rates of atypical handedness are observed in neurotypical individuals who are low-performing in mathematical tasks as well as in individuals with special educational needs, such as dyslexia. This is the first investigation of handedness in individuals with Mathematical Learning Difficulties (MLD). We report three new studies (N = 134; N = 1,893; N = 153) and two sets of meta-analyses (22 studies; N = 3,667). No difference in atypical hand preference between MLD and Typically Achieving (TA) individuals was found when handedness was assessed with self-report questionnaires, but weak evidence of a difference was found when writing hand was the handedness criterion in Study 1 (p = .049). Similarly, when combining data meta-analytically, no hand preference differences were detected. We suggest that: (i) potential handedness effects require larger samples, (ii) direction of hand preference is not a sensitive enough measure of handedness in this context, or that (iii) increased rates of atypical hand preference are not associated with MLD. The latter scenario would suggest that handedness is specifically linked to language-related conditions rather than conditions related to cognitive abilities at large. Future studies need to consider hand skill and degree of hand preference in MLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marietta Papadatou-Pastou
- School of Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.,Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Filippo Abbondanza
- School of Medicine, North Haugh, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Ursula Fischer
- Department of Sport Science, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Silvia Paracchini
- School of Medicine, North Haugh, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Giannis Karagiannakis
- Department of Psychology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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17
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Ivanova AA, Srikant S, Sueoka Y, Kean HH, Dhamala R, O'Reilly UM, Bers MU, Fedorenko E. Comprehension of computer code relies primarily on domain-general executive brain regions. eLife 2020; 9:e58906. [PMID: 33319744 PMCID: PMC7738192 DOI: 10.7554/elife.58906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Computer programming is a novel cognitive tool that has transformed modern society. What cognitive and neural mechanisms support this skill? Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate two candidate brain systems: the multiple demand (MD) system, typically recruited during math, logic, problem solving, and executive tasks, and the language system, typically recruited during linguistic processing. We examined MD and language system responses to code written in Python, a text-based programming language (Experiment 1) and in ScratchJr, a graphical programming language (Experiment 2); for both, we contrasted responses to code problems with responses to content-matched sentence problems. We found that the MD system exhibited strong bilateral responses to code in both experiments, whereas the language system responded strongly to sentence problems, but weakly or not at all to code problems. Thus, the MD system supports the use of novel cognitive tools even when the input is structurally similar to natural language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna A Ivanova
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Shashank Srikant
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Yotaro Sueoka
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Hope H Kean
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Riva Dhamala
- Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts UniversityMedfordUnited States
| | - Una-May O'Reilly
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Marina U Bers
- Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts UniversityMedfordUnited States
| | - Evelina Fedorenko
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
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18
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Castaldi E, Vignaud A, Eger E. Mapping subcomponents of numerical cognition in relation to functional and anatomical landmarks of human parietal cortex. Neuroimage 2020; 221:117210. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
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19
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Single-word, sentence, and discourse comprehension in individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav 2020; 110:107140. [PMID: 32454295 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to systematically investigate language comprehension in individuals with left and right temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) at different language levels - single word (noun and verb), sentence, and discourse. Neither of the groups with TLE showed difficulties with noun comprehension, whereas verb comprehension performance was significantly lower in individuals with left, but not right TLE as compared to healthy controls. In contrast, sentence and discourse comprehension was overall impaired, irrespective of the lateralization of the epileptogenic focus. Education level and age at seizure onset were also found correlating with language comprehension in our tested cohort. The results, firstly, confirm that the verb comprehension task is more sensitive for assessment of single-word comprehension in individuals with TLE. Secondly, they indicate that language comprehension in left and right TLE is mostly impaired at the sentence and discourse levels, which may be associated with low working memory capacities.
