1
|
Huang DF, Li F, Guo H. Chunking in simultaneous interpreting: the impact of task complexity and translation directionality on lexical bundles. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1252238. [PMID: 37720654 PMCID: PMC10502168 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1252238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
This study explored the use of phraseological frames (p-frames), a type of lexical bundle, by simultaneous interpreters as a strategy for managing cognitive loads. Specifically, using a comparable corpus of United Nations Security Council conferences, the study employed kfNgram to automatically identify the p-frames, and investigated their variations, regarding frequency, fixedness, structures, and functions among L1, L1-L2, and L2-L1 texts, which differ in cognitive loads due to task complexity and directionality of interpreting. The findings indicated that interpreters used more p-frames as cognitive loads increased; No significant difference was identified in fixedness as all texts tended to employ heavily formulaic and relatively fixed p-frames. Directionality correlated with grammatical preferences, with retour interpreting relying more on content-word-based p-frames. Additionally, task complexity correlated with functional preferences, with self-expression characterized by more stance expressions in the simple task. This study innovatively addressed the interaction of two factors that generate cognitive loads in interpreting and filled a research gap by providing empirical evidence on how directionality affects the use of formulaic language.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dan Feng Huang
- School of Foreign Languages, Guangzhou College of Commerce, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Fang Li
- School of Foreign Languages, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Hang Guo
- International College, Guangzhou College of Commerce, Guangzhou, Guangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Mohammadi Y, Graversen C, Østergaard J, Andersen OK, Reichenbach T. Phase-locking of Neural Activity to the Envelope of Speech in the Delta Frequency Band Reflects Differences between Word Lists and Sentences. J Cogn Neurosci 2023; 35:1301-1311. [PMID: 37379482 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
The envelope of a speech signal is tracked by neural activity in the cerebral cortex. The cortical tracking occurs mainly in two frequency bands, theta (4-8 Hz) and delta (1-4 Hz). Tracking in the faster theta band has been mostly associated with lower-level acoustic processing, such as the parsing of syllables, whereas the slower tracking in the delta band relates to higher-level linguistic information of words and word sequences. However, much regarding the more specific association between cortical tracking and acoustic as well as linguistic processing remains to be uncovered. Here, we recorded EEG responses to both meaningful sentences and random word lists in different levels of signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) that lead to different levels of speech comprehension as well as listening effort. We then related the neural signals to the acoustic stimuli by computing the phase-locking value (PLV) between the EEG recordings and the speech envelope. We found that the PLV in the delta band increases with increasing SNR for sentences but not for the random word lists, showing that the PLV in this frequency band reflects linguistic information. When attempting to disentangle the effects of SNR, speech comprehension, and listening effort, we observed a trend that the PLV in the delta band might reflect listening effort rather than the other two variables, although the effect was not statistically significant. In summary, our study shows that the PLV in the delta band reflects linguistic information and might be related to listening effort.
Collapse
|
3
|
Race E, Tobin H, Verfaellie M. Leveraging Prior Knowledge to Support Short-term Memory: Exploring the Role of the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex. J Cogn Neurosci 2023; 35:681-691. [PMID: 36638229 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
It is well established that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) plays a critical role in memory consolidation and the retrieval of remote long-term memories. Recent evidence suggests that the vmPFC also supports rapid neocortical learning and consolidation over shorter timescales, particularly when novel events align with stored knowledge. One mechanism by which the vmPFC has been proposed to support this learning is by integrating congruent information into existing neocortical knowledge during memory encoding. An important outstanding question is whether the vmPFC also plays a critical role in linking congruent information with existing knowledge before storage in long-term memory. The current study investigated this question by testing whether lesions to the vmPFC disrupt the ability to leverage stored knowledge in support of short-term memory. Specifically, we investigated the visuospatial bootstrapping effect, the phenomenon whereby immediate verbal recall of visually presented stimuli is better when stimuli appear in a familiar visuospatial array that is congruent with prior knowledge compared with an unfamiliar visuospatial array. We found that the overall magnitude of the bootstrapping effect did not differ between patients with vmPFC lesions and controls. However, a reliable bootstrapping effect was not present in the patient group alone. Post hoc analysis of individual patient performance revealed that the bootstrapping effect did not differ from controls in nine patients but was reduced in two patients. Although mixed, these results suggest that vmPFC lesions do not uniformly disrupt the ability to leverage stored knowledge in support of short-term memory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Race
- Tufts University, Medford, MA.,VA Boston Healthcare System, MA
| | - Hope Tobin
- Tufts University, Medford, MA.,VA Boston Healthcare System, MA
| | - Mieke Verfaellie
- VA Boston Healthcare System, MA.,Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, MA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Attention Control and Audiomotor Processes Underlying Anticipation of Musical Themes while Listening to Familiar Sonata-Form Pieces. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12020261. [PMID: 35204024 PMCID: PMC8870438 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12020261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
When listening to music, people are excited by the musical cues immediately before rewarding passages. More generally, listeners attend to the antecedent cues of a salient musical event irrespective of its emotional valence. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the behavioral and cognitive mechanisms underlying the cued anticipation of the main theme’s recurrence in sonata form. Half of the main themes in the musical stimuli were of a joyful character, half a tragic character. Activity in the premotor cortex suggests that around the main theme’s recurrence, the participants tended to covertly hum along with music. The anterior thalamus, pre-supplementary motor area (preSMA), posterior cerebellum, inferior frontal junction (IFJ), and auditory cortex showed increased activity for the antecedent cues of the themes, relative to the middle-last part of the themes. Increased activity in the anterior thalamus may reflect its role in guiding attention towards stimuli that reliably predict important outcomes. The preSMA and posterior cerebellum may support sequence processing, fine-grained auditory imagery, and fine adjustments to humming according to auditory inputs. The IFJ might orchestrate the attention allocation to motor simulation and goal-driven attention. These findings highlight the attention control and audiomotor components of musical anticipation.
