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Santacroce F, Cachia A, Fragueiro A, Grande E, Roell M, Baldassarre A, Sestieri C, Committeri G. Human intraparietal sulcal morphology relates to individual differences in language and memory performance. Commun Biol 2024; 7:520. [PMID: 38698168 PMCID: PMC11065983 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06175-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The sulco-gyral pattern is a qualitative feature of the cortical anatomy that is determined in utero, stable throughout lifespan and linked to brain function. The intraparietal sulcus (IPS) is a nodal associative brain area, but the relation between its morphology and cognition is largely unknown. By labelling the left and right IPS of 390 healthy participants into two patterns, according to the presence or absence of a sulcus interruption, here we demonstrate a strong association between the morphology of the right IPS and performance on memory and language tasks. We interpret the results as a morphological advantage of a sulcus interruption, probably due to the underlying white matter organization. The right-hemisphere specificity of this effect emphasizes the neurodevelopmental and plastic role of sulcus morphology in cognition prior to lateralisation processes. The results highlight a promising area of investigation on the relationship between cognitive performance, sulco-gyral pattern and white matter bundles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Santacroce
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and ITAB, Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Via Luigi Polacchi 11, 66100, Chieti, Italy.
| | - Arnaud Cachia
- Université Paris Cité, Laboratoire de Psychologie du développement et de l'Education de l'Enfant (LaPsyDÉ), CNRS UMR 8240, Paris, France
- Université Paris Cité, Institut de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences de Paris (IPNP), INSERM, UMR S1266, Paris, France
| | - Agustina Fragueiro
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and ITAB, Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Via Luigi Polacchi 11, 66100, Chieti, Italy
| | - Eleonora Grande
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and ITAB, Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Via Luigi Polacchi 11, 66100, Chieti, Italy
| | - Margot Roell
- Université Paris Cité, Laboratoire de Psychologie du développement et de l'Education de l'Enfant (LaPsyDÉ), CNRS UMR 8240, Paris, France
| | - Antonello Baldassarre
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and ITAB, Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Via Luigi Polacchi 11, 66100, Chieti, Italy
| | - Carlo Sestieri
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and ITAB, Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Via Luigi Polacchi 11, 66100, Chieti, Italy
| | - Giorgia Committeri
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and ITAB, Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Via Luigi Polacchi 11, 66100, Chieti, Italy.
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Menks WM, Ekerdt C, Lemhöfer K, Kidd E, Fernández G, McQueen JM, Janzen G. Developmental changes in brain activation during novel grammar learning in 8-25-year-olds. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 66:101347. [PMID: 38277712 PMCID: PMC10839867 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101347] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024] Open
Abstract
While it is well established that grammar learning success varies with age, the cause of this developmental change is largely unknown. This study examined functional MRI activation across a broad developmental sample of 165 Dutch-speaking individuals (8-25 years) as they were implicitly learning a new grammatical system. This approach allowed us to assess the direct effects of age on grammar learning ability while exploring its neural correlates. In contrast to the alleged advantage of children language learners over adults, we found that adults outperformed children. Moreover, our behavioral data showed a sharp discontinuity in the relationship between age and grammar learning performance: there was a strong positive linear correlation between 8 and 15.4 years of age, after which age had no further effect. Neurally, our data indicate two important findings: (i) during grammar learning, adults and children activate similar brain regions, suggesting continuity in the neural networks that support initial grammar learning; and (ii) activation level is age-dependent, with children showing less activation than older participants. We suggest that these age-dependent processes may constrain developmental effects in grammar learning. The present study provides new insights into the neural basis of age-related differences in grammar learning in second language acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- W M Menks
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - C Ekerdt
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - K Lemhöfer
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - E Kidd
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; School of Literature, Languages, and Linguistics, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - G Fernández
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - J M McQueen
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - G Janzen
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Schnaufer L, Gschaidmeier A, Heimgärtner M, Driever PH, Hauser TK, Wilke M, Lidzba K, Staudt M. Atypical language organization following perinatal infarctions of the left hemisphere is associated with structural changes in right-hemispheric grey matter. Dev Med Child Neurol 2024; 66:353-361. [PMID: 37691416 DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.15751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