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20
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Zhou W, Pang W, Zhang L, Xu H, Li P, Shu H. Altered connectivity of the visual word form area in the low-vision population: A resting-state fMRI study. Neuropsychologia 2020; 137:107302. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Revised: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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21
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Castaldi E, Piazza M, Iuculano T. Learning disabilities: Developmental dyscalculia. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2020; 174:61-75. [PMID: 32977896 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-64148-9.00005-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a developmental learning disability that manifests as a persistent difficulty in comprehending even the most basic numeric and arithmetic concepts, despite normal intelligence and schooling opportunities. Given the predominant use of numbers in modern society, this condition can pose major challenges in the sufferer's everyday life, both in personal and professional development. Since, to date, we still lack a universally recognized and psychometrically driven definition of DD, its diagnosis has been applied to a wide variety of cognitive profiles. In this chapter, we review the behavioral and neural characterization of DD as well as the different neurocognitive and etiologic accounts of this neurodevelopmental disorder. We underline the multicomponential nature of this heterogeneous disability: different aspects of mathematical competence can be affected by both the suboptimal recruitment of general cognitive functions supporting mathematical cognition (such as attention, memory, and cognitive control) and specific deficits in mastering numeric concepts and operations. Accordingly, both intervention paradigms focused on core numeric abilities and more comprehensive protocols targeting multiple neurocognitive systems have provided evidence for effective positive outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Castaldi
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - Manuela Piazza
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Teresa Iuculano
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Université de Paris, La Sorbonne, Paris, France
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22
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Nakai T, Okanoya K. Cortical collateralization induced by language and arithmetic in non-right-handers. Cortex 2019; 124:154-166. [PMID: 31901561 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The functional overlap of language and arithmetic is debatable. Although some studies have reported independent representations of arithmetic and language in the brain, other studies have reported shared activity of the two cognitive domains in the inferior frontal gyrus. Although most previous studies have evaluated right-handed individuals, variability of hemispheric dominance in non-right-handed individuals should provide important information on the functional collateralization of these two cognitive domains. The present study evaluated the cortical lateralization patterns of the two cognitive domains using functional magnetic resonance imaging in 30 non-right-handed participants who performed language and arithmetic tasks. We found that language and arithmetic tasks demonstrated shared activity in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Furthermore, the lateralization patterns of language and arithmetic tasks were correlated with each other. Most participants with language dominance in the left hemisphere also exhibited dominance of arithmetic tasks in the left hemisphere; similarly, most participants with language dominance in the right hemisphere exhibited dominance of arithmetic tasks in the right hemisphere. Among all the brain regions, the precentral gyrus, which is located slightly posterior to the IFG, exhibited the highest correlation coefficient between laterality indices of language and arithmetic tasks. These results suggest a shared functional property between language and arithmetic in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoya Nakai
- Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan; The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo, Japan; National Rehabilitation Center For Persons with Disabilities, Saitama, Japan
| | - Kazuo Okanoya
- The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo, Japan; Center for Evolutionary Cognitive Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
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23
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Hervais-Adelman A, Kumar U, Mishra RK, Tripathi VN, Guleria A, Singh JP, Eisner F, Huettig F. Learning to read recycles visual cortical networks without destruction. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaax0262. [PMID: 31555732 PMCID: PMC6750915 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax0262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Learning to read is associated with the appearance of an orthographically sensitive brain region known as the visual word form area. It has been claimed that development of this area proceeds by impinging upon territory otherwise available for the processing of culturally relevant stimuli such as faces and houses. In a large-scale functional magnetic resonance imaging study of a group of individuals of varying degrees of literacy (from completely illiterate to highly literate), we examined cortical responses to orthographic and nonorthographic visual stimuli. We found that literacy enhances responses to other visual input in early visual areas and enhances representational similarity between text and faces, without reducing the extent of response to nonorthographic input. Thus, acquisition of literacy in childhood recycles existing object representation mechanisms but without destructive competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Hervais-Adelman
- Neurobiology of Language Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Wundtlaan 1, 6525 XD Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Neurolinguistics, University of Zürich, Department of Psychology, Binzmühlerstrasse 14, 8050, Zürich, Switzerland
- Corresponding author.
| | - Uttam Kumar
- Centre of Biomedical Research, Raibareli Road, Lucknow, 226014 Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Ramesh K. Mishra
- University of Hyderabad, Prof. C.R. Rao Road, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500046, Telangana, India
| | - Viveka N. Tripathi
- Centre for Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, University of Allahabad, University Road, Old Katra, Prayagraj, 211002 Uttar Pradesh, India
- Department of Psychology, Iswar Saran Degree College, Prayagraj, 211002 Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Anupam Guleria
- Centre of Biomedical Research, Raibareli Road, Lucknow, 226014 Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Jay P. Singh
- Centre for Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, University of Allahabad, University Road, Old Katra, Prayagraj, 211002 Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Frank Eisner
- Donders Institute, Radboud University, Montessorilaan 3, 6525 HR Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Falk Huettig
- Psychology of Language Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Wundtlaan 1, 6525 XD Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University, Houtlaan 4, 6525 XZ Nijmegen, Netherlands
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24
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Seghier ML. Categorical laterality indices in fMRI: a parallel with classic similarity indices. Brain Struct Funct 2019; 224:1377-1383. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-019-01833-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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25
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Woodhead ZVJ, Bradshaw AR, Wilson AC, Thompson PA, Bishop DVM. Testing the unitary theory of language lateralization using functional transcranial Doppler sonography in adults. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:181801. [PMID: 31032035 PMCID: PMC6458414 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Hemispheric dominance for language can vary from task to task, but it is unclear if this reflects error of measurement or independent lateralization of different language systems. We used functional transcranial Doppler sonography to assess language lateralization within the middle cerebral artery territory in 37 adults (seven left-handers) on six tasks, each given on two occasions. Tasks taxed different aspects of language function. A pre-registered structural equation analysis was used to compare models of means and covariances. For most people, a single lateralized factor explained most of the covariance between tasks. A minority, however, showed dissociation of asymmetry, giving a second factor. This was mostly derived from a receptive task, which was highly reliable but not lateralized. The results suggest that variation in the strength of language lateralization reflects true individual differences and not just error of measurement. The inclusion of several tasks in a laterality battery makes it easier to detect cases of atypical asymmetry.
