1
|
Irani ZA, Sheridan AMC, Badcock NA, Fox A. Assessing non-right-handedness and atypical cerebral lateralisation as predictors of paediatric mental health difficulties. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 58:4195-4210. [PMID: 37821770 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Research utilising handedness as a proxy for atypical language lateralisation has invoked the latter to explain increased mental health difficulties in left-/mixed-handed children. The current study investigated unique associations between handedness and language lateralisation, handedness and mental health, and language lateralisation and mental health, in children, to elucidate the role of cerebral lateralisation in paediatric mental health. Participants were N = 64 (34 females [52%]; MAge = 8.56 years; SDAge = 1.33; aged 6-12 years) typically developing children. Hand preference was assessed via a reaching task, language lateralisation was assessed using functional transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (fTCD) during an expressive language task, and mental health was assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. As hypothesised, leftward hand preference predicted increased general mental health issues in children, with a strong relationship noted between leftward hand preference and the emotional symptoms subscale. Contrary to expectation, no relationship was found between direction of language lateralisation and general mental health issues, although exploratory analyses of subscales showed rightward lateralisation to predict conduct problems. Hand preference and direction of language lateralisation were also not significantly associated. The relatively weak relationship between manual and language laterality coupled with discrepancy regarding the predictive scope of each phenotype (i.e., hand preference predicts overall mental health, whereas language laterality predicts only conduct problems) suggests independent developmental pathways for these phenotypes. The role of manual laterality in paediatric mental health warrants further investigation utilising a neuroimaging method with higher spatial resolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zubin A Irani
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Andrew M C Sheridan
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Nicholas A Badcock
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Allison Fox
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Thompson PA, Watkins KE, Woodhead ZVJ, Bishop DVM. Generalized models for quantifying laterality using functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 44:35-48. [PMID: 36377321 PMCID: PMC9783456 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We consider how analysis of brain lateralization using functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound (fTCD) data can be brought in line with modern statistical methods typically used in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Conventionally, a laterality index is computed in fTCD from the difference between the averages of each hemisphere's signal within a period of interest (POI) over a series of trials. We demonstrate use of generalized linear models (GLMs) and generalized additive models (GAM) to analyze data from individual participants in three published studies (N = 154, 73 and 31), and compare this with results from the conventional POI averaging approach, and with laterality assessed using fMRI (N = 31). The GLM approach was based on classic fMRI analysis that includes a hemodynamic response function as a predictor; the GAM approach estimated the response function from the data, including a term for time relative to epoch start (simple GAM), plus a categorical index corresponding to individual epochs (complex GAM). Individual estimates of the fTCD laterality index are similar across all methods, but error of measurement is lowest using complex GAM. Reliable identification of cases of bilateral language appears to be more accurate with complex GAM. We also show that the GAM-based approach can be used to efficiently analyze more complex designs that incorporate interactions between tasks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul A. Thompson
- Department of Experimental PsychologyAnna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory QuarterOxfordUK,Present address:
Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research (CEDAR)University of WarwickCoventryUK
| | - Kate E. Watkins
- Department of Experimental PsychologyAnna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory QuarterOxfordUK
| | - Zoe V. J. Woodhead
- Department of Experimental PsychologyAnna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory QuarterOxfordUK
| | - Dorothy V. M. Bishop
- Department of Experimental PsychologyAnna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory QuarterOxfordUK
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zickert N, Geuze RH, Beking T, Groothuis TGG. Testing the Darwinian function of lateralization. Does separation of workload between brain hemispheres increase cognitive performance? Neuropsychologia 2021; 159:107884. [PMID: 34090868 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Brain lateralization is a fundamental aspect of the organization of brain and behavior in the animal kingdom, begging the question about its Darwinian function. We tested the possibility that lateralization enhances cognitive performance in single- and dual-tasks. Previous studies reported mixed results on this topic and only a handful of studies have measured functional brain lateralization and performance independently and simultaneously. We therefore examined a possible positive effect of the strength and direction of lateralization on two demanding cognitive tasks: A visuospatial task (mental rotation MR), and a language task (word generation WG), executed either as a singletask or as dual-task. Participants (n = 72) performed these tasks while their single-task brain lateralization was assessed with functional Transcranial Doppler for both tasks. From these measurements we determined strength and direction of lateralization for both tasks and the individual pattern of lateralization (contralateral or ipsilateral) was derived. These