AIM To assess how atypical language organization after early left-hemispheric brain lesions affects grey matter in the contralesional hemisphere. METHOD This was a cross-sectional study with between-group comparisons of 14 patients (six female, 8-26 years) with perinatal left-hemispheric brain lesions (two arterial ischemic strokes, 11 periventricular haemorrhagic infarctions, one without classification) and 14 typically developing age-matched controls (TDC) with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) documented left-hemispheric language organization (six female, 8-28 years). MRI data were analysed with SPM12, CAT12, and custom scripts. Language lateralization indices were determined by fMRI within a prefrontal mask and right-hemispheric grey matter group differences by voxel-based morphometry (VBM). RESULTS FMRI revealed left-dominance in seven patients with typical language organization (TYP) and right-dominance in seven patients with atypical language organization (ATYP) of 14 patients. VBM analysis of all patients versus controls showed grey matter reductions in the middle temporal gyrus of patients. A comparison between the two patient subgroups revealed an increase of grey matter in the middle frontal gyrus in the ATYP group. Voxel-based regression analysis confirmed that grey matter increases in the middle frontal gyrus were correlated with atypical language organization. INTERPRETATION Compatible with a non-specific lesion effect, we found areas of grey matter reduction in patients as compared to TDC. The grey matter increase in the middle frontal gyrus seems to reflect a specific compensatory effect in patients with atypical language organization. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS Perinatal stroke leads to decreased grey matter in the contralesional hemisphere. Atypical language organization is associated with grey matter increases in contralesional language areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Schnaufer
- Department of Paediatric Neurology and Developmental Medicine, University Children's Hospital, Tübingen, Germany
- Experimental Paediatric Neuroimaging, Children's Hospital and Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alisa Gschaidmeier
- Department of Paediatric Neurology and Developmental Medicine, University Children's Hospital, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Paediatric Neurology, Neurorehabilitation and Epileptology, Schön Klinik, Vogtareuth, Germany
| | - Magdalena Heimgärtner
- Department of Paediatric Neurology and Developmental Medicine, University Children's Hospital, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Pablo Hernáiz Driever
- Department of Paediatric Oncology and Haematology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Till-Karsten Hauser
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marko Wilke
- Department of Paediatric Neurology and Developmental Medicine, University Children's Hospital, Tübingen, Germany
- Experimental Paediatric Neuroimaging, Children's Hospital and Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karen Lidzba
- Department of Paediatric Neurology and Developmental Medicine, University Children's Hospital, Tübingen, Germany
- Division of Neuropaediatrics, Development and Rehabilitation, University Children's Hospital Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Martin Staudt
- Department of Paediatric Neurology and Developmental Medicine, University Children's Hospital, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre for Paediatric Palliative Care, University Children's Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
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Wagley N, Hu X, Satterfield T, Bedore LM, Booth JR, Kovelman I. Neural specificity for semantic and syntactic processing in Spanish-English bilingual children. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2024; 250:105380. [PMID: 38301503 PMCID: PMC10947424 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Brain development for language processing is associated with neural specialization of left perisylvian pathways, but this has not been investigated in young bilinguals. We examined specificity for syntax and semantics in early exposed Spanish-English speaking children (N = 65, ages 7-11) using an auditory sentence judgement task in English, their dominant language of use. During functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), the morphosyntax task elicited activation in left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the semantic task elicited activation in left posterior middle temporal gyrus (MTG). Task comparisons revealed specialization in left superior temporal (STG) for morphosyntax and left MTG and angular gyrus for semantics. Although skills in neither language were uniquely related to specialization, skills in both languages were related to engagement of the left MTG for semantics and left IFG for syntax. These results are consistent with models suggesting a positive cross-linguistic interaction in those with higher language proficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neelima Wagley
- Arizona State University, Speech and Hearing Science, 976 S Forest Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA.
| | - Xiaosu Hu
- University of Michigan, Department of Psychology, 530 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Teresa Satterfield
- University of Michigan, Romance Languages and Literatures, 812 East Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Lisa M Bedore
- Temple University, College of Public Health, 1101 W. Montgomery Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - James R Booth
- Vanderbilt University, Department of Psychology and Human Development, 230 Appleton Pl., Nashville, TN 37203, USA
| | - Ioulia Kovelman
- University of Michigan, Department of Psychology, 530 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Behboudi MH, Castro S, Chalamalasetty P, Maguire MJ. Development of Gamma Oscillation during Sentence Processing in Early Adolescence: Insights into the Maturation of Semantic Processing. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1639. [PMID: 38137087 PMCID: PMC10741943 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13121639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Children's ability to retrieve word meanings and incorporate them into sentences, along with the neural structures that support these skills, continues to evolve throughout adolescence. Theta (4-8 Hz) activity that corresponds to word retrieval in children decreases in power and becomes more localized with age. This bottom-up word retrieval is often paired with changes in gamma (31-70 Hz), which are thought to reflect semantic unification in adults. Here, we studied gamma engagement during sentence processing using EEG time-frequency in children (ages 8-15) to unravel the developmental trajectory of the gamma network during sentence processing. Children heavily rely on semantic integration for sentence comprehension, but as they mature, semantic and syntactic processing units become distinct and localized. We observed a similar developmental shift in gamma oscillation around age 11, with younger groups (8-9 and 10-11) exhibiting broadly distributed gamma activity with higher amplitudes, while older groups (12-13 and 14-15) exhibited smaller and more localized gamma activity, especially over the left central and posterior regions. We interpret these findings as support for the argument that younger children rely more heavily on semantic processes for sentence comprehension than older children. And like adults, semantic processing in children is associated with gamma activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Hossein Behboudi
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA; (M.H.B.)