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26
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Semenza C, Benavides-Varela S. Reassessing lateralization in calculation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 373:rstb.2017.0044. [PMID: 29292349 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of the left hemisphere in calculation has been unequivocally demonstrated in numerous studies in the last decades. The right hemisphere, on the other hand, had been traditionally considered subsidiary to the left hemisphere functions, although its role was less clearly defined. Recent clinical studies as well as investigations conducted with other methodologies (e.g. neuroimaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation and direct cortical electro-stimulation) leave several unanswered questions about the contribution of the right hemisphere in calculation. In particular, novel clinical studies show that right hemisphere acalculia encompasses a wide variety of symptoms, affecting even simple calculation, which cannot be easily attributed to spatial disorders or to a generic difficulty effect as previously believed. The studies reported here also show how the right hemisphere has its own specific role and that only a bilateral orchestration between the respective functions of each hemisphere guarantees, in fact, precise calculation. Vis-à-vis these data, the traditional wisdom that attributes to the right hemisphere a role mostly confined to spatial aspects of calculation needs to be significantly reshaped. The question for the future is whether it is possible to precisely define the specific contribution of the right hemisphere in several aspects of calculation while highlighting the nature of the cross-talk between the two hemispheres.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The origins of numerical abilities'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Semenza
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, via Giustiniani 5, 35128 Padova, Italy .,IRCCS Ospedale S. Camillo, Lido di Venezia, Italy
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27
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Barttfeld P, Abboud S, Lagercrantz H, Adén U, Padilla N, Edwards AD, Cohen L, Sigman M, Dehaene S, Dehaene-Lambertz G. A lateral-to-mesial organization of human ventral visual cortex at birth. Brain Struct Funct 2018; 223:3107-3119. [PMID: 29752588 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1676-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In human adults, ventral extra-striate visual cortex contains a mosaic of functionally specialized areas, some responding preferentially to natural visual categories such as faces (fusiform face area) or places (parahippocampal place area) and others to cultural inventions such as written words and numbers (visual word form and number form areas). It has been hypothesized that this mosaic arises from innate biases in cortico-cortical connectivity. We tested this hypothesis by examining functional resting-state correlation at birth using fMRI data from full-term human newborns. The results revealed that ventral visual regions are functionally connected with their contra-lateral homologous regions and also exhibit distinct patterns of long-distance functional correlation with anterior associative regions. A mesial-to-lateral organization was observed, with the signal of the more lateral regions, including the sites of visual word and number form areas, exhibiting higher correlations with voxels of the prefrontal, inferior parietal and temporal cortices, including language areas. Finally, we observed hemispheric asymmetries in the functional correlation of key areas of the language network that may influence later adult hemispheric lateralization. We suggest that long-distance circuits present at birth constrain the subsequent functional differentiation of the ventral visual cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Barttfeld
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif-sur-Yvette, France. .,Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas (IIPsi), CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.