Collapse
|
5
|
Wang T, Hu Y, Wang D, Liu J, Sun J, Wei C, Dai H, Li Y. Arcuate Fasciculus Subsegment Impairments Distinctly Associated with Memory and Language Deficits in Acute Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Patients. J Neurotrauma 2021; 38:3279-3287. [PMID: 34605664 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2021.0267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In acute mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), the injury-related axonal swelling leads to white matter fiber bundle impairments, closely related to the memory and language deficits commonly shown in the patients. The arcuate fasciculus (AF) plays a central role in verbal learning and language function but could be functionally heterogeneous along the fiber tract. In this study, 25 patients with acute mTBI (<48 h after trauma) and 33 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were included. Impaired verbal memory and language functions were shown in the patient group compared with the HCs. Combined diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were applied to investigate the altered diffusion measure profiles of the AF tracts and the associated functional features. The fractional anisotropy (FA) in the right AF temporal subsegment of the mTBI group was negatively associated with the patient verbal memory function, whereas a positive correlation was found in the HC group. On the other hand, the correlation between the FA in the right AF frontal subsegment and the language function in HCs diminished in the patient group. Moreover, the functional connectivity between the inferior frontal gyrus and the middle occipital gyrus decreased, and its correlation with language function in HCs was absent in the patients with mTBI. Our work provides new insights into the understanding of the structural and functional heterogeneity of the AF tracts as well as the distinct associations of its subsegment impairments with verbal memory and language function deficits in patients with acute mTBI.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tianyao Wang
- Department of Radiology and Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Yujie Hu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Danni Wang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Radiology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Jiahua Sun
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Chunxiao Wei
- Department of Radiology and Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Hui Dai
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, P.R. China.,Institute of Medical Imaging, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, P.R. China.,Suzhou Key Laboratory of Intelligent Medicine and Equipment, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, P.R. China
| | - Yao Li
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Henke L, Meyer L. Endogenous Oscillations Time-Constrain Linguistic Segmentation: Cycling the Garden Path. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:4289-4299. [PMID: 33949654 PMCID: PMC8328215 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Speech is transient. To comprehend entire sentences, segments consisting of multiple words need to be memorized for at least a while. However, it has been noted previously that we struggle to memorize segments longer than approximately 2.7 s. We hypothesized that electrophysiological processing cycles within the delta band (<4 Hz) underlie this time constraint. Participants’ EEG was recorded while they listened to temporarily ambiguous sentences. By manipulating the speech rate, we aimed at biasing participants’ interpretation: At a slow rate, segmentation after 2.7 s would trigger a correct interpretation. In contrast, at a fast rate, segmentation after 2.7 s would trigger a wrong interpretation and thus an error later in the sentence. In line with the suggested time constraint, the phase of the delta-band oscillation at the critical point in the sentence mirrored segmentation on the level of single trials, as indicated by the amplitude of the P600 event-related brain potential (ERP) later in the sentence. The correlation between upstream delta-band phase and downstream P600 amplitude implies that segmentation took place when an underlying neural oscillator had reached a specific angle within its cycle, determining comprehension. We conclude that delta-band oscillations set an endogenous time constraint on segmentation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lena Henke
- Research Group Language Cycles, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lars Meyer
- Research Group Language Cycles, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Clinic for Phoniatrics and Pedaudiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Abstract
In the classic view of verbal short-term memory, immediate recall is achieved by maintaining phonological representations, while the influence of other linguistic information is negligible. According to language-based accounts, short-term retention of verbal material is inherently bound to language production and comprehension, thus also influenced by semantic or syntactic factors. In line with this, serial recall is better when lists are presented in a canonical word order for English rather than in a noncanonical order (e.g., when adjectives precede nouns rather than vice versa; Perham et al., 2009, Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 62[7], 1285–1293). However, in many languages, grammaticality is not exclusively determined by word order. In German, an adjective–noun sequence is grammatical only if the adjective is inflected in congruence with the noun’s person, number, and grammatical gender. Therefore, we investigated whether similar effects of syntactic word order occur in German. In two modified replications of Perham et al.’s study, we presented lists of three pairs of adjectives and nouns, presented in adjective–noun or in noun–adjective order. In addition, we manipulated morphosyntactic congruence between nouns and adjectives within pairs (Exp. 1: congruently inflected vs. uninflected adjectives; Exp. 2: congruently inflected vs. incongruently inflected adjectives). Both experiments show an interaction: Word order affected recall performance only when adjectives were inflected in congruence with the corresponding noun. These findings are in line with language-based models and indicate that, in a language that determines grammaticality in an interplay of syntactic and morphosyntactic factors, word order alone is not sufficient to improve verbal short-term memory.