- Callier Center for Communication Disorders, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
| | - Stephanie Castro
- Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78705, USA
| | - Prasanth Chalamalasetty
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA; (M.H.B.)
| | - Mandy J. Maguire
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA; (M.H.B.)
- Callier Center for Communication Disorders, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
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Baron A, Wagley N, Hu X, Kovelman I. Neural Correlates of Morphosyntactic Processing in Spanish-English Bilingual Children: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2023; 66:3500-3514. [PMID: 37643425 PMCID: PMC10558145 DOI: 10.1044/2023_jslhr-22-00598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim of this study was to examine the effects of early bilingual exposure on Spanish-English bilingual children's neural organization of English morphosyntactic structures. This study examines how children's age and language experiences are related to morphosyntactic processing at the neural level. METHOD Eighty-one children (ages 6-11 years) completed an auditory sentence judgment task during functional near-infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging. The measure tapped into children's processing of early-acquired (present progressive -ing) and later-acquired (past tense -ed and third-person singular -s) English morphosyntactic structures, the primary language of academic instruction. RESULTS We observed effects of syntactic structure and age. Early-acquired morphemic structures elicited activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus, while the later-acquired structures elicited additional activations in the left middle temporal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus (STG). Younger children had a more distributed neural response, whereas older children had a more focal neural response. Finally, there was a trending association between children's English language use and left STG activation for later-acquired structures. CONCLUSION The findings inform theories of language and brain development by highlighting the mechanisms by which age and language experiences influence bilingual children's neural architecture for morphosyntactic processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alisa Baron
- Department of Communicative Disorders, The University of Rhode Island, Kingston
| | - Neelima Wagley
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Xiaosu Hu
- Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
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Martinez-Lincoln A, Fotidzis TS, Cutting LE, Price GR, Barquero LA. Examination of common and unique brain regions for atypical reading and math: a meta-analysis. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:6959-6989. [PMID: 36758954 PMCID: PMC10233309 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad013] [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: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to identify consistencies across functional neuroimaging studies regarding common and unique brain regions/networks for individuals with reading difficulties (RD) and math difficulties (MD) compared to typically developing (TD) individuals. A systematic search of the literature, utilizing multiple databases, yielded 116 functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography studies that met the criteria. Coordinates that directly compared TD with either RD or MD were entered into GingerALE (Brainmap.org). An activation likelihood estimate (ALE) meta-analysis was conducted to examine common and unique brain regions for RD and MD. Overall, more studies examined RD (n = 96) than MD (n = 20). Across studies, overactivation for reading and math occurred in the right insula and inferior frontal gyrus for atypically developing (AD) > TD comparisons, albeit in slightly different areas of these regions; however, inherent threshold variability across imaging studies could diminish overlying regions. For TD > AD comparisons, there were no similar or overlapping brain regions. Results indicate there were domain-specific differences for RD and MD; however, there were some similarities in the ancillary recruitment of executive functioning skills. Theoretical and practical implications for researchers and educators are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Martinez-Lincoln
- Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203, United States
| | - Tess S Fotidzis
- Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203, United States
| | - Laurie E Cutting
- Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203, United States
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, 110 Magnolia Circle, Nashville, TN 37203, United States
| | - Gavin R Price
- Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Washington Singer Building Perry Road Exeter EX44QG, United Kingdom
| | - Laura A Barquero
- Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203, United States
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Iyer KK, Bell N, Copland DA, Arnott WL, Wilson WJ, Angwin AJ. Modulations of right hemisphere connectivity in young children relates to the perception of spoken words. Neuropsychologia 2023; 183:108532. [PMID: 36906221 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108532] [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: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