| | - S Abboud
- INSERM, U 1127, Paris, 75013, France.,Institut Du Cerveau Et De La Moelle Epinière, ICM, PICNIC Lab, Paris, 75013, France
| | - H Lagercrantz
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 171 76, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - U Adén
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 171 76, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - N Padilla
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 171 76, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A D Edwards
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, UK
| | - L Cohen
- INSERM, U 1127, Paris, 75013, France.,Institut Du Cerveau Et De La Moelle Epinière, ICM, PICNIC Lab, Paris, 75013, France
| | - M Sigman
- Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, Almirante Juan Saenz Valiente 1010, C1428BIJ, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - S Dehaene
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,Collège de France, 75005, Paris, France
| | - G Dehaene-Lambertz
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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28
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Hasler HM, Akshoomoff N. Mathematics ability and related skills in preschoolers born very preterm. Child Neuropsychol 2017; 25:162-178. [PMID: 29233080 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2017.1412413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Children born very preterm (VPT) are at risk for academic, behavioral, and/or emotional problems. Mathematics is a particular weakness and better understanding of the relationship between preterm birth and early mathematics ability is needed, particularly as early as possible to aid in early intervention. Preschoolers born VPT (n = 58) and those born full term (FT; n = 29) were administered a large battery of measures within 6 months of beginning kindergarten. A multiple-mediation model was utilized to characterize the difference in skills underlying mathematics ability between groups. Children born VPT performed significantly worse than FT-born children on a measure of mathematics ability as well as full-scale IQ, verbal skills, visual-motor integration, phonological awareness, phonological working memory, motor skills, and executive functioning. Mathematics was significantly correlated with verbal skills, visual-motor integration, phonological processing, and motor skills across both groups. When entered into the mediation model, verbal skills, visual-motor integration, and phonological awareness were significant mediators of the group differences. This analysis provides insights into the pre-academic skills that are weak in preschoolers born VPT and their relationship to mathematics. It is important to identify children who will have difficulties as early as possible, particularly for VPT children who are at higher risk for academic difficulties. Therefore, this model may be used in evaluating VPT children for emerging difficulties as well as an indicator that if other weaknesses are found, an assessment of mathematics should be conducted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly M Hasler
- a Department of Psychiatry and Center for Human Development , University of California , San Diego , CA , USA
| | - Natacha Akshoomoff
- a Department of Psychiatry and Center for Human Development , University of California , San Diego , CA , USA
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29
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Musical literacy shifts asymmetries in the ventral visual cortex. Neuroimage 2017; 156:445-455. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Revised: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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30
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Van Rinsveld A, Dricot L, Guillaume M, Rossion B, Schiltz C. Mental arithmetic in the bilingual brain: Language matters. Neuropsychologia 2017; 101:17-29. [PMID: 28495598 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Revised: 05/05/2017] [Accepted: 05/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
How do bilinguals solve arithmetic problems in each of their languages? We investigated this question by exploring the neural substrates of mental arithmetic in bilinguals. Critically, our population was composed of a homogeneous group of adults who were fluent in both of their instruction languages (i.e., German as first instruction language and French as second instruction language). Twenty bilinguals were scanned with fMRI (3T) while performing mental arithmetic. Both simple and complex problems were presented to disentangle memory retrieval occuring in very simple problems from arithmetic computation occuring in more complex problems. In simple additions, the left temporal regions were more activated in German than in French, whereas no brain regions showed additional activity in the reverse constrast. Complex additions revealed the reverse pattern, since the activations of regions for French surpassed the same computations in German and the extra regions were located predominantly in occipital regions. Our results thus highlight that highly proficient bilinguals rely on differential activation patterns to solve simple and complex additions in each of their languages, suggesting different solving procedures. The present study confirms the critical role of language in arithmetic problem solving and provides novel insights into how highly proficient bilinguals solve arithmetic problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amandine Van Rinsveld
- Institute of Cognitive Science and Assessment, Education, Culture, Cognition and Society research unit, University of Luxembourg, Campus Belval, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
| | - Laurence Dricot
- Institute Of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium
| | - Mathieu Guillaume
- Institute of Cognitive Science and Assessment, Education, Culture, Cognition and Society research unit, University of Luxembourg, Campus Belval, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Bruno Rossion
- Institute Of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium; Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium; Neurology Unit, Centre Hospitalier Regional Universitaire (CHRU) de Nancy, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | - Christine Schiltz
- Institute of Cognitive Science and Assessment, Education, Culture, Cognition and Society research unit, University of Luxembourg, Campus Belval, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
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Centanni TM, King LW, Eddy MD, Whitfield-Gabrieli S, Gabrieli JDE. Development of sensitivity versus specificity for print in the visual word form area. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2017; 170:62-70. [PMID: 28411527 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2017.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Revised: 02/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/31/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
An area near the left lateral occipito-temporal sulcus that responds preferentially to print has been designated as the visual word form area (VWFA). Research suggests that specialization in this brain region increases as reading expertise is achieved. Here we aimed to characterize that development in terms of sensitivity (response to printed words relative to non-linguistic faces) versus specificity (response to printed words versus line drawings of nameable objects) in typically reading children ages 7-14 versus young adults as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Relative to adults, children displayed equivalent sensitivity but reduced specificity. These findings suggest that sensitivity for print relative to non-linguistic stimuli develops relatively early in the VWFA in the course of reading development, but that specificity for printed words in VWFA is still developing through at least age 14.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy M Centanni
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, 43 Vassar St., 46-4033 Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Livia W King
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, 43 Vassar St., 46-4033 Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Marianna D Eddy
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, 43 Vassar St., 46-4033 Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, 43 Vassar St., 46-4033 Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - John D E Gabrieli
