1
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Issard C, Tsuji S, Cristia A. Infants' preference for speech is stable across the first year of life: Meta-analytic evidence. INFANCY 2023; 28:550-568. [PMID: 36738193 DOI: 10.1111/infa.12529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Previous work suggested that humans' sophisticated speech perception abilities stem from an early capacity to pay attention to speech in the auditory environment. What are the roots of this early preference? We assess the extent to which it is due to it being a vocal sound, a natural sound, and a familiar sound through a meta-analytic approach, classifying experiments as a function of whether they used native or foreign speech and whether the competitor, against which preference is tested, was vocal or non-vocal, natural or artificial. We also tested for the effect of age. Synthesizing data from 791 infants across 39 experiments, we found a medium effect size, confirming at the scale of the literature that infants reliably prefer speech over other sounds. This preference was not significantly moderated by the language used, vocal quality, or naturalness of the competitor, nor by infant age. The current body of evidence appears most compatible with the hypothesis that speech is preferred consistently as such and not just due to its vocal, natural, or familiar nature. We discuss limitations of the extant body of work on speech preference, including evidence consistent with a publication bias and low representation of certain stimuli types and ages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Issard
- Département d'Études Cognitives, Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, École Normale Superieure, Paris, France
| | - Sho Tsuji
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Alejandrina Cristia
- Département d'Études Cognitives, Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, École Normale Superieure, Paris, France
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2
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Wang Y, Wu M, Wu K, Liu H, Wu S, Zhang Z, Liu M, Wei C, Zhang YX, Liu Y. Differential auditory cortical development in left and right cochlear implanted children. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:5438-5454. [PMID: 35165693 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Unilateral aural stimulation has been shown to cause massive cortical reorganization in brain with congenital deafness, particularly during the sensitive period of brain development. However, it is unclear which side of stimulation provides most advantages for auditory development. The left hemisphere dominance of speech and linguistic processing in normal hearing adult brain has led to the assumption of functional and developmental advantages of right over left implantation, but existing evidence is controversial. To test this assumption and provide evidence for clinical choice, we examined 34 prelingually deaf children with unilateral cochlear implants using near-infrared spectroscopy. While controlling for age of implantation, residual hearing, and dominant hand, cortical processing of speech showed neither developmental progress nor influence of implantation side weeks to months after implant activation. In sharp contrast, for nonspeech (music signal vs. noise) processing, left implantation showed functional advantages over right implantation that were not yet discernable using clinical, questionnaire-based outcome measures. These findings support the notion that the right hemisphere develops earlier and is better preserved from adverse environmental influences than its left counterpart. This study thus provides, to our knowledge, the first evidence for differential influences of left and right auditory peripheral stimulation on early cortical development of the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyang Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.,Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital (First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), Changsha 610041, China
| | - Meiyun Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Kun Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Haotian Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.,Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Shinan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Zhikai Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.,Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100043, China
| | - Min Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Chaogang Wei
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Yu-Xuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yuhe Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China
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3