factors, along with sex, were used in a GLM analysis to determine if they predicted the respective performance measure of the tasks. We found that for MR there was a significant medium effect of direction of lateralization on performance with better performance in left-lateralized (atypical) participants (partial eta squared 0.061; p = .039). After correction for outliers, there was a significant effect for strength (p = .049). For the dual-task, there was a significant positive medium effect of strength of lateralization on performance (partial eta squared 0.062; p = .038, respectively) No other association between direction or strength in either tests were found. We conclude that there is no evidence for hemispheric crowding, and that strength of lateralization may be a factor that contributes to the evolutionary selection of functional brain lateralization. Pattern of lateralization does not, explaining the large inter-individual variation in these traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nele Zickert
- University of Groningen, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, GELIFES - Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Reint H Geuze
- University of Groningen, Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, Department Clinical & Developmental Neuropsychology, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Tess Beking
- University of Groningen, Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, Department Clinical & Developmental Neuropsychology, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Ton G G Groothuis
- University of Groningen, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, GELIFES - Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Payne H, Gutierrez-Sigut E, Woll B, MacSweeney M. Cerebral lateralisation during signed and spoken language production in children born deaf. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 36:100619. [PMID: 30711882 PMCID: PMC6891228 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Revised: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The effect of sensory experience on hemispheric specialisation for language production is not well understood. Children born deaf, including those who have cochlear implants, have drastically different perceptual experiences of language than their hearing peers. Using functional transcranial Doppler sonography (fTCD), we measured lateralisation during language production in a heterogeneous group of 19 deaf children and in 19 hearing children, matched on language ability. In children born deaf, we observed significant left lateralisation during language production (British Sign Language, spoken English, or a combination of languages). There was no difference in the strength of lateralisation between deaf and hearing groups. Comparable proportions of children were categorised as left-, right-, or not significantly-lateralised in each group. Moreover, an exploratory subgroup analysis showed no significant difference in lateralisation between deaf children with cochlear implants and those without. These data suggest that the processes underpinning language production remain robustly left lateralised regardless of sensory language experience.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Heather Payne
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, WC1H 0PD, UK; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, WC1N 3AZ, UK.
| | - Eva Gutierrez-Sigut
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, WC1H 0PD, UK; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, WC1N 3AZ, UK; Departamento de Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento, Universitat de València, Av. Blasco Ibáñez, 2146010, Spain.
| | - Bencie Woll
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, WC1H 0PD, UK.
| | - Mairéad MacSweeney
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, WC1H 0PD, UK; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, WC1N 3AZ, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wilson AC, Bishop DVM. Resounding failure to replicate links between developmental language disorder and cerebral lateralisation. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4217. [PMID: 29333343 PMCID: PMC5764032 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background It has been suggested that failure to establish cerebral lateralisation may be related to developmental language disorder (DLD). There has been weak support for any link with handedness, but more consistent reports of associations with functional brain lateralisation for language. The consistency of lateralisation across different functions may also be important. We aimed to replicate previous findings of an association between DLD and reduced laterality on a quantitative measure of hand preference (reaching across the midline) and on language laterality assessed using functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound (fTCD). Methods From a sample of twin children aged from 6;0 to 11;11 years, we identified 107 cases of DLD and 156 typically-developing comparison cases for whom we had useable data from fTCD yielding a laterality index (LI) for language function during an animation description task. Handedness data were also available for these children. Results Indices of handedness and language laterality for this twin sample were similar to those previously reported for single-born children. There were no differences between the DLD and TD groups on measures of handedness or language lateralisation, or on a categorical measure of consistency of left hemisphere dominance. Contrary to prediction, there was a greater incidence of right lateralisation for language in the TD group (19.90%) than the DLD group (9.30%), confirming that atypical laterality is not inconsistent with typical language development. We also failed to replicate associations between language laterality and language test scores. Discussion and Conclusions Given the large sample studied here and the range of measures, we suggest that previous reports of atypical manual or language lateralisation in DLD may have been false positives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander C Wilson
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Dorothy V M Bishop