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, 43 Vassar St., 46-4033 Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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Connaughton VM, Amiruddin A, Clunies-Ross KL, French N, Fox AM. Assessing hemispheric specialization for processing arithmetic skills in adults: A functional transcranial doppler ultrasonography (fTCD) study. J Neurosci Methods 2017; 283:33-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2017.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Revised: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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Numbers and functional lateralization: A visual half-field and dichotic listening study in proficient bilinguals. Neuropsychologia 2017; 100:93-109. [PMID: 28414092 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Revised: 04/08/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Potential links between language and numbers and the laterality of symbolic number representations in the brain are still debated. Furthermore, reports on bilingual individuals indicate that the language-number interrelationships might be quite complex. Therefore, we carried out a visual half-field (VHF) and dichotic listening (DL) study with action words and different forms of symbolic numbers used as stimuli to test the laterality of word and number processing in single-, dual-language and mixed -task and language- contexts. Experiment 1 (VHF) showed a significant right visual field/left hemispheric advantage in response accuracy for action word, as compared to any form of symbolic number processing. Experiment 2 (DL) revealed a substantially reversed effect - a significant right ear/left hemisphere advantage for arithmetic operations as compared to action word processing, and in response times in single- and dual-language contexts for number vs. action words. All these effects were language independent. Notably, for within-task response accuracy compared across modalities significant differences were found in all studied contexts. Thus, our results go counter to findings showing that action-relevant concepts and words, as well as number words are represented/processed primarily in the left hemisphere. Instead, we found that in the auditory context, following substantial engagement of working memory (here: by arithmetic operations), there is a subsequent functional reorganization of processing single stimuli, whether verbs or numbers. This reorganization - their weakened laterality - at least for response accuracy is not exclusive to processing of numbers, but the number of items to be processed. For response times, except for unpredictable tasks in mixed contexts, the "number problem" is more apparent. These outcomes are highly relevant to difficulties that simultaneous translators encounter when dealing with lengthy auditory material in which single items such as number words (and possibly other types of key words) need to be emphasized. Our results may also shed a new light on the "mathematical savant problem".
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Üstün S, Kale EH, Çiçek M. Neural Networks for Time Perception and Working Memory. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:83. [PMID: 28286475 PMCID: PMC5324352 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Time is an important concept which determines most human behaviors, however questions remain about how time is perceived and which areas of the brain are responsible for time perception. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between time perception and working memory in healthy adults. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used during the application of a visual paradigm. In all of the conditions, the participants were presented with a moving black rectangle on a gray screen. The rectangle was obstructed by a black bar for a time period and then reappeared again. During different conditions, participants (n = 15, eight male) responded according to the instructions they were given, including details about time and the working memory or dual task requirements. The results showed activations in right dorsolateral prefrontal and right intraparietal cortical networks, together with the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), anterior insula and basal ganglia (BG) during time perception. On the other hand, working memory engaged the left prefrontal cortex, ACC, left superior parietal cortex, BG and cerebellum activity. Both time perception and working memory were related to a strong peristriate cortical activity. On the other hand, the interaction of time and memory showed activity in the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). These results support a distributed neural network based model for time perception and that the intraparietal and posterior cingulate areas might play a role in the interface of memory and timing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sertaç Üstün
- Department of Physiology, Ankara University School of Medicine Ankara, Turkey
| | - Emre H Kale
- Brain Research Center, Ankara University Ankara, Turkey
| | - Metehan Çiçek
- Department of Physiology, Ankara University School of MedicineAnkara, Turkey; Brain Research Center, Ankara UniversityAnkara, Turkey
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Multi-factorial modulation of hemispheric specialization and plasticity for language in healthy and pathological conditions: A review. Cortex 2017; 86:314-339. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2016.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2015] [Revised: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 05/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Harms VL, Poon LJO, Smith AK, Elias LJ. Take your seats: leftward asymmetry in classroom seating choice. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:457. [PMID: 26347639 PMCID: PMC4538291 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 08/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite an overall body symmetry, human behavior is full of examples of asymmetry, from writing or gesturing to kissing and cradling. Prior research has revealed that theatre patrons show a bias towards sitting on the right side of a movie theatre. Two competing theories have attempted to explain this seating asymmetry: one posits that expectation of processing demand drives the bias; the other posits that basic motor asymmetries drive the bias. To test these theories we assessed the real-world classroom seating choices of university students using photographs. A bias for students to choose seats on the left side of the classroom was observed, in contrast to the right side bias observed in theatre seating studies. These results provide evidence in support of a processing-expectation bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria L Harms
- Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Lisa J O Poon
- Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Austen K Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Lorin J Elias
- Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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Hannagan T, Amedi A, Cohen L, Dehaene-Lambertz G, Dehaene S. Origins of the specialization for letters and numbers in ventral occipitotemporal cortex. Trends Cogn Sci 2015; 19:374-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2015.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2015] [Revised: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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Yoncheva YN, Wise J, McCandliss B. Hemispheric specialization for visual words is shaped by attention to sublexical units during initial learning. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2015; 145-146:23-33. [PMID: 25935827 PMCID: PMC4538939 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2015.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2014] [Revised: 04/02/2015] [Accepted: 04/04/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Selective attention to grapheme-phoneme mappings during learning can impact the circuitry subsequently recruited during reading. Here we trained literate adults to read two novel scripts of glyph words containing embedded letters under different instructions. For one script, learners linked each embedded letter to its corresponding sound within the word (grapheme-phoneme focus); for the other, decoding was prevented so entire words had to be memorized. Post-training, ERPs were recorded during a reading task on the trained words within each condition and on untrained but decodable (transfer) words. Within this condition, reaction-time patterns suggested both trained and transfer words were accessed via sublexical units, yet a left-lateralized, late ERP response showed an enhanced left lateralization for transfer words relative to trained words, potentially reflecting effortful decoding. Collectively, these findings show that selective attention to grapheme-phoneme mappings during learning drives the lateralization of circuitry that supports later word recognition. This study thus provides a model example of how different instructional approaches to the same material may impact changes in brain circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliya N Yoncheva
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Jessica Wise
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Bruce McCandliss
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States.