The early school years shape a young brain's capability to comprehend and contextualize words within milliseconds of exposure. Parsing word sounds (phonological interpretation) and word recognition (enabling semantic interpretation) are integral to this process. Yet little is known about the causal mechanisms of cortical activity during these early developmental stages. In this study, we aimed to explore these causal mechanisms via dynamic causal modelling of event-related potentials (ERPs) acquired from 30 typically developing children (ages 6-8 years) as they completed a spoken word-picture matching task. Source reconstruction of high-density electroencephalography (128 channels) was used to ascertain differences in whole-brain cortical activity during semantically "congruent" and "incongruent" conditions. Source activations analyzed during the N400 ERP window identified significant regions-of-interest (pFWE<.05) localized primarily in the right hemisphere when contrasting congruent and incongruent word-picture stimuli. Dynamic causal models (DCMs) were tested on source activations in the fusiform gyrus (rFusi), inferior parietal lobule (rIPL), inferior temporal gyrus (rITG) and superior frontal gyrus (rSFG). DCM results indicated that a fully connected bidirectional model with self-(inhibiting) connections over rFusi, rIPL and rSFG provided the highest model evidence, based on exceedance probabilities derived from Bayesian statistical inferences. Connectivity parameters of rITG and rSFG regions from the winning DCM were negatively correlated with behavioural measures of receptive vocabulary and phonological memory (pFDR<.05), such that lower scores on these assessments corresponded with increased connectivity between temporal pole and anterior frontal regions. The findings suggest that children with lower language processing skills required increased recruitment of right hemisphere frontal/temporal areas during task performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kartik K Iyer
- Child Health Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, 4101, QLD, Brisbane, Australia; QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, 4006, Australia.
| | - Nicola Bell
- School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4067, QLD, Brisbane, Australia; MultiLit Research Unit, MultiLit Pty Ltd, Macquarie Park, 2113, NSW, Sydney, Australia
| | - David A Copland
- School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4067, QLD, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Wendy L Arnott
- School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4067, QLD, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Wayne J Wilson
- School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4067, QLD, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Anthony J Angwin
- School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4067, QLD, Brisbane, Australia
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Klein CC, Berger P, Goucha T, Friederici AD, Grosse Wiesmann C. Children’s syntax is supported by the maturation of BA44 at 4 years, but of the posterior STS at 3 years of age. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:5426-5435. [PMID: 36408641 PMCID: PMC10152089 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Within the first years of life, children learn major aspects of their native language. However, the ability to process complex sentence structures, a core faculty in human language called syntax, emerges only slowly. A milestone in syntax acquisition is reached around the age of 4 years, when children learn a variety of syntactic concepts. Here, we ask which maturational changes in the child’s brain underlie the emergence of syntactically complex sentence processing around this critical age. We relate markers of cortical brain maturation to 3- and 4-year-olds’ sentence processing in contrast to other language abilities. Our results show that distinct cortical brain areas support sentence processing in the two age groups. Sentence production abilities at 3 years were associated with increased surface area in the most posterior part of the left superior temporal sulcus, whereas 4-year-olds showed an association with cortical thickness in the left posterior part of Broca’s area, i.e. BA44. The present findings suggest that sentence processing abilities rely on the maturation of distinct cortical regions in 3- compared to 4-year-olds. The observed shift to more mature regions involved in processing syntactically complex sentences may underlie behavioral milestones in syntax acquisition at around 4 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheslie C Klein
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Department of Neuropsychology, , Stephanstraße 1a, Leipzig 04103 , Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Research Group Milestones of Early Cognitive Development, , Stephanstraße 1a, Leipzig 04103 , Germany
| | - Philipp Berger
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Department of Neuropsychology, , Stephanstraße 1a, Leipzig 04103 , Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Research Group Milestones of Early Cognitive Development, , Stephanstraße 1a, Leipzig 04103 , Germany
| | - Tomás Goucha
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Department of Neuropsychology, , Stephanstraße 1a, Leipzig 04103 , Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Department of Neuropsychology, , Stephanstraße 1a, Leipzig 04103 , Germany
| | - Charlotte Grosse Wiesmann
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Research Group Milestones of Early Cognitive Development, , Stephanstraße 1a, Leipzig 04103 , Germany