Collapse
|
8
|
Lopopolo A, van den Bosch A, Petersson KM, Willems RM. Distinguishing Syntactic Operations in the Brain: Dependency and Phrase-Structure Parsing. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2021; 2:152-175. [PMID: 37213416 PMCID: PMC10174354 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Finding the structure of a sentence-the way its words hold together to convey meaning-is a fundamental step in language comprehension. Several brain regions, including the left inferior frontal gyrus, the left posterior superior temporal gyrus, and the left anterior temporal pole, are supposed to support this operation. The exact role of these areas is nonetheless still debated. In this paper we investigate the hypothesis that different brain regions could be sensitive to different kinds of syntactic computations. We compare the fit of phrase-structure and dependency structure descriptors to activity in brain areas using fMRI. Our results show a division between areas with regard to the type of structure computed, with the left anterior temporal pole and left inferior frontal gyrus favouring dependency structures and left posterior superior temporal gyrus favouring phrase structures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Antal van den Bosch
- Meertens Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Science and Arts, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Roel M. Willems
- Center for Language Studies, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Deldar Z, Gevers-Montoro C, Khatibi A, Ghazi-Saidi L. The interaction between language and working memory: a systematic review of fMRI studies in the past two decades. AIMS Neurosci 2020; 8:1-32. [PMID: 33490370 PMCID: PMC7815476 DOI: 10.3934/neuroscience.2021001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Language processing involves other cognitive domains, including Working Memory (WM). Much detail about the neural correlates of language and WM interaction remains unclear. This review summarizes the evidence for the interaction between WM and language obtained via functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) in the past two decades. The search was limited to PubMed, Google Scholar, Science direct and Neurosynth for working memory, language, fMRI, neuroimaging, cognition, attention, network, connectome keywords. The exclusion criteria consisted of studies including children, older adults, bilingual or multilingual population, clinical cases, music, sign language, speech, motor processing, review papers, meta-analyses, electroencephalography/event-related potential, and positron emission tomography. A total of 20 articles were included and discussed in four categories: language comprehension, language production, syntax, and networks. Studies on neural correlates of WM and language interaction are rare. Language tasks that involve WM activate common neural systems. Activated areas can be associated with cognitive concepts proposed by Baddeley and Hitch (1974), including the phonological loop of WM (mainly Broca and Wernicke's areas), other prefrontal cortex and right hemispheric regions linked to the visuospatial sketchpad. There is a clear, dynamic interaction between language and WM, reflected in the involvement of subcortical structures, particularly the basal ganglia (caudate), and of widespread right hemispheric regions. WM involvement is levered by cognitive demand in response to task complexity. High WM capacity readers draw upon buffer memory systems in midline cortical areas to decrease the WM demands for efficiency. Different dynamic networks are involved in WM and language interaction in response to the task in hand for an ultimate brain function efficiency, modulated by language modality and attention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zoha Deldar
- Department of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.,Language and Cognition Laboratory, Department of Communication Disorders, College of Education, University of Nebraska at Kearney, USA
| | - Carlos Gevers-Montoro
- Department of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.,Madrid College of Chiropractic, Real Centro Universitario María Cristina, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ali Khatibi
- Centre of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal Pain, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Ladan Ghazi-Saidi
- Language and Cognition Laboratory, Department of Communication Disorders, College of Education, University of Nebraska at Kearney, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Strori D, Bradlow AR, Souza PE. Recognising foreign-accented speech of varying intelligibility and linguistic complexity: insights from older listeners with or without hearing loss. Int J Audiol 2020; 60:140-150. [PMID: 32972283 DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2020.1814431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to assess recognition of foreign-accented speech of varying intelligibility and linguistic complexity in older adults. It is important to understand the factors that influence the recognition of this commonly encountered type of speech, in a population that remains understudied in this regard. DESIGN A repeated measures design was used. Listeners repeated back linguistically simple and complex sentences heard in noise. The sentences were produced by three talkers of varying intelligibility: one native American English, one foreign-accented talker of high intelligibility and one foreign-accented talker of low intelligibility. Percentage word recognition in sentences was measured. STUDY SAMPLE Twenty-five older listeners with a range of hearing thresholds participated. RESULTS We found a robust interaction between talker intelligibility and linguistic complexity. Recognition accuracy was higher for simple versus complex sentences, but only for the native and high intelligibility foreign-accented talkers. This pattern was present after effects of working memory capacity and hearing acuity were taken into consideration. CONCLUSION Older listeners exhibit qualitatively different speech processing strategies for low versus high intelligibility foreign-accented talkers. Differences in recognition accuracy for words presented in simple versus in complex sentence contexts only emerged for speech over a threshold of intelligibility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dorina Strori
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Department of Linguistics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Ann R Bradlow