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Dehaene S, Cohen L, Morais J, Kolinsky R. Illiterate to literate: behavioural and cerebral changes induced by reading acquisition. Nat Rev Neurosci 2015; 16:234-44. [PMID: 25783611 DOI: 10.1038/nrn3924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 310] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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41
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Nelson BD, Shankman SA. Visuospatial and mathematical dysfunction in major depressive disorder and/or panic disorder: A study of parietal functioning. Cogn Emot 2015; 30:417-29. [PMID: 25707308 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2015.1009003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The parietal cortex is critical for several different cognitive functions, including visuospatial processing and mathematical abilities. There is strong evidence indicating parietal dysfunction in depression. However, it is less clear whether anxiety is associated with parietal dysfunction and whether comorbid depression and anxiety are associated with greater impairment. The present study compared participants with major depression (MDD), panic disorder (PD), comorbid MDD/PD and controls on neuropsychological measures of visuospatial processing, Judgement of Line Orientation (JLO), and mathematical abilities, Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) Arithmetic. Only comorbid MDD/PD was associated with decreased performance on JLO, whereas all psychopathological groups exhibited comparably decreased performance on WRAT Arithmetic. Furthermore, the results were not accounted for by other comorbid disorders, medication use or psychopathology severity. The present study suggests comorbid depression and anxious arousal are associated with impairment in visuospatial processing and provides novel evidence indicating mathematical deficits across depression and/or anxiety. Implications for understanding parietal dysfunction in internalising psychopathology are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brady D Nelson
- a Department of Psychology , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , NY , USA
| | - Stewart A Shankman
- b Department of Psychology , University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago , IL , USA
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42
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Abstract
The visual word form area (VWFA), a region systematically involved in the identification of written words, occupies a reproducible location in the left occipitotemporal sulcus in expert readers of all cultures. Such a reproducible localization is paradoxical, given that reading is a recent invention that could not have influenced the genetic evolution of the cortex. Here, we test the hypothesis that the VWFA recycles a region of the ventral visual cortex that shows a high degree of anatomical connectivity to perisylvian language areas, thus providing an efficient circuit for both grapheme-phoneme conversion and lexical access. In two distinct experiments, using high-resolution diffusion-weighted data from 75 human subjects, we show that (1) the VWFA, compared with the fusiform face area, shows higher connectivity to left-hemispheric perisylvian superior temporal, anterior temporal and inferior frontal areas; (2) on a posterior-to-anterior axis, its localization within the left occipitotemporal sulcus maps onto a peak of connectivity with language areas, with slightly distinct subregions showing preferential projections to areas respectively involved in grapheme-phoneme conversion and lexical access. In agreement with functional data on the VWFA in blind subjects, the results suggest that connectivity to language areas, over and above visual factors, may be the primary determinant of VWFA localization.
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Abstract
Distinct preference for visual number symbols was recently discovered in the human right inferior temporal gyrus (rITG). It remains unclear how this preference emerges, what is the contribution of shape biases to its formation and whether visual processing underlies it. Here we use congenital blindness as a model for brain development without visual experience. During fMRI, we present blind subjects with shapes encoded using a novel visual-to-music sensory-substitution device (The EyeMusic). Greater activation is observed in the rITG when subjects process symbols as numbers compared with control tasks on the same symbols. Using resting-state fMRI in the blind and sighted, we further show that the areas with preference for numerals and letters exhibit distinct patterns of functional connectivity with quantity and language-processing areas, respectively. Our findings suggest that specificity in the ventral ‘visual’ stream can emerge independently of sensory modality and visual experience, under the influence of distinct connectivity patterns. The human visual cortex includes areas with preference for various object categories. Here, Abboud et al. demonstrate using visual-to-music substitution, that the congenitally blind show a similar preference for numerals in the right inferior temporal cortex as sighted individuals, despite having no visual experience.