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Menks WM, Ekerdt C, Janzen G, Kidd E, Lemhöfer K, Fernández G, McQueen JM. Study protocol: a comprehensive multi-method neuroimaging approach to disentangle developmental effects and individual differences in second language learning. BMC Psychol 2022; 10:169. [PMID: 35804430 PMCID: PMC9270835 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-022-00873-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background While it is well established that second language (L2) learning success changes with age and across individuals, the underlying neural mechanisms responsible for this developmental shift and these individual differences are largely unknown. We will study the behavioral and neural factors that subserve new grammar and word learning in a large cross-sectional developmental sample. This study falls under the NWO (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek [Dutch Research Council]) Language in Interaction consortium (website: https://www.languageininteraction.nl/). Methods We will sample 360 healthy individuals across a broad age range between 8 and 25 years. In this paper, we describe the study design and protocol, which involves multiple study visits covering a comprehensive behavioral battery and extensive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocols. On the basis of these measures, we will create behavioral and neural fingerprints that capture age-based and individual variability in new language learning. The behavioral fingerprint will be based on first and second language proficiency, memory systems, and executive functioning. We will map the neural fingerprint for each participant using the following MRI modalities: T1‐weighted, diffusion-weighted, resting-state functional MRI, and multiple functional-MRI paradigms. With respect to the functional MRI measures, half of the sample will learn grammatical features and half will learn words of a new language. Combining all individual fingerprints allows us to explore the neural maturation effects on grammar and word learning. Discussion This will be one of the largest neuroimaging studies to date that investigates the developmental shift in L2 learning covering preadolescence to adulthood. Our comprehensive approach of combining behavioral and neuroimaging data will contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms influencing this developmental shift and individual differences in new language learning. We aim to answer: (I) do these fingerprints differ according to age and can these explain the age-related differences observed in new language learning? And (II) which aspects of the behavioral and neural fingerprints explain individual differences (across and within ages) in grammar and word learning? The results of this study provide a unique opportunity to understand how the development of brain structure and function influence new language learning success. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-022-00873-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- W M Menks
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, and Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. .,Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - C Ekerdt
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, and Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - G Janzen
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, and Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.,Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - E Kidd
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.,ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Canberra, Australia.,Research School of Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - K Lemhöfer
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, and Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - G Fernández
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, and Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - J M McQueen
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, and Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.,Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Tuckute G, Paunov A, Kean H, Small H, Mineroff Z, Blank I, Fedorenko E. Frontal language areas do not emerge in the absence of temporal language areas: A case study of an individual born without a left temporal lobe. Neuropsychologia 2022; 169:108184. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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12
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Maguire MJ, Schneider JM, Melamed TC, Ralph YK, Poudel S, Raval VM, Mikhail D, Abel AD. Temporal and topographical changes in theta power between middle childhood and adolescence during sentence comprehension. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 53:101056. [PMID: 34979479 PMCID: PMC8728578 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.101056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Time frequency analysis of the EEG is increasingly used to study the neural oscillations supporting language comprehension. Although this method holds promise for developmental research, most existing work focuses on adults. Theta power (4–8 Hz) in particular often corresponds to semantic processing of words in isolation and in ongoing text. Here we investigated how the timing and topography of theta engagement to individual words during written sentence processing changes between childhood and adolescence (8–15 years). Results show that topographically, the theta response is broadly distributed in children, occurring over left and right central-posterior and midline frontal areas, and localizes to left central-posterior areas by adolescence. There were two notable developmental shifts. First, in response to each word, early (150–300 msec) theta engagement over frontal areas significantly decreases between 8 and 9 years and 10–11 years. Second, throughout the sentence, theta engagement over the right parietal areas significantly decreases between 10 and 11 years and 12–13 years with younger children’s theta response remaining significantly elevated between words compared to adolescents’. We found no significant differences between 12 and 13 years and 14–15 years. These findings indicate that children’s engagement of the language network during sentence processing continues to change through middle childhood but stabilizes into adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandy J Maguire
- University of Texas at Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders, 1966 Inwood Rd, Dallas, TX 75235, USA.