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Gutierrez-Sigut E, Payne H, MacSweeney M. Examining the contribution of motor movement and language dominance to increased left lateralization during sign generation in native signers. Brain Lang 2016; 159:109-117. [PMID: 27388786 PMCID: PMC4980063 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2016.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2016] [Revised: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 06/18/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The neural systems supporting speech and sign processing are very similar, although not identical. In a previous fTCD study of hearing native signers (Gutierrez-Sigut, Daws, et al., 2015) we found stronger left lateralization for sign than speech. Given that this increased lateralization could not be explained by hand movement alone, the contribution of motor movement versus 'linguistic' processes to the strength of hemispheric lateralization during sign production remains unclear. Here we directly contrast lateralization strength of covert versus overt signing during phonological and semantic fluency tasks. To address the possibility that hearing native signers' elevated lateralization indices (LIs) were due to performing a task in their less dominant language, here we test deaf native signers, whose dominant language is British Sign Language (BSL). Signers were more strongly left lateralized for overt than covert sign generation. However, the strength of lateralization was not correlated with the amount of time producing movements of the right hand. Comparisons with previous data from hearing native English speakers suggest stronger laterality indices for sign than speech in both covert and overt tasks. This increased left lateralization may be driven by specific properties of sign production such as the increased use of self-monitoring mechanisms or the nature of phonological encoding of signs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Gutierrez-Sigut
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, United Kingdom; Departamento de Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento, Universitat de València, Spain.
| | - Heather Payne
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, United Kingdom; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, United Kingdom.
| | - Mairéad MacSweeney
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, United Kingdom; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Gutierrez-Sigut E, Daws R, Payne H, Blott J, Marshall C, MacSweeney M. Language lateralization of hearing native signers: A functional transcranial Doppler sonography ( fTCD) study of speech and sign production. Brain Lang 2015; 151:23-34. [PMID: 26605960 PMCID: PMC4918793 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2015.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2015] [Revised: 10/19/2015] [Accepted: 10/24/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies suggest greater involvement of the left parietal lobe in sign language compared to speech production. This stronger activation might be linked to the specific demands of sign encoding and proprioceptive monitoring. In Experiment 1 we investigate hemispheric lateralization during sign and speech generation in hearing native users of English and British Sign Language (BSL). Participants exhibited stronger lateralization during BSL than English production. In Experiment 2 we investigated whether this increased lateralization index could be due exclusively to the higher motoric demands of sign production. Sign naïve participants performed a phonological fluency task in English and a non-sign repetition task. Participants were left lateralized in the phonological fluency task but there was no consistent pattern of lateralization for the non-sign repetition in these hearing non-signers. The current data demonstrate stronger left hemisphere lateralization for producing signs than speech, which was not primarily driven by motoric articulatory demands.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Gutierrez-Sigut
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, United Kingdom.
| | - Richard Daws
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Heather Payne
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, United Kingdom; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Blott
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Chloë Marshall
- UCL Institute of Education, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Mairéad MacSweeney
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, United Kingdom; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Payne H, Gutierrez-Sigut E, Subik J, Woll B, MacSweeney M. Stimulus rate increases lateralisation in linguistic and non-linguistic tasks measured by functional transcranial Doppler sonography. Neuropsychologia 2015; 72:59-69. [PMID: 25908491 PMCID: PMC4922413 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2014] [Revised: 03/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Studies to date that have used fTCD to examine language lateralisation
have predominantly used word or sentence generation tasks. Here we sought to
further assess the sensitivity of fTCD to language lateralisation by using a
metalinguistic task which does not involve novel speech generation: rhyme
judgement in response to written words. Line array judgement was included as a
non-linguistic visuospatial task to examine the relative strength of left and
right hemisphere lateralisation within the same individuals when output
requirements of the tasks are matched. These externally paced tasks allowed us
to manipulate the number of stimuli presented to participants and thus assess
the influence of pace on the strength of lateralisation. In Experiment 1, 28 right-handed
adults participated in rhyme and line array judgement tasks and showed reliable
left and right lateralisation at the group level for each task, respectively. In
Experiment 2 we increased the pace of
the tasks, presenting more stimuli per trial. We measured laterality indices
(LIs) from 18 participants who performed both linguistic and non-linguistic
judgement tasks during the original ‘slow’ presentation rate (5
judgements per trial) and a fast presentation rate (10 judgements per trial).