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Bertachini ALL, Januario GC, Novi SL, Mesquita RC, Silva MAR, Andrade GMQ, de Resende LM, de Miranda DM. Hearing brain evaluated using near-infrared spectroscopy in congenital toxoplasmosis. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10135. [PMID: 33980948 PMCID: PMC8115034 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89481-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Congenital toxoplasmosis (CT) is a known cause of hearing loss directly caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Hearing loss might result from sensory, neural, or sensorineural lesions. Early treated infants rarely develop hearing loss, but retinochoroidal lesions, intracranial calcifications and hydrocephalus are common. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the brain evoked hemodynamic responses of CT and healthy infants during four auditory stimuli: mother infant directed speech, researcher infant directed speech, mother reading and researcher recorded. Children underwent Transitionally Evoked Otoacoustic Emission Auditory Testing and Automated Brainstem Auditory Response tests with normal auditory results, but with a tendency for greater latencies in the CT group compared to the control group. We assessed brain hemodynamics with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measurements from 61 infants, and we present fNIRS results as frequency maps of activation and deactivation for each stimulus. By evaluating infants in the three first months of life, we observed an individual heterogeneous brain activation pattern in response to all auditory stimuli for both groups. Each channel was activated or deactivated in less than 30% of children for all stimuli. There is a need of prospective studies to evaluate if the neurologic or auditory changes course with compromise of children outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Lívia Libardi Bertachini
- Department of Pediatrics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,NUPAD - Center for Newborn Screening and Genetic Diagnostics, UFMG - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Cintra Januario
- Department of Pediatrics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,NUPAD - Center for Newborn Screening and Genetic Diagnostics, UFMG - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Sergio Luiz Novi
- "Gleb Wataghin'' Institute of Physics, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | | | | | - Gláucia Manzan Queiroz Andrade
- Department of Pediatrics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,NUPAD - Center for Newborn Screening and Genetic Diagnostics, UFMG - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Luciana Macedo de Resende
- Department of Speech and Hearing Therapy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,NUPAD - Center for Newborn Screening and Genetic Diagnostics, UFMG - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Débora Marques de Miranda
- Department of Pediatrics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. .,Centro de Tecnologia Em Medicina Molecular, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena 190, Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30130-100, Brazil.
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4
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Bisiacchi P, Cainelli E. Structural and functional brain asymmetries in the early phases of life: a scoping review. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 227:479-496. [PMID: 33738578 PMCID: PMC8843922 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02256-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Asymmetry characterizes the brain in both structure and function. Anatomical asymmetries explain only a fraction of functional variability in lateralization, with structural and functional asymmetries developing at different periods of life and in different ways. In this work, we perform a scoping review of the cerebral asymmetries in the first brain development phases. We included all English-written studies providing direct evidence of hemispheric asymmetries in full-term neonates, foetuses, and premature infants, both at term post-conception and before. The final analysis included 57 studies. The reviewed literature shows large variability in the used techniques and methodological procedures. Most structural studies investigated the temporal lobe, showing a temporal planum more pronounced on the left than on the right (although not all data agree), a morphological asymmetry already present from the 29th week of gestation. Other brain structures have been poorly investigated, and the results are even more discordant. Unlike data on structural asymmetries, functional data agree with each other, identifying a leftward dominance for speech stimuli and an overall dominance of the right hemisphere in all other functional conditions. This generalized dominance of the right hemisphere for all conditions (except linguistic stimuli) is in line with theories stating that the right hemisphere develops earlier and that its development is less subject to external influences because it sustains functions necessary to survive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Bisiacchi
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35121, Padova, Italy. .,Padova Neuroscience Centre, PNC, Padova, Italy.
| | - Elisa Cainelli
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35121, Padova, Italy
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5