| | - Julie M Schneider
- Louisiana State University, 217 Thomas Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Tina C Melamed
- University of Texas at Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders, 1966 Inwood Rd, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
| | - Yvonne K Ralph
- University of Texas at Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders, 1966 Inwood Rd, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
| | - Sonali Poudel
- University of Texas at Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders, 1966 Inwood Rd, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
| | - Vyom M Raval
- University of Texas at Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders, 1966 Inwood Rd, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
| | - David Mikhail
- University of Texas at Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders, 1966 Inwood Rd, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
| | - Alyson D Abel
- San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
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13
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Wang J, Wagley N, Rice ML, Booth JR. Semantic and syntactic specialization during auditory sentence processing in 7-8-year-old children. Cortex 2021; 145:169-186. [PMID: 34731687 PMCID: PMC8633078 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies indicate that adults show specialized syntactic and semantic processes in both the temporal and frontal lobes during language comprehension. Neuro-cognitive models of language development argue that this specialization appears earlier in the temporal than the frontal lobe. However, there is little evidence supporting this proposed progression. Our recently published study (Wang, Rice, & Booth, 2020), using multivoxel pattern analyses, detected that children as young as 5 to 6 years old exhibit specialization and integration in the temporal lobe, but not the frontal lobe. In the current study, we used the same approach to examine semantic and syntactic specialization in children ages 7 to 8 years old. We found support for semantic specialization in the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) for correct sentences and in the triangular part of the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) for incorrect sentences. We also found that the left superior temporal gyrus (STG) played an integration role and was sensitive to both semantic and syntactic processing during both correct and incorrect sentence processing. However, there was no support for syntactic specialization in 7- to 8-year-old children. As compared to our previous study on 5- to 6-year-old children, which only showed semantic specialization in the temporal lobe, the current study suggests a developmental progression to semantic specialization in the frontal lobe. This project represents an important step forward in testing neuro-cognitive models of language processing in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Wang
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Neelima Wagley
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Mabel L Rice
- Child Language Doctoral Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - James R Booth
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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14
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Qi T, Schaadt G, Friederici AD. Associated functional network development and language abilities in children. Neuroimage 2021; 242:118452. [PMID: 34358655 PMCID: PMC8463838 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
During childhood, the brain is gradually converging to the efficient functional architecture observed in adults. How the brain's functional architecture evolves with age, particularly in young children, is however, not well understood. We examined the functional connectivity of the core language regions, in association with cortical growth and language abilities, in 175 young children in the age range of 4 to 9 years. We analyzed the brain's developmental changes using resting-state functional and T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging data. The results showed increased functional connectivity strength with age between the pars triangularis of the left inferior frontal gyrus and left temporoparietal regions (cohen's d = 0.54, CI: 0.24 - 0.84), associated with children's language abilities. Stronger functional connectivity between bilateral prefrontal and temporoparietal regions was associated with better language abilities regardless of age. In addition, the stronger functional connectivity between the left inferior frontal and temporoparietal regions was associated with larger surface area and thinner cortical thickness in these regions, which in turn was associated with superior language abilities. Thus, using functional and structural brain indices, coupled with behavioral measures, we elucidate the association of functional language network development, language ability, and cortical growth, thereby adding to our understanding of the neural basis of language acquisition in young children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Qi
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Gesa Schaadt
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Education and Psychology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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15
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Wagley N, Booth JR. Neuro-cognitive development of semantic and syntactic bootstrapping in 6- to 7.5-year-old children. Neuroimage 2021; 241:118416. [PMID: 34298084 PMCID: PMC8629629 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study examined the longitudinal relations of brain and behavior from ages 6-7.5 years old to test the bootstrapping account of language development. Prior work suggests that children's vocabulary development is foundational for acquiring grammar (e.g., semantic bootstrapping) and that children rely on the syntactic context of sentences to learn the meaning of new words (e.g., syntactic bootstrapping). Yet, little is known about the dynamics underlying semantic and syntactic development as children enter elementary school. In a series of preregistered and exploratory analyses, we tested how semantic and syntactic behavioral skills may influence the development of brain regions implicated in these processes, i.e. left posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG) and inferior frontal gyrus (pars opercularis, IFGop), respectively. Vice-a-versa, we tested how these brain regions may influence the development of children's semantic and syntactic behavioral skills. We assessed semantic (N = 26) and syntactic (N = 30) processes behaviorally and in the brain when children were ages 5.5-6.5 years old (Time 1) and again at 7-8 years old (Time 2). All brain-behavior analyses controlled for T1 autoregressive effects and phonological memory. Exploratory hierarchical regression analyses suggested bi-directional influences, but with greater support for syntactic bootstrapping. Across the analyses, there was a small to medium effect of change in variance in models where semantics predicted syntax. Conversely, there was medium to large change in variance in models where syntax predicted semantics. In line with prior literature, results suggest a close relationship between lexical and grammatical development in children ages 6-7.5 years old. However, there was more robust evidence for syntactic bootstrapping, suggesting that acquisition of phrase structure in school age children may allow for more effective learning of word meanings. This complements prior behavioral studies and suggests a potential shift in the early reliance on semantics to later reliance on syntax in development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neelima Wagley
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA.