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Wu YC, Jung M, Lock D, Chao E, Swartz J, Jung TP. Resting state and task-related brain dynamics supporting insight. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2015; 2014:5454-7. [PMID: 25571228 DOI: 10.1109/embc.2014.6944860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Problems can be solved in a variety of ways. One might systematically evaluate a known space of possible solutions until the right one is found. Alternatively, it may prove necessary to enlarge or restructure the expected problem space - so called "thinking outside the box." This approach can yield an experience of unexpected insight or feeling of Aha!. Current challenges to understanding this phenomenon from a neurocognitive perspective include the vast diversity of problem domains and time scales for solutions. Whereas the subjective suddenness of an "Aha!" moment may lead to the impression that insight must be precipitated by a set of discrete, short-lived neural events, this report outlines research revealing that even before a problem is presented, scalp-recorded measures of resting or baseline brain states are linked with future performance and likelihood of experiencing insight during the search for a solution. Additionally, this study also shows that compared to more systematic problem solving approaches, insight is accompanied by differences in cortical and likely cognitive engagement that are detectable throughout much of the problem solving phase, rather than being confined to a distinct interval immediately preceding the dawn of a solution. These findings are important for the development of therapies targeting problem solving and reasoning skills, such as those used in cognitive training interventions to mitigate the effects of cognitive decline.
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45
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Abstract
Learning to read requires the acquisition of an efficient visual procedure for quickly recognizing fine print. Thus, reading practice could induce a perceptual learning effect in early vision. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in literate and illiterate adults, we previously demonstrated an impact of reading acquisition on both high- and low-level occipitotemporal visual areas, but could not resolve the time course of these effects. To clarify whether literacy affects early vs. late stages of visual processing, we measured event-related potentials to various categories of visual stimuli in healthy adults with variable levels of literacy, including completely illiterate subjects, early-schooled literate subjects, and subjects who learned to read in adulthood (ex-illiterates). The stimuli included written letter strings forming pseudowords, on which literacy is expected to have a major impact, as well as faces, houses, tools, checkerboards, and false fonts. To evaluate the precision with which these stimuli were encoded, we studied repetition effects by presenting the stimuli in pairs composed of repeated, mirrored, or unrelated pictures from the same category. The results indicate that reading ability is correlated with a broad enhancement of early visual processing, including increased repetition suppression, suggesting better exemplar discrimination, and increased mirror discrimination, as early as ∼ 100-150 ms in the left occipitotemporal region. These effects were found with letter strings and false fonts, but also were partially generalized to other visual categories. Thus, learning to read affects the magnitude, precision, and invariance of early visual processing.
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46
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Patterson DK, Van Petten C, Beeson PM, Rapcsak SZ, Plante E. Bidirectional iterative parcellation of diffusion weighted imaging data: separating cortical regions connected by the arcuate fasciculus and extreme capsule. Neuroimage 2014; 102 Pt 2:704-16. [PMID: 25173414 PMCID: PMC4253691 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.08.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2014] [Revised: 07/01/2014] [Accepted: 08/20/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper introduces a Bidirectional Iterative Parcellation (BIP) procedure designed to identify the location and size of connected cortical regions (parcellations) at both ends of a white matter tract in diffusion weighted images. The procedure applies the FSL option "probabilistic tracking with classification targets" in a bidirectional and iterative manner. To assess the utility of BIP, we applied the procedure to the problem of parcellating a limited set of well-established gray matter seed regions associated with the dorsal (arcuate fasciculus/superior longitudinal fasciculus) and ventral (extreme capsule fiber system) white matter tracts in the language networks of 97 participants. These left hemisphere seed regions and the two white matter tracts, along with their right hemisphere homologues, provided an excellent test case for BIP because the resulting parcellations overlap and their connectivity via the arcuate fasciculi and extreme capsule fiber systems are well studied. The procedure yielded both confirmatory and novel findings. Specifically, BIP confirmed that each tract connects within the seed regions in unique, but expected ways. Novel findings included increasingly left-lateralized parcellations associated with the arcuate fasciculus/superior longitudinal fasciculus as a function of age and education. These results demonstrate that BIP is an easily implemented technique that successfully confirmed cortical connectivity patterns predicted in the literature, and has the potential to provide new insights regarding the architecture of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dianne K Patterson
- The University of Arizona, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Tucson, AZ, USA.