- Department of Linguistics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Knowles Hearing Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Pamela E Souza
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Knowles Hearing Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Strori D, Bradlow AR, Souza PE. Recognition of foreign-accented speech in noise: The interplay between talker intelligibility and linguistic structure. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 147:3765. [PMID: 32611135 PMCID: PMC7275869 DOI: 10.1121/10.0001194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2019] [Revised: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Foreign-accented speech recognition is typically tested with linguistically simple materials, which offer a limited window into realistic speech processing. The present study examined the relationship between linguistic structure and talker intelligibility in several sentence-in-noise recognition experiments. Listeners transcribed simple/short and more complex/longer sentences embedded in noise. The sentences were spoken by three talkers of varying intelligibility: one native, one high-, and one low-intelligibility non-native English speakers. The effect of linguistic structure on sentence recognition accuracy was modulated by talker intelligibility. Accuracy was disadvantaged by increasing complexity only for the native and high intelligibility foreign-accented talkers, whereas no such effect was found for the low intelligibility foreign-accented talker. This pattern emerged across conditions: low and high signal-to-noise ratios, mixed and blocked stimulus presentation, and in the absence of a major cue to prosodic structure, the natural pitch contour of the sentences. Moreover, the pattern generalized to a different set of three talkers that matched the intelligibility of the original talkers. Taken together, the results in this study suggest that listeners employ qualitatively different speech processing strategies for low- versus high-intelligibility foreign-accented talkers, with sentence-related linguistic factors only emerging for speech over a threshold of intelligibility. Findings are discussed in the context of alternative accounts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dorina Strori
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Ann R Bradlow
- Department of Linguistics, Northwestern University, 2016 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Pamela E Souza
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Wu T, Chen C, Spagna A, Wu X, Mackie M, Russell‐Giller S, Xu P, Luo Y, Liu X, Hof PR, Fan J. The functional anatomy of cognitive control: A domain‐general brain network for uncertainty processing. J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:1265-1292. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 10/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Wu
- Department of Psychology, Queens CollegeThe City University of New York Queens New York
| | - Caiqi Chen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of PsychologySouth China Normal University Guangzhou China
| | - Alfredo Spagna
- Department of PsychologyColumbia University in the City of New York New York New York
| | - Xia Wu
- Faculty of PsychologyTianjin Normal University Tianjin China
| | - Melissa‐Ann Mackie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago Illinois
| | - Shira Russell‐Giller
- Department of Psychology, Queens CollegeThe City University of New York Queens New York
| | - Pengfei Xu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Neuroscience, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive NeuroscienceShenzhen University Shenzhen China
| | - Yue‐jia Luo
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Neuroscience, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive NeuroscienceShenzhen University Shenzhen China
| | - Xun Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Patrick R. Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain InstituteIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York New York
| | - Jin Fan
- Department of Psychology, Queens CollegeThe City University of New York Queens New York
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Saarinen T, Kujala J, Laaksonen H, Jalava A, Salmelin R. Task-Modulated Corticocortical Synchrony in the Cognitive-Motor Network Supporting Handwriting. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:1871-1886. [PMID: 31670795 PMCID: PMC7132916 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Revised: 08/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Both motor and cognitive aspects of behavior depend on dynamic, accurately timed neural processes in large-scale brain networks. Here, we studied synchronous interplay between cortical regions during production of cognitive-motor sequences in humans. Specifically, variants of handwriting that differed in motor variability, linguistic content, and memorization of movement cues were contrasted to unveil functional sensitivity of corticocortical connections. Data-driven magnetoencephalography mapping (n = 10) uncovered modulation of mostly left-hemispheric corticocortical interactions, as quantified by relative changes in phase synchronization. At low frequencies (~2–13 Hz), enhanced frontoparietal synchrony was related to regular handwriting, whereas premotor cortical regions synchronized for simple loop production and temporo-occipital areas for a writing task substituting normal script with loop patterns. At the beta-to-gamma band (~13–45 Hz), enhanced synchrony was observed for regular handwriting in the central and frontoparietal regions, including connections between the sensorimotor and supplementary motor cortices and between the parietal and dorsal premotor/precentral cortices. Interpreted within a modular framework, these modulations of synchrony mainly highlighted interactions of the putative pericentral subsystem of hand coordination and the frontoparietal subsystem mediating working memory operations. As part of cortical dynamics, interregional phase synchrony varies depending on task demands in production of cognitive-motor sequences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Timo Saarinen
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, FI-00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland
- Aalto NeuroImaging, Aalto University, FI-00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland
- Address correspondence to Timo Saarinen, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 12200, FI-00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland.