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Piazza C, Cantiani C, Miyakoshi M, Riva V, Molteni M, Reni G, Makeig S. EEG Effective Source Projections Are More Bilaterally Symmetric in Infants Than in Adults. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:82. [PMID: 32226371 PMCID: PMC7080990 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Although anatomical brain hemispheric asymmetries have been clearly documented in the infant brain, findings concerning functional hemispheric specialization have been inconsistent. The present report aims to assess whether bilaterally symmetric synchronous activity between the two hemispheres is a characteristic of the infant brain. To asses cortical bilateral synchronicity, we used decomposition by independent component analysis (ICA) of high-density electroencephalographic (EEG) data collected in an auditory passive oddball paradigm. Decompositions of concatenated 64-channel EEG data epochs from each of 34 typically developing 6-month-old infants and from 18 healthy young adults participating in the same passive auditory oddball protocol were compared to characterize differences in functional brain organization between early life and adulthood. Our results show that infant EEG decompositions comprised a larger number of independent component (IC) effective source processes compatible with a cortical origin and having bilaterally near-symmetric scalp projections (13.8% of the infant data ICs presented a bilateral pattern vs. 4.3% of the adult data ICs). These IC projections could be modeled as the sum of potentials volume-conducted to the scalp from synchronous locally coherent field activities in corresponding left and right cortical source areas. To conclude, in this paradigm, source-resolved infant brain EEG exhibited more bilateral synchronicity than EEG produced by the adult brain, supporting the hypothesis that more strongly unilateral and likely more functionally specialized unihemispheric cortical field activities are concomitants of brain maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Piazza
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bioengineering Lab, Lecco, Italy
| | - Chiara Cantiani
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Child Psychopathology Unit, Lecco, Italy
| | - Makoto Miyakoshi
- Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, Institute for Neural Computation, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Valentina Riva
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Child Psychopathology Unit, Lecco, Italy
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Child Psychopathology Unit, Lecco, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Reni
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bioengineering Lab, Lecco, Italy
| | - Scott Makeig
- Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, Institute for Neural Computation, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
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6
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Cantiani C, Ortiz-Mantilla S, Riva V, Piazza C, Bettoni R, Musacchia G, Molteni M, Marino C, Benasich AA. Reduced left-lateralized pattern of event-related EEG oscillations in infants at familial risk for language and learning impairment. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 22:101778. [PMID: 30901712 PMCID: PMC6428938 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The ability to rapidly discriminate successive auditory stimuli within tens-of-milliseconds is crucial for speech and language development, particularly in the first year of life. This skill, called Rapid Auditory Processing (RAP), is altered in infants at familial risk for language and learning impairment (LLI) and is a robust predictor of later language outcomes. In the present study, we investigate the neural substrates of RAP, i.e., the underlying neural oscillatory patterns, in a group of Italian 6-month-old infants at risk for LLI (FH+, n = 24), compared to control infants with no known family history of LLI (FH−, n = 32). Brain responses to rapid changes in fundamental frequency and duration were recorded via high-density electroencephalogram during a non-speech double oddball paradigm. Sources of event-related potential generators were localized to right and left auditory regions in both FH+ and FH− groups. Time-frequency analyses showed variations in both theta (Ɵ) and gamma (ɣ) ranges across groups. Our results showed that overall RAP stimuli elicited a more left-lateralized pattern of oscillations in FH− infants, whereas FH+ infants demonstrated a more right-lateralized pattern, in both the theta and gamma frequency bands. Interestingly, FH+ infants showed reduced early left gamma power (starting at 50 ms after stimulus onset) during deviant discrimination. Perturbed oscillatory dynamics may well constitute a candidate neural mechanism to explain group differences in RAP. Additional group differences in source location suggest that anatomical variations may underlie differences in oscillatory activity. Regarding the predictive value of early oscillatory measures, we found that the amplitude of the source response and the magnitude of oscillatory power and phase synchrony were predictive of expressive vocabulary at 20 months of age. These results further our understanding of the interplay among neural mechanisms that support typical and atypical rapid auditory processing in infancy. Neural sources of RAP in infancy were identified at right/left auditory regions. FH− infants demonstrated a mature left-lateralized pattern of neural oscillations. FH+ infants demonstrated a more right-lateralized pattern of neural oscillations. FH+ infants showed reduced left gamma power during rapid auditory discrimination. Source and oscillatory measures are both associated with later language skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Cantiani
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy.