| | - Cyma Van Petten
- Binghamton University, Department of Psychology, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Pélagie M Beeson
- The University of Arizona, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Tucson, AZ, USA; The University of Arizona, Department of Neurology, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Steven Z Rapcsak
- The University of Arizona, Department of Neurology, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Elena Plante
- The University of Arizona, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Tucson, AZ, USA
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47
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Shaul S, Nesher P. An ERP study of simple addition: the semantics and syntax of arithmetic operation sign. J Integr Neurosci 2014; 13:545-64. [PMID: 25164359 DOI: 10.1142/s0219635214500186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of the current study was to examine brain activity of adult regular calculators while processing addition sums with different types of answers. The task was a verification task, the incorrect answers were divided into two types: one was comprised of three numbers that do not belong to any additive triplet (such as 2, 4, 7) and it was always near the correct result (± 1); the other was a number which is related to the two numbers which appear in the stimulus but belongs to an incorrect competing triplet of numbers and it was always in a greater distance from the correct answer. Differences were found between the different types of answers in the behavioral reaction time with longest reaction time for the competing triplet and the shortest reaction time for the correct answer. In addition, differences in the latency and amplitude of the N170, N270, N400 and P600 components were found among the different types of answers. It can be concluded from these results that the effect of the interference of the competing triplets is greater than the split effect (distance effect), and that there is a different time zone for coding the numbers and coding of other more general syntactic-semantic arithmetic signs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelley Shaul
- Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, Department of Learning Disabilites, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel
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48
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Emerson RW, Cantlon JF. Continuity and change in children's longitudinal neural responses to numbers. Dev Sci 2014; 18:314-26. [PMID: 25051893 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2013] [Accepted: 05/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Human children possess the ability to approximate numerical quantity nonverbally from a young age. Over the course of early childhood, children develop increasingly precise representations of numerical values, including a symbolic number system that allows them to conceive of numerical information as Arabic numerals or number words. Functional brain imaging studies of adults report that activity in bilateral regions of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) represents a key neural correlate of numerical cognition. Developmental neuroimaging studies indicate that the right IPS develops its number-related neural response profile more rapidly than the left IPS during early childhood. One prediction that can be derived from previous findings is that there is longitudinal continuity in the number-related neural responses of the right IPS over development while the development of the left IPS depends on the acquisition of numerical skills. We tested this hypothesis using fMRI in a longitudinal design with children ages 4 to 9. We found that neural responses in the right IPS are correlated over a 1-2-year period in young children whereas left IPS responses change systematically as a function of children's numerical discrimination acuity. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that functional properties of the right IPS in numerical processing are stable over early childhood whereas the functions of the left IPS are dynamically modulated by the development of numerical skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W Emerson
- Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, New York, USA
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49
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Koul A, Tyagi V, Singh NC. Notational usage modulates attention networks in binumerates. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:326. [PMID: 24904366 PMCID: PMC4035602 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00326] [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: 11/30/2013] [Accepted: 05/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Multicultural environments require learning multiple number notations wherein some are encountered more frequently than others. This leads to differences in exposure and consequently differences in usage between notations. We find that differential notational usage imposes a significant neurocognitive load on number processing. Despite simultaneous acquisition, twenty four adult binumerates, familiar with two positional writing systems namely Hindu Nagari digits and Hindu Arabic digits, reported significantly lower preference and usage for Nagari as compared to Arabic. Twenty-four participants showed significantly increased reaction times and reduced accuracy while performing magnitude comparison tasks in Nagari with respect to Arabic. Functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that processing Nagari elicited significantly greater activity in number processing and attention networks. A direct subtraction of networks for Nagari and Arabic notations revealed a neural circuit comprising of bilateral Intra-parietal Sulcus (IPS), Inferior and Mid Frontal Gyri, Fusiform Gyrus and the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (FDR p < 0.005). Additionally, whole brain correlation analysis showed that activity in the left inferior parietal region was modulated by task performance in Nagari. We attribute the increased activation in Nagari to increased task difficulty due to infrequent exposure and usage. Our results reiterate the role of left IPS in modulating performance in numeric tasks and highlight the role of the attention network for monitoring symbolic notation mode in binumerates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atesh Koul
- National Brain Research Centre, Deemed University Gurgaon, India
| | - Vaibhav Tyagi
- National Brain Research Centre, Deemed University Gurgaon, India
| | - Nandini C Singh
- National Brain Research Centre, Deemed University Gurgaon, India
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50
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Pinel P, Lalanne C, Bourgeron T, Fauchereau F, Poupon C, Artiges E, Le Bihan D, Dehaene-Lambertz G, Dehaene S. Genetic and Environmental Influences on the Visual Word Form and Fusiform Face Areas. Cereb Cortex 2014; 25:2478-93. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhu048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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