1
|
Roelofs A. Wernicke's functional neuroanatomy model of language turns 150: what became of its psychological reflex arcs? Brain Struct Funct 2024:10.1007/s00429-024-02785-5. [PMID: 38581582 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02785-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Wernicke (Der aphasische Symptomencomplex: Eine psychologische Studie auf anatomischer Basis. Cohn und Weigert, Breslau. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/dwv5w9rw , 1874) proposed a model of the functional neuroanatomy of spoken word repetition, production, and comprehension. At the heart of this epoch-making model are psychological reflex arcs underpinned by fiber tracts connecting sensory to motor areas. Here, I evaluate the central assumption of psychological reflex arcs in light of what we have learned about language in the brain during the past 150 years. I first describe Wernicke's 1874 model and the evidence he presented for it. Next, I discuss his updates of the model published in 1886 and posthumously in 1906. Although the model had an enormous immediate impact, it lost influence after the First World War. Unresolved issues included the anatomical underpinnings of the psychological reflex arcs, the role of auditory images in word production, and the sufficiency of psychological reflex arcs, which was questioned by Wundt (Grundzüge der physiologischen Psychologie. Engelmann, Leipzig. http://vlp.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/references?id=lit46 , 1874; Grundzüge der physiologischen Psychologie (Vol. 1, 5th ed.). Engelmann, Leipzig. http://vlp.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/references?id=lit806 , 1902). After a long dormant period, Wernicke's model was revived by Geschwind (Science 170:940-944. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.170.3961.940 , 1970; Selected papers on language and the brain. Reidel, Dordrecht, 1974), who proposed a version of it that differed in several important respects from Wernicke's original. Finally, I describe how new evidence from modern research has led to a novel view on language in the brain, supplementing contemporary equivalents of psychological reflex arcs by other mechanisms such as attentional control and assuming different neuroanatomical underpinnings. In support of this novel view, I report new analyses of patient data and computer simulations using the WEAVER++/ARC model (Roelofs 2014, 2022) that incorporates attentional control and integrates the new evidence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ardi Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognition, Radboud University, Thomas van Aquinostraat 4, 6525 GD, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Janssen N, Kessels RPC, Mars RB, Llera A, Beckmann CF, Roelofs A. Dissociating the functional roles of arcuate fasciculus subtracts in speech production. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:2539-2547. [PMID: 35709759 PMCID: PMC10016035 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent tractography and microdissection studies have shown that the left arcuate fasciculus (AF)-a fiber tract thought to be crucial for speech production-consists of a minimum of 2 subtracts directly connecting the temporal and frontal cortex. These subtracts link the posterior superior temporal gyrus (STG) and middle temporal gyrus (MTG) to the inferior frontal gyrus. Although they have been hypothesized to mediate different functions in speech production, direct evidence for this hypothesis is lacking. To functionally segregate the 2 AF segments, we combined functional magnetic resonance imaging with diffusion-weighted imaging and probabilistic tractography using 2 prototypical speech production tasks, namely spoken pseudoword repetition (tapping sublexical phonological mapping) and verb generation (tapping lexical-semantic mapping). We observed that the repetition of spoken pseudowords is mediated by the subtract of STG, while generating an appropriate verb to a spoken noun is mediated by the subtract of MTG. Our findings provide strong evidence for a functional dissociation between the AF subtracts, namely a sublexical phonological mapping by the STG subtract and a lexical-semantic mapping by the MTG subtract. Our results contribute to the unraveling of a century-old controversy concerning the functional role in speech production of a major fiber tract involved in language.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nikki Janssen
- Corresponding author: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Thomas van Aquinostraat 3, 6525 GD, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Roy P C Kessels
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognition, Radboud University, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Medical Psychology, Radboud University Medical Center, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Vincent van Gogh Institute for Psychiatry, Centre of Excellence for Korsakoff and Alcohol-Related Cognitive Disorders, D'n Herk 90, 5803 DN, Venray, the Netherlands
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognition, Radboud University, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX39DU, United Kingdom
| | - Alberto Llera
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognition, Radboud University, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen, Postbus 9101, Nijmegen, 6500 HB, the Netherlands
| | - Christian F Beckmann
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognition, Radboud University, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen, Postbus 9101, Nijmegen, 6500 HB, the Netherlands
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX39DU, United Kingdom
| | - Ardi Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognition, Radboud University, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Roelofs A. Word production and comprehension in frontotemporal degeneration: A neurocognitive computational Pickian account. Cortex 2023; 163:42-56. [PMID: 37058880 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Over a century ago, Arnold Pick reported deterioration of word production and comprehension in frontotemporal degeneration, now a common finding. Individuals with semantic dementia (SD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) present with word retrieval difficulty, while their comprehension is less affected. Computational models have illuminated naming and comprehension in poststroke and progressive aphasias, including SD, but there are no simulations for bvFTD. Here, the WEAVER++/ARC model, previously applied to poststroke and progressive aphasias, is extended to bvFTD. Simulations tested the hypothesis of a loss of activation capacity in semantic memory in SD and bvFTD, caused by network atrophy (Pick, 1908a). The outcomes revealed that capacity loss explains 97% of the variance in naming and comprehension of 100 individual patients. Moreover, capacity loss correlates with individual ratings of atrophy in the left anterior temporal lobe. These results support a unified account of word production and comprehension in SD and bvFTD.
Collapse
|
4
|
Jossinger S, Sares A, Zislis A, Sury D, Gracco V, Ben-Shachar M. White matter correlates of sensorimotor synchronization in persistent developmental stuttering. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2022; 95:106169. [PMID: 34856426 PMCID: PMC8821245 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2021.106169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Individuals with persistent developmental stuttering display deficits in aligning motor actions to external cues (i.e., sensorimotor synchronization). Diffusion imaging studies point to stuttering-associated differences in dorsal, not ventral, white matter pathways, and in the cerebellar peduncles. Here, we studied microstructural white matter differences between adults who stutter (AWS) and fluent speakers using two complementary approaches to: (a) assess previously reported group differences in white matter diffusivity, and (b) evaluate the relationship between white matter diffusivity and sensorimotor synchronization in each group. METHODS Participants completed a sensorimotor synchronization task and a diffusion MRI scan. We identified the cerebellar peduncles and major dorsal- and ventral-stream language pathways in each individual and assessed correlations between sensorimotor synchronization and diffusion measures along the tracts. RESULTS The results demonstrated group differences in dorsal, not ventral, language tracts, in alignment with prior reports. Specifically, AWS had significantly lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left arcuate fasciculus, and significantly higher mean diffusivity (MD) in the bilateral frontal aslant tract compared to fluent speakers, while no significant group difference was detected in the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. We also found significant group differences in both FA and MD of the left middle cerebellar peduncle. Comparing patterns of association with sensorimotor synchronization revealed a novel double dissociation: MD within the left inferior cerebellar peduncle was significantly correlated with mean asynchrony in AWS but not in fluent speakers, while FA within the left arcuate fasciculus was significantly correlated with mean asynchrony in fluent speakers, but not in AWS. CONCLUSIONS Our results support the view that stuttering involves altered connectivity in dorsal tracts and that AWS may rely more heavily on cerebellar tracts to process timing information. Evaluating microstructural associations with sensitive behavioral measures provides a powerful tool for discovering additional functional differences in the underlying connectivity in AWS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sivan Jossinger
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
| | - Anastasia Sares
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Canada; Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Avital Zislis
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Dana Sury
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Vincent Gracco
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montréal, Canada; School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, Montréal, Canada; Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Michal Ben-Shachar
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel; The Department of English Literature and Linguistics, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| |
Collapse
|