| | | | - Valentina Riva
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Caterina Piazza
- Bioengineering Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Roberta Bettoni
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy; Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Gabriella Musacchia
- Department of Audiology, University of the Pacific, USA; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University, USA
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Cecilia Marino
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - April A Benasich
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, USA
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7
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de Roever I, Bale G, Mitra S, Meek J, Robertson NJ, Tachtsidis I. Investigation of the Pattern of the Hemodynamic Response as Measured by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Studies in Newborns, Less Than a Month Old: A Systematic Review. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:371. [PMID: 30333736 PMCID: PMC6176492 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been 20 years since functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was first used to investigate the evoked hemodynamic response to a stimulus in newborns. The hemodynamic response to functional activation is well-established in adults, with an observed increase in concentration change of oxygenated hemoglobin (Δ[HbO2]) and decrease in deoxygenated hemoglobin (Δ[HHb]). However, functional studies in newborns have revealed a mixed response, particularly with Δ[HHb] where an inconsistent change in direction is observed. The reason for this heterogeneity is unknown, with potential explanations arising from differing physiology in the developing brain, or differences in instrumentation or methodology. The aim of this review is to collate the findings from studies that have employed fNIRS to monitor cerebral hemodynamics in term newborn infants aged 1 day-1 month. A total of 46 eligible studies were identified; some studies investigated more than one stimulus type, resulting in a total of 51 reported results. The NIRS parameters reported varied across studies with 50/51 cases reporting Δ[HbO2], 39/51 reporting Δ[HHb], and 13/51 reporting total hemoglobin concentration Δ[HbT] (Δ[HbO2] + Δ[HHb]). However, of the 39 cases reporting Δ[HHb] in graphs or tables, only 24 studies explicitly discussed the response (i.e., direction of change) of this variable. In the studies where the fNIRS responses were discussed, 46/51 cases observed an increase in Δ[HbO2], 7/51 observed an increase or varied Δ[HHb], and 2/51 reported a varied or negative Δ[HbT]. An increase in Δ[HbO2] and decrease or no change in Δ[HHb] was observed in 15 studies. By reviewing this body of literature, we have identified that the majority of research articles reported an increase in Δ[HbO2] across various functional tasks and did not report the response of Δ[HHb]. Confirming the normal, healthy hemodynamic response in newborns will allow identification of unhealthy patterns and their association to normal neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel de Roever
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gemma Bale
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Subhabrata Mitra
- Department of Neonatology, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Judith Meek
- Department of Neonatology, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola J. Robertson
- Department of Neonatology, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ilias Tachtsidis
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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8
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Tsuji S, Fikkert P, Minagawa Y, Dupoux E, Filippin L, Versteegh M, Hagoort P, Cristia A. The more, the better? Behavioral and neural correlates of frequent and infrequent vowel exposure. Dev Psychobiol 2017; 59:603-612. [PMID: 28561883 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2014] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
A central assumption in the perceptual attunement literature holds that exposure to a speech sound contrast leads to improvement in native speech sound processing. However, whether the amount of exposure matters for this process has not been put to a direct test. We elucidated indicators of frequency-dependent perceptual attunement by comparing 5-8-month-old Dutch infants' discrimination of tokens containing a highly frequent [hɪt-he:t] and a highly infrequent [hʏt-hø:t] native vowel contrast as well as a non-native [hɛt-haet] vowel contrast in a behavioral visual habituation paradigm (Experiment 1). Infants discriminated both native contrasts similarly well, but did not discriminate the non-native contrast. We sought further evidence for subtle differences in the processing of the two native contrasts using near-infrared spectroscopy and a within-participant design (Experiment 2). The neuroimaging data did not provide additional evidence that responses to native contrasts are modulated by frequency of exposure. These results suggest that even large differences in exposure to a native contrast may not directly translate to behavioral and neural indicators of perceptual attunement, raising the possibility that frequency of exposure does not influence improvements in discriminating native contrasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sho Tsuji
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,International Max Planck Research School for Language Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Paula Fikkert
- Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Emmanuel Dupoux
- LSCP, Département d'études cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Luca Filippin
- LSCP, Département d'études cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Maarten Versteegh
- LSCP, Département d'études cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Peter Hagoort
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Alejandrina Cristia
- LSCP, Département d'études cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France.,Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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9
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Responses to vocalizations and auditory controls in the human newborn brain. PLoS One 2014; 9:e115162. [PMID: 25517997 PMCID: PMC4269432 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2014] [Accepted: 11/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
In the adult brain, speech can recruit a brain network that is overlapping with, but not identical to, that involved in perceiving non-linguistic vocalizations. Using the same stimuli that had been presented to human 4-month-olds and adults, as well as adult macaques, we sought to shed light on the cortical networks engaged when human newborns process diverse vocalization types. Near infrared spectroscopy was used to register the response of 40 newborns' perisylvian regions when stimulated with speech, human and macaque emotional vocalizations, as well as auditory controls where the formant structure was destroyed but the long-term spectrum was retained. Left fronto-temporal and parietal regions were significantly activated in the comparison of stimulation versus rest, with unclear selectivity in cortical activation. These results for the newborn brain are qualitatively and quantitatively compared with previous work on newborns, older human infants, adult humans, and adult macaques reported in previous work.