| | - James R Booth
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA
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16
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Enge A, Abdel Rahman R, Skeide MA. A meta-analysis of fMRI studies of semantic cognition in children. Neuroimage 2021; 241:118436. [PMID: 34329724 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Our capacity to derive meaning from things that we see and words that we hear is unparalleled in other animal species and current AI systems. Despite a wealth of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on where different semantic features are processed in the adult brain, the development of these systems in children is poorly understood. Here we conducted an extensive database search and identified 50 fMRI experiments investigating semantic world knowledge, semantic relatedness judgments, and the differentiation of visual semantic object categories in children (total N = 1,018, mean age = 10.1 years, range 4-15 years). Synthesizing the results of these experiments, we found consistent activation in the bilateral inferior frontal gyri (IFG), fusiform gyri (FG), and supplementary motor areas (SMA), as well as in the left middle and superior temporal gyri (MTG/STG). Within this system, we found little evidence for age-related changes across childhood and high overlap with the adult semantic system. In sum, the identification of these cortical areas provides the starting point for further research on the mechanisms by which the developing brain learns to make sense of its environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Enge
- Research Group Learning in Early Childhood, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Rasha Abdel Rahman
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael A Skeide
- Research Group Learning in Early Childhood, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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17
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Rossi NF, Fernandes C, Moreira CS, Giacheti CM, Sichieri BB, Pinheiro AP, Sampaio A. Sentence contexts and cloze probabilities for Brazilian Portuguese children and adolescents. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0236388. [PMID: 32730342 PMCID: PMC7392299 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE In this study we investigated a set of 100 sentence contexts and their cloze probabilities to develop a database of linguistic stimuli for Brazilian Portuguese children and adolescents. The study also examined age-related changes on cloze probabilities, and specified the predictor effects of age and cloze probabilities on idiosyncratic responses and errors (semantic, syntactic, and other errors). Finally, the study also aimed to shed light on cultural effects on word generation by comparing Brazilian and Portuguese sentence databases. METHOD 361 typically developing monolingual Brazilian speakers, with ages ranging from 7 to 18 years, participated in the study. The cloze task was composed by 100 sentence contexts, grounded on the European Portuguese database. Responses were classified as valid (correct) or invalid (semantic, syntactic, and other-type errors). Statistical analyses were based on mixed-effects logistic models. RESULTS Sixty-three sentences met criteria for high cloze probabilities, 30 for medium cloze, and 7 for low cloze. Age was a significant predictor of idiosyncratic responses, semantic and syntactic errors: older participants were less likely to produce idiosyncratic responses, as well as semantic and syntactic errors. Cloze probability values were concordant in the Brazilian and Portuguese databases for 31 out of 49 (83.7%) high-cloze sentences and for 7 low-cloze sentences. CONCLUSION In this study we have provided a database with cloze probability values for a set of 100 sentence-final word contexts for Brazilian Portuguese children and adolescents. Results showed that both age and sentence contextual level predicted sentence final word completion. Older participants were more likely to choose more consistently the same final word, with the contextual level of a given sentence also contributing to the final word selection. Age should be controlled for in future studies probing semantic processing with this set of sentences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Freitas Rossi
- Faculty of Philosophy and Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Speech, Language and Hearing Science Department, Campus of Marília, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Catarina Fernandes
- Psychological Neuroscience Lab, CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Célia Sofia Moreira
- Faculty of Sciences and Center of Mathematics (FCUP & CMUP), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Célia Maria Giacheti
- Faculty of Philosophy and Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Speech, Language and Hearing Science Department, Campus of Marília, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bianca Bortolai Sichieri
- Faculty of Philosophy and Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Speech, Language and Hearing Science Department, Campus of Marília, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana Patrícia Pinheiro
- Psychological Neuroscience Lab, CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Adriana Sampaio
- Psychological Neuroscience Lab, CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
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18
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Steber S, Rossi S. So young, yet so mature? Electrophysiological and vascular correlates of phonotactic processing in 18-month-olds. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 43:100784. [PMID: 32510350 PMCID: PMC7184260 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study investigated neural correlates of implicit phonotactic processing in 18-month-old children that just reached an important step in language development: the vocabulary spurt. Pseudowords, either phonotactically legal or illegal with respect to their native language, were acoustically presented to monolingually German raised infants. Neural activity was simultaneously assessed by means of electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The former method excellently tracks fast processing mechanisms, whereas the latter reveals brain areas recruited. Results of the present study indicate that 18-month-olds recognize the linguistic properties of their native language based on phonotactics. This manifested in an increased N400 for legal compared to illegal pseudowords in the EEG conforming to adult-like mechanisms. Unfortunately, fNIRS findings did not support this discrimination ability. Possible methodological and brain maturational reasons might explain this null finding. This study provides evidence for the advantage of a multi-methodological approach in order to get a clear picture on neural language development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Steber
- ICONE - Innsbruck Cognitive Neuroscience, Department for Hearing, Speech, and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria; Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Sonja Rossi
- ICONE - Innsbruck Cognitive Neuroscience, Department for Hearing, Speech, and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
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19
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Wang J, Rice ML, Booth JR. Syntactic and Semantic Specialization and Integration in 5- to 6-Year-Old Children during Auditory Sentence Processing. J Cogn Neurosci 2020; 32:36-49. [PMID: 31596168 PMCID: PMC8905464 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have found specialized syntactic and semantic processes in the adult brain during language comprehension. Young children have sophisticated semantic and syntactic aspects of language, yet many previous fMRI studies failed to detect this specialization, possibly due to experimental design and analytical methods. In this current study, 5- to 6-year-old children completed a syntactic task and a semantic task to dissociate these two processes. Multivoxel pattern analysis was used to examine the correlation of patterns within a task (between runs) or across tasks. We found that the left middle temporal gyrus showed more similar patterns within the semantic task compared with across tasks, whereas there was no difference in the correlation within the syntactic task compared with across tasks, suggesting its specialization in semantic processing. Moreover, the left superior temporal gyrus showed more similar patterns within both the semantic task and the syntactic task as compared with across tasks, suggesting its role in integration of semantic and syntactic information. In contrast to the temporal lobe, we did not find specialization or integration effects in either the opercular or triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus. Overall, our study showed that 5- to 6-year-old children have already developed specialization and integration in the temporal lobe, but not in the frontal lobe, consistent with developmental neurocognitive models of language comprehension in typically developing young children.