The increase in pace led to increased strength of lateralisation in both the
rhyme and line conditions. Our results demonstrate for the first time that fTCD is sensitive to the
left lateralised processes involved in metalinguistic judgements. Our data also
suggest that changes in the strength of language lateralisation, as measured by
fTCD, are not driven by articulatory demands alone. The current results suggest
that at least one aspect of task difficulty, the pace of stimulus presentation,
influences the strength of lateralisation during both linguistic and
non-linguistic tasks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Heather Payne
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, 49 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PD, United Kingdom; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom
| | - Eva Gutierrez-Sigut
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, 49 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PD, United Kingdom
| | - Joanna Subik
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, 49 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PD, United Kingdom
| | - Bencie Woll
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, 49 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PD, United Kingdom
| | - Mairéad MacSweeney
- Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre, University College London, 49 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PD, United Kingdom; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Hollier LP, Maybery MT, Keelan JA, Hickey M, Whitehouse AJO. Perinatal testosterone exposure and cerebral lateralisation in adult males: evidence for the callosal hypothesis. Biol Psychol 2014; 103:48-53. [PMID: 25148786 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2014] [Revised: 08/13/2014] [Accepted: 08/13/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Two competing theories address the influence of foetal testosterone on cerebral laterality: one proposing exposure to high foetal testosterone concentrations is related to atypical lateralisation (Geschwind-Galaburda hypothesis), the other that high foetal testosterone concentrations exaggerate typical lateralisation (callosal hypothesis). The current study examined the relationship between cord testosterone concentrations and cerebral laterality for language and spatial memory in adulthood. Male participants with high (>0.15nmol) and low (<0.10nmol) cord testosterone levels were invited to take part in the study (n=18 in each group). Cerebral laterality was measured using functional Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography, while participants completed word generation and visual short-term memory tasks. Typical left lateralisation of language was more common in the high-testosterone group than in the low-testosterone group, χ(2)=4.50, df=1, p=034. Spatial memory laterality was unrelated to cord testosterone level. Our findings indicate that foetal testosterone exposure is related to language laterality in a direction that supports the callosal hypothesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren P Hollier
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Australia; Neurocognitive Development Unit, School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Australia.
| | - Murray T Maybery
- Neurocognitive Development Unit, School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Australia
| | - Jeffrey A Keelan
- School of Women's and Infant's Health, University of Western Australia, Australia
| | - Martha Hickey
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne and The Royal Women's Hospital, Victoria, Australia
| | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Gutierrez-Sigut E, Payne H, MacSweeney M. Investigating language lateralization during phonological and semantic fluency tasks using functional transcranial Doppler sonography. Laterality 2014; 20:49-68. [PMID: 24875468 PMCID: PMC4226337 DOI: 10.1080/1357650x.2014.914950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Although there is consensus that the left hemisphere plays a critical role in language processing, some questions remain. Here we examine the influence of overt versus covert speech production on lateralization, the relationship between lateralization and behavioural measures of language performance and the strength of lateralization across the subcomponents of language. The present study used functional transcranial Doppler sonography (fTCD) to investigate lateralization of phonological and semantic fluency during both overt and covert word generation in right-handed adults. The laterality index (LI) was left lateralized in all conditions, and there was no difference in the strength of LI between overt and covert speech. This supports the validity of using overt speech in fTCD studies, another benefit of which is a reliable measure of speech production.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Gutierrez-Sigut
- a ESRC Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre , University College London , London , UK
| | | | | |
Collapse
|