| | - Jan Kujala
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, FI-00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Hannu Laaksonen
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, FI-00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland
- Aalto NeuroImaging, Aalto University, FI-00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland
| | - Antti Jalava
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, FI-00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland
| | - Riitta Salmelin
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, FI-00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland
- Aalto NeuroImaging, Aalto University, FI-00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Lin N, Xu Y, Yang H, Zhang G, Zhang M, Wang S, Hua H, Li X. Dissociating the neural correlates of the sociality and plausibility effects in simple conceptual combination. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:995-1008. [PMID: 32140848 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02052-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies have indicated that a brain network distributed in the supramodal cortical regions of the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes plays a central role in conceptual processing. The activation of this network is modulated by two orthogonal dimensions in conceptual processing-the semantic features of individual concepts and the meaningfulness of conceptual combinations-but it remains unclear how the network is functionally organized along these two dimensions. In this fMRI study, we focused on two specific factors, i.e. the social semantic richness of words and the semantic plausibility of word combinations, along the two dimensions. In literature, the distributions of the effects of the two factors are very similar, but have not been rigorously compared in one study. We orthogonally manipulated the two factors in a phrase comprehension task and found a clear dissociation between their effects. The combination of these results with our previous findings reveals three adjacently distributed subnetworks of the supramodal semantic network, associated with the sociality effect, imageability effect, and semantic plausibility effect, respectively. Further analysis of the resting-state functional connectivity data indicated that the functional dissociation among the three subnetworks is associated with their underlying intrinsic connectivity structures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nan Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, 100101, China. .,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Yangwen Xu
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, 38123, Trento, Italy.,International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), 34136, Trieste, Italy
| | - Huichao Yang
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Guangyao Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, 100101, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Meimei Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Shaonan Wang
- National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, CASIA, Beijing, 100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Huimin Hua
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, 100101, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xingshan Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, 100101, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Roverud E, Bradlow A, Kidd G. Examining the sentence superiority effect for sentences presented and reported in forwards or backwards order. APPLIED PSYCHOLINGUISTICS 2020; 41:381-400. [PMID: 34121781 PMCID: PMC8191368 DOI: 10.1017/s014271642000003x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Memory for speech benefits from linguistic structure. Recall is better for sentences than for random strings of words (the "sentence superiority effect"; SSE), and evidence suggests that ongoing speech may be organized advantageously as clauses in memory (recall by word position shows within-clause "U shape"). In this study, we examined the SSE and clause-based organization for closed-set speech materials with low semantic predictability and without typical prosody. An overall SSE was observed and accuracy by word position was enhanced at the clause boundaries for these materials. Next, we tested the effects of mental manipulation on the SSE and clause-based organization. Listeners heard word strings that were syntactic, were arranged syntactically then presented backwards, or were random draws. Participants responded to materials as presented or in reversed order, requiring mental manipulation. Clause-level organization was apparent only for materials presented in syntactic order regardless of response order. After accounting for benefits due to reductions in uncertainty for these close-set materials, an SSE was present for syntactic materials regardless of response order, and for the syntactic backwards condition with reverse-order response (yielding a syntactically correct sentence in the response). Thus, the SSE was both resistant to and could be obtained following mental manipulation.
Collapse
|
16
|
Müsch K, Himberger K, Tan KM, Valiante TA, Honey CJ. Transformation of speech sequences in human sensorimotor circuits. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:3203-3213. [PMID: 31996476 PMCID: PMC7022155 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1910939117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
After we listen to a series of words, we can silently replay them in our mind. Does this mental replay involve a reactivation of our original perceptual dynamics? We recorded electrocorticographic (ECoG) activity across the lateral cerebral cortex as people heard and then mentally rehearsed spoken sentences. For each region, we tested whether silent rehearsal of sentences involved reactivation of sentence-specific representations established during perception or transformation to a distinct representation. In sensorimotor and premotor cortex, we observed reliable and temporally precise responses to speech; these patterns transformed to distinct sentence-specific representations during mental rehearsal. In contrast, we observed less reliable and less temporally precise responses in prefrontal and temporoparietal cortex; these higher-order representations, which were sensitive to sentence semantics, were shared across perception and rehearsal of the same sentence. The mental rehearsal of natural speech involves the transformation of stimulus-locked speech representations in sensorimotor and premotor cortex, combined with diffuse reactivation of higher-order semantic representations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Müsch
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218;
| | - Kevin Himberger
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
| | - Kean Ming Tan
- Department of Statistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Taufik A Valiante
- Krembil Research Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada
| | - Christopher J Honey
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Mascelloni M, Zamparelli R, Vespignani F, Gruber T, Mueller JL. Distinct Neural Processes for Memorizing Form and Meaning Within Sentences. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:412. [PMID: 31866842 PMCID: PMC6906200 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In order to memorize sentences we use both processes of language comprehension during encoding and processes of language production during maintenance. While the former processes are easily testable via controlled presentation of the input, the latter are more difficult to assess directly as language production is typically initiated and controlled internally. In the present event-related potential (ERP) study we track subvocal rehearsal of sentences, with the goal of studying the concomitant planning processes with the help of a silent cued-production task. Native German participants read different types of sentences word-by-word, then were prompted by a visual cue to silently repeat each individual word, in a rehearsal phase. In order to assess both local and global effects of sentence planning, we presented correct sentences, syntactically or semantically violated sentences, or random word order sequences. Semantic violations during reading elicited an N400 effect at the noun violating the selectional restrictions of the preceding verb. Syntactic violations, induced by a gender incongruency between determiner and noun, led to a P600 effect at the same position. Different ERP patterns occurred during the silent production phase. Here, semantically violated sentences elicited an early fronto-central negativity at the verb, while syntactically violated sentences elicited a late right-frontal positivity at the determiner. Random word order was accompanied by long-lasting slow waves during the production phase. The findings are consistent with models of hierarchical sentence planning and further indicate that the ongoing working memory processes are qualitatively distinct from comprehension mechanisms and neurophysiologically specific for syntactic and lexical-semantic level planning. In conclusion, active working memory maintenance of sentences is likely to comprise specific stages of sentence production that are indicated by ERP correlates of syntactic and semantic planning at the phrasal and clausal level respectively.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Mascelloni
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | | | | | - Thomas Gruber
- Institute of Psychology, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Jutta L. Mueller
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Shared neural resources of rhythm and syntax: An ALE meta-analysis. Neuropsychologia 2019; 137:107284. [PMID: 31783081 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A growing body of evidence has highlighted behavioral connections between musical rhythm and linguistic syntax, suggesting that these abilities may be mediated by common neural resources. Here, we performed a quantitative meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies using activation likelihood estimate (ALE) to localize the shared neural structures engaged in a representative set of musical rhythm (rhythm, beat, and meter) and linguistic syntax (merge movement, and reanalysis) operations. Rhythm engaged a bilateral sensorimotor network throughout the brain consisting of the inferior frontal gyri, supplementary motor area, superior temporal gyri/temporoparietal junction, insula, intraparietal lobule, and putamen. By contrast, syntax mostly recruited the left sensorimotor network including the inferior frontal gyrus, posterior superior temporal gyrus, premotor cortex, and supplementary motor area. Intersections between rhythm and syntax maps yielded overlapping regions in the left inferior frontal gyrus, left supplementary motor area, and bilateral insula-neural substrates involved in temporal hierarchy processing and predictive coding. Together, this is the first neuroimaging meta-analysis providing detailed anatomical overlap of sensorimotor regions recruited for musical rhythm and linguistic syntax.