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10
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Gervain J. Near-infrared spectroscopy: recent advances in infant speech perception and language acquisition research. Front Psychol 2014; 5:916. [PMID: 25177312 PMCID: PMC4133647 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2014] [Accepted: 08/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Judit Gervain
- Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, CNRS - Universite Paris Descartes Paris, France
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11
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Cristia A, Minagawa-Kawai Y, Egorova N, Gervain J, Filippin L, Cabrol D, Dupoux E. Neural correlates of infant accent discrimination: an fNIRS study. Dev Sci 2014; 17:628-35. [PMID: 24628942 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2013] [Accepted: 11/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigated the neural correlates of infant discrimination of very similar linguistic varieties (Quebecois and Parisian French) using functional Near InfraRed Spectroscopy. In line with previous behavioral and electrophysiological data, there was no evidence that 3-month-olds discriminated the two regional accents, whereas 5-month-olds did, with the locus of discrimination in left anterior perisylvian regions. These neuroimaging results suggest that a developing language network relying crucially on left perisylvian cortices sustains infants' discrimination of similar linguistic varieties within this early period of infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandrina Cristia
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales - Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France; Neurobiology of Language, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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12
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Homae F. A brain of two halves: insights into interhemispheric organization provided by near-infrared spectroscopy. Neuroimage 2013; 85 Pt 1:354-62. [PMID: 23770412 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2013] [Revised: 05/14/2013] [Accepted: 06/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of functional lateralization and localization of the brain marked the beginning of a new era in neuroscience. While the past 150 years of research have provided a great deal of knowledge of hemispheric differences and functional relationships, the precise organization of functional laterality remains a topic of intense debate. Here I will shed light on the functional organization of the two hemispheres by reviewing some of the most recent functional near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) studies that have reported hemispheric differences in activation patterns. Most NIRS studies using visual stimuli, which revealed functional differentiation between the hemispheres, have reported unilateral activation, i.e., significant levels of activation in only one hemisphere. Auditory stimuli, including speech sounds, elicited bilateral activation, while the limited number of studies on young infants revealed primarily unilateral activation. The stimulus modality and the age of the participants therefore determine whether the resulting cortical activation is unilateral or bilateral. By combining a review of the existing literature with NIRS results regarding homologous connectivity across hemispheres, I hypothesized that the origin of functional lateralization changes from the independence of each hemispheric region, to mutual inhibition between homologous regions during development. Future studies applying multi-modal measurements along with NIRS and spatiotemporal analyses will further deepen our understanding of the interhemispheric organization of brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumitaka Homae
- Department of Language Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami Osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan.