Collapse
|
19
|
Discourse management during speech perception: A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study. Neuroimage 2019; 202:116047. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
|
20
|
Gehrig J, Michalareas G, Forster MT, Lei J, Hok P, Laufs H, Senft C, Seifert V, Schoffelen JM, Hanslmayr S, Kell CA. Low-Frequency Oscillations Code Speech during Verbal Working Memory. J Neurosci 2019; 39:6498-6512. [PMID: 31196933 PMCID: PMC6697399 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0018-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Revised: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The way the human brain represents speech in memory is still unknown. An obvious characteristic of speech is its evolvement over time. During speech processing, neural oscillations are modulated by the temporal properties of the acoustic speech signal, but also acquired knowledge on the temporal structure of language influences speech perception-related brain activity. This suggests that speech could be represented in the temporal domain, a form of representation that the brain also uses to encode autobiographic memories. Empirical evidence for such a memory code is lacking. We investigated the nature of speech memory representations using direct cortical recordings in the left perisylvian cortex during delayed sentence reproduction in female and male patients undergoing awake tumor surgery. Our results reveal that the brain endogenously represents speech in the temporal domain. Temporal pattern similarity analyses revealed that the phase of frontotemporal low-frequency oscillations, primarily in the beta range, represents sentence identity in working memory. The positive relationship between beta power during working memory and task performance suggests that working memory representations benefit from increased phase separation.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Memory is an endogenous source of information based on experience. While neural oscillations encode autobiographic memories in the temporal domain, little is known on their contribution to memory representations of human speech. Our electrocortical recordings in participants who maintain sentences in memory identify the phase of left frontotemporal beta oscillations as the most prominent information carrier of sentence identity. These observations provide evidence for a theoretical model on speech memory representations and explain why interfering with beta oscillations in the left inferior frontal cortex diminishes verbal working memory capacity. The lack of sentence identity coding at the syllabic rate suggests that sentences are represented in memory in a more abstract form compared with speech coding during speech perception and production.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Gehrig
- Department of Neurology, Goethe University, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany
| | | | | | - Juan Lei
- Department of Neurology, Goethe University, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany
- Institute for Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Pavel Hok
- Department of Neurology, Goethe University, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Palacky University and University Hospital Olomouc, 77147 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Helmut Laufs
- Department of Neurology, Goethe University, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Christian-Albrechts-University, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Christian Senft
- Department of Neurosurgery, Goethe University, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Volker Seifert
- Department of Neurosurgery, Goethe University, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jan-Mathijs Schoffelen
- Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, 6525 HR Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and
| | - Simon Hanslmayr
- School of Psychology at University of Birmingham, B15 2TT Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Christian A Kell
- Department of Neurology, Goethe University, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany,
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Perturbation of left posterior prefrontal cortex modulates top-down processing in sentence comprehension. Neuroimage 2018; 181:598-604. [PMID: 30055371 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.07.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Revised: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Communication is an inferential process. In particular, language comprehension constantly requires top-down efforts, as often multiple interpretations are compatible with a given sentence. To assess top-down processing in the language domain, our experiment employed ambiguous sentences that allow for multiple interpretations (e.g., The client sued the murderer with the corrupt lawyer., where the corrupt lawyer could either belong to The client or the murderer). Interpretation thus depended on whether participants chunk the words of the sentence into short or long syntactic phrases. In principle, bottom-up acoustic information (i.e., the presence or absence of an intonational phrase boundary at the offset of the murderer) indicates one of the two possible interpretations. Yet, acoustic information often indicates interpretations that require words to be chunked into overly long phrases that would overburden working memory. Processing is biased against these demands, reflected in a top-down preference to chunk words into short rather than long phrases. It is often proposed, but also hotly debated, that the ability to chunk words into short phrases is subserved by the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Here, we employed focal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to perturb the left IFG, which resulted in a further decrease of the aptitude to tolerate long phrases, indicating the inability of the left IFG to assist the chunking of words into phrases. In contrast, the processing of auditory information was not affected. Our findings support a causal top-down role of the left inferior frontal gyrus in the chunking of words into phrases.