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13
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Minagawa-Kawai Y, Cristia A, Long B, Vendelin I, Hakuno Y, Dutat M, Filippin L, Cabrol D, Dupoux E. Insights on NIRS Sensitivity from a Cross-Linguistic Study on the Emergence of Phonological Grammar. Front Psychol 2013; 4:170. [PMID: 23596428 PMCID: PMC3627311 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2012] [Accepted: 03/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Each language has a unique set of phonemic categories and phonotactic rules which determine permissible sound sequences in that language. Behavioral research demonstrates that one's native language shapes the perception of both sound categories and sound sequences in adults, and neuroimaging results further indicate that the processing of native phonemes and phonotactics involves a left-dominant perisylvian brain network. Recent work using a novel technique, functional Near InfraRed Spectroscopy (NIRS), has suggested that a left-dominant network becomes evident toward the end of the first year of life as infants process phonemic contrasts. The present research project attempted to assess whether the same pattern would be seen for native phonotactics. We measured brain responses in Japanese- and French-learning infants to two contrasts: Abuna vs. Abna (a phonotactic contrast that is native in French, but not in Japanese) and Abuna vs. Abuuna (a vowel length contrast that is native in Japanese, but not in French). Results did not show a significant response to either contrast in either group, unlike both previous behavioral research on phonotactic processing and NIRS work on phonemic processing. To understand these null results, we performed similar NIRS experiments with Japanese adult participants. These data suggest that the infant null results arise from an interaction of multiple factors, involving the suitability of the experimental paradigm for NIRS measurements and stimulus perceptibility. We discuss the challenges facing this novel technique, particularly focusing on the optimal stimulus presentation which could yield strong enough hemodynamic responses when using the change detection paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuyo Minagawa-Kawai
- Graduate School of Human Relations, Keio UniversityTokyo, Japan
- Institut d’Etudes de la Cognition, Ecole Normale SupérieurParis, France
| | - Alejandrina Cristia
- Neurobiology of Language, Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Bria Long
- Department of Psychology, Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA, USA
| | - Inga Vendelin
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, EHESSENS-IES, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Yoko Hakuno
- Graduate School of Human Relations, Keio UniversityTokyo, Japan
| | - Michel Dutat
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, EHESSENS-IES, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Luca Filippin
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, EHESSENS-IES, CNRS, Paris, France
| | | | - Emmanuel Dupoux
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, EHESSENS-IES, CNRS, Paris, France
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Aslin RN. Questioning the questions that have been asked about the infant brain using near-infrared spectroscopy. Cogn Neuropsychol 2012; 29:7-33. [PMID: 22329690 DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2012.654773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a noninvasive diffuse optical-imaging technique that can measure local metabolic demand in the surface of the cortex due to differential absorption of light by oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. Over the past decade, NIRS has become increasingly used as a complement to other neuroimaging techniques, such as electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), particularly in paediatric populations who cannot easily be tested using fMRI and MEG. In this review of empirical findings from human infants, ranging in age from birth to 12 months of age, a number of interpretive concerns are raised about what can be concluded from NIRS data. In addition, inconsistencies across studies are highlighted, and strategies are proposed for enhancing the reliability of NIRS data gathered from infants. Finally, a variety of new and promising advances in NIRS techniques are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard N Aslin
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, NY, USA.
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15
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Arimitsu T, Uchida-Ota M, Yagihashi T, Kojima S, Watanabe S, Hokuto I, Ikeda K, Takahashi T, Minagawa-Kawai Y. Functional hemispheric specialization in processing phonemic and prosodic auditory changes in neonates. Front Psychol 2011; 2:202. [PMID: 21954386 PMCID: PMC3173826 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2010] [Accepted: 08/09/2011] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
This study focuses on the early cerebral base of speech perception by examining functional lateralization in neonates for processing segmental and suprasegmental features of speech. For this purpose, auditory evoked responses of full-term neonates to phonemic and prosodic contrasts were measured in their temporal area and part of the frontal and parietal areas using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Stimuli used here were phonemic contrast /itta/ and /itte/ and prosodic contrast of declarative and interrogative forms /itta/ and /itta?/. The results showed clear hemodynamic responses to both phonemic and prosodic changes in the temporal areas and part of the parietal and frontal regions. In particular, significantly higher hemoglobin (Hb) changes were observed for the prosodic change in the right temporal area than for that in the left one, whereas Hb responses to the vowel change were similarly elicited in bilateral temporal areas. However, Hb responses to the vowel contrast were asymmetrical in the parietal area (around supra marginal gyrus), with stronger activation in the left. These results suggest a specialized function of the right hemisphere in prosody processing, which is already present in neonates. The parietal activities during phonemic processing were discussed in relation to verbal-auditory short-term memory. On the basis of this study and previous studies on older infants, the developmental process of functional lateralization from birth to 2 years of age for vowel and prosody was summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Arimitsu
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Keio University Tokyo, Japan
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