Collapse
|
22
|
Meyer L, Henry MJ, Gaston P, Schmuck N, Friederici AD. Linguistic Bias Modulates Interpretation of Speech via Neural Delta-Band Oscillations. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:4293-4302. [PMID: 27566979 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Accepted: 07/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Language comprehension requires that single words be grouped into syntactic phrases, as words in sentences are too many to memorize individually. In speech, acoustic and syntactic grouping patterns mostly align. However, when ambiguous sentences allow for alternative grouping patterns, comprehenders may form phrases that contradict speech prosody. While delta-band oscillations are known to track prosody, we hypothesized that linguistic grouping bias can modulate the interpretational impact of speech prosody in ambiguous situations, which should surface in delta-band oscillations when grouping patterns chosen by comprehenders differ from those indicated by prosody. In our auditory electroencephalography study, the interpretation of ambiguous sentences depended on whether an identical word was either followed by a prosodic boundary or not, thereby signaling the ending or continuation of the current phrase. Delta-band oscillatory phase at the critical word should reflect whether participants terminate a phrase despite a lack of acoustic boundary cues. Crossing speech prosody with participants' grouping choice, we observed a main effect of grouping choice-independent of prosody. An internal linguistic bias for grouping words into phrases can thus modulate the interpretational impact of speech prosody via delta-band oscillatory phase.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lars Meyer
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04303 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Molly J Henry
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada N6G 1H1
| | - Phoebe Gaston
- Department of Linguistics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD20742-7505, USA
| | - Noura Schmuck
- Department of English and Linguistics, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04303 Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Vassileiou B, Meyer L, Beese C, Friederici AD. Alignment of alpha-band desynchronization with syntactic structure predicts successful sentence comprehension. Neuroimage 2018; 175:286-296. [PMID: 29627592 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sentence comprehension requires the encoding of phrases and their relationships into working memory. To date, despite the importance of neural oscillations in language comprehension, the neural-oscillatory dynamics of sentence encoding are only sparsely understood. Although oscillations in a wide range of frequency bands have been reported both for the encoding of unstructured word lists and for working-memory intensive sentences, it is unclear to what extent these frequency bands subserve processes specific to the working-memory component of sentence comprehension or to general verbal working memory. In our auditory electroencephalography study, we isolated the working-memory component of sentence comprehension by adapting a subsequent memory paradigm to sentence comprehension and assessing oscillatory power changes during successful sentence encoding. Time-frequency analyses and source reconstruction revealed alpha-power desynchronization in left-hemispheric language-relevant regions during successful sentence encoding. We further showed that sentence encoding was more successful when source-level alpha-band desynchronization aligned with computational measures of syntactic-compared to lexical-semantic-difficulty. Our results are a preliminary indication of a domain-general mechanism of cortical disinhibition via alpha-band desynchronization superimposed onto the language-relevant cortex, which is beneficial for encoding sentences into working memory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benedict Vassileiou
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Lars Meyer
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Caroline Beese
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Li AWY, Viñas-Guasch N, Hui CLM, Chang WC, Chan SKW, Lee EHM, Chen EYH. Verbal working memory in schizophrenia: The role of syntax in facilitating serial recall. Schizophr Res 2018; 192:294-299. [PMID: 28392209 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2016] [Revised: 03/23/2017] [Accepted: 04/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Deficits in verbal working memory (VWM) have consistently been observed in schizophrenia, ranging from impairments in capacity, encoding, to irregular semantic organisation. However, syntactic deficits are less well-characterised, despite its crucial role in language construction. This study examines the role of simple syntactic structure (basis of the "sentence superiority effect") in VWM of patients with psychotic disorders. METHODS Patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (n=40) and healthy controls matched on age, sex and education (n=40) were administered an auditory serial recall task containing word lists with low semantic coherence and either syntactically familiar structure (noun-verb-noun sequence) or syntactically unfamiliar structure. Other neurocognitive measures, symptoms and social functioning of patients were also assessed. RESULTS A 4-way analysis of variance (group×version×list type×serial position) indicated that patients had significantly worse performance overall, suggesting a generalised verbal memory impairment. In addition, a significant interaction was found for list type and Group, demonstrating that healthy controls, but not patients, had superior performance in syntactically familiar word lists. A subgroup analysis of high-performing patients revealed that the interaction was not an artefact of poor verbal memory, but a selective deficit in syntactic facilitation. CONCLUSIONS Our findings may suggest segregated mechanisms for maintenance and computational aspects of VWM, and show that even simple syntactic structure facilitates recall of syntactically unfamiliar words lists. Additionally, schizophrenic patients show difficulty utilising syntactic information, which highlights the need to understand the neuropsychological basis of working memory and linguistic impairments in psychosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adrienne W Y Li
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, 102 Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Nestor Viñas-Guasch
- Centre for Brain and Education. Department of Education and Human Development, The Education University of Hong Kong, 10 Lo Ping Road, Tai Po N.T., Hong Kong, China
| | - Christy L M Hui
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, 102 Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wing-Chung Chang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, 102 Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Sherry K W Chan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, 102 Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Edwin H M Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, 102 Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Eric Y H Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, 102 Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Hong Kong, 5 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, China
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Differential cortical contribution of syntax and semantics: An fMRI study on two-word phrasal processing. Cortex 2017; 96:105-120. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2017] [Revised: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
26
|
Meltzer JA, Kielar A, Panamsky L, Links KA, Deschamps T, Leigh RC. Electrophysiological signatures of phonological and semantic maintenance in sentence repetition. Neuroimage 2017; 156:302-314. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Revised: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
|
27
|
Bonhage CE, Meyer L, Gruber T, Friederici AD, Mueller JL. Oscillatory EEG dynamics underlying automatic chunking during sentence processing. Neuroimage 2017; 152:647-657. [PMID: 28288909 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Revised: 03/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sentences are easier to remember than random word sequences, likely because linguistic regularities facilitate chunking of words into meaningful groups. The present electroencephalography study investigated the neural oscillations modulated by this so-called sentence superiority effect during the encoding and maintenance of sentence fragments versus word lists. We hypothesized a chunking-related modulation of neural processing during the encoding and retention of sentences (i.e., sentence fragments) as compared to word lists. Time-frequency analysis revealed a two-fold oscillatory pattern for the memorization of sentences: Sentence encoding was accompanied by higher delta amplitude (4Hz), originating both from regions processing syntax as well as semantics (bilateral superior/middle temporal regions and fusiform gyrus). Subsequent sentence retention was reflected in decreased theta (6Hz) and beta/gamma (27-32Hz) amplitude instead. Notably, whether participants simply read or properly memorized the sentences did not impact chunking-related activity during encoding. Therefore, we argue that the sentence superiority effect is grounded in highly automatized language processing mechanisms, which generate meaningful memory chunks irrespective of task demands.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Corinna E Bonhage
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Neuropsychology Department, Leipzig, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Neuroscience Department, Frankfurt a. M., Germany.
| | - Lars Meyer
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Neuropsychology Department, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas Gruber
- Institute of Psychology, Osnabrueck University, Osnabrueck, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Neuropsychology Department, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jutta L Mueller
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Neuropsychology Department, Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Science, Osnabrueck University, Osnabrueck, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Bonhage CE, Mueller JL, Friederici AD, Fiebach CJ. Combined eye tracking and fMRI reveals neural basis of linguistic predictions during sentence comprehension. Cortex 2015; 68:33-47. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2015.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Revised: 03/21/2015] [Accepted: 04/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
29
|
Memory integration in amnesia: prior knowledge supports verbal short-term memory. Neuropsychologia 2015; 70:272-80. [PMID: 25752585 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2014] [Revised: 01/22/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) have traditionally been considered cognitively distinct. However, it is known that STM can improve when to-be-remembered information appears in contexts that make contact with prior knowledge, suggesting a more interactive relationship between STM and LTM. The current study investigated whether the ability to leverage LTM in support of STM critically depends on the integrity of the hippocampus. Specifically, we investigated whether the hippocampus differentially supports between-domain versus within-domain STM-LTM integration given prior evidence that the representational domain of the elements being integrated in memory is a critical determinant of whether memory performance depends on the hippocampus. In Experiment 1, we investigated hippocampal contributions to within-domain STM-LTM integration by testing whether immediate verbal recall of words improves in MTL amnesic patients when words are presented in familiar verbal contexts (meaningful sentences) compared to unfamiliar verbal contexts (random word lists). Patients demonstrated a robust sentence superiority effect, whereby verbal STM performance improved in familiar compared to unfamiliar verbal contexts, and the magnitude of this effect did not differ from that in controls. In Experiment 2, we investigated hippocampal contributions to between-domain STM-LTM integration by testing whether immediate verbal recall of digits improves in MTL amnesic patients when digits are presented in a familiar visuospatial context (a typical keypad layout) compared to an unfamiliar visuospatial context (a random keypad layout). Immediate verbal recall improved in both patients and controls when digits were presented in the familiar compared to the unfamiliar keypad array, indicating a preserved ability to integrate activated verbal information with stored visuospatial knowledge. Together, these results demonstrate that immediate verbal recall in amnesia can benefit from two distinct types of semantic support, verbal and visuospatial, and that the hippocampus is not critical for leveraging stored semantic knowledge to improve memory performance.
Collapse
|
30
|
Rodd JM, Vitello S, Woollams AM, Adank P. Localising semantic and syntactic processing in spoken and written language comprehension: an Activation Likelihood Estimation meta-analysis. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2015; 141:89-102. [PMID: 25576690 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2014.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2014] [Revised: 11/03/2014] [Accepted: 11/22/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
We conducted an Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) meta-analysis to identify brain regions that are recruited by linguistic stimuli requiring relatively demanding semantic or syntactic processing. We included 54 functional MRI studies that explicitly varied the semantic or syntactic processing load, while holding constant demands on earlier stages of processing. We included studies that introduced a syntactic/semantic ambiguity or anomaly, used a priming manipulation that specifically reduced the load on semantic/syntactic processing, or varied the level of syntactic complexity. The results confirmed the critical role of the posterior left Inferior Frontal Gyrus (LIFG) in semantic and syntactic processing. These results challenge models of sentence comprehension highlighting the role of anterior LIFG for semantic processing. In addition, the results emphasise the posterior (but not anterior) temporal lobe for both semantic and syntactic processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Rodd
- Department of Cognitive, Perceptual and Brain Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sylvia Vitello
- Department of Cognitive, Perceptual and Brain Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Anna M Woollams
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Patti Adank
- Department of Speech, Hearing, and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom; School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|