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20
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Wagley N, Perrachione TK, Ostrovskaya I, Ghosh SS, Saxler PK, Lymberis J, Wexler K, Gabrieli JDE, Kovelman I. Persistent Neurobehavioral Markers of Developmental Morphosyntax Errors in Adults. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2019; 62:4497-4508. [PMID: 31825709 PMCID: PMC7201328 DOI: 10.1044/2019_jslhr-19-00154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Child language acquisition is marked by an optional infinitive period (ages 2-4 years) during which children use nonfinite (infinitival) verb forms and finite verb forms interchangeably in grammatical contexts that require finite forms. In English, children's errors include omissions of past tense /-ed/ and 3rd-person singular /-s/. This language acquisition period typically ends by the age of 4 years, but it persists in children with language impairments. It is unknown if adults still process optional infinitives differently than other kinds of morphosyntax errors. Method We compared behavior and functional brain activation during grammaticality judgments across sentences with developmental optional infinitive tense/agreement errors ("Yesterday I play the song"), nondevelopmental agreement errors ("He am tall") that do not occur in typical child language acquisition, and grammatically correct sentences. Results Adults (N = 25) were significantly slower and less accurate in judging sentences with developmental errors relative to other sentences. Sentences with developmental errors yielded greater activation in bilateral inferior frontal gyri relative to nondevelopmental error sentences in both auditory and visual modalities. Conclusions These findings suggest that the heightened computational demands for finiteness extend well beyond early childhood and continue to exert their influence on grammatical mental and brain function in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neelima Wagley
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
| | | | - Irina Ostrovskaya
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
| | - Satrajit S. Ghosh
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
| | - Patricia K. Saxler
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
| | - John Lymberis
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
| | - Kenneth Wexler
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
| | - John D. E. Gabrieli
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
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21
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Arredondo MM, Hu XS, Satterfield T, Tsutsumi Riobóo A, Gelman SA, Kovelman I. Bilingual effects on lexical selection: A neurodevelopmental perspective. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2019; 195:104640. [PMID: 31252177 PMCID: PMC6716384 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2019.104640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
When a listener hears a word, multiple lexical items may come to mind; for instance, /kæn/ may activate concepts with similar phonological onsets such as candy and candle. Acquisition of two lexicons may increase such linguistic competition. Using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy neuroimaging, we investigate whether bilingualism impacts word processing in the child's brain. Bilingual and monolingual children (N = 52; ages 7-10) completed a lexical selection task in English, where participants adjudicated phonological competitors (e.g., car/cat vs. car/pen). Children were less accurate and responded more slowly during competing than non-competing items. In doing so, children engaged top-down fronto-parietal regions associated with cognitive control. In comparison to bilinguals, monolinguals showed greater activity in left frontal regions, a difference possibly due to bilinguals' adaptation for dual-lexicons. These differences provide insight to theories aiming to explain the role of experience on children's emerging neural networks for lexical selection and language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria M Arredondo
- The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T-1Z4, Canada; Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT 06511, United States.
| | - Xiao-Su Hu
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | | | | | - Susan A Gelman
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
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22
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Carlson HL, Sugden C, Brooks BL, Kirton A. Functional connectivity of language networks after perinatal stroke. Neuroimage Clin 2019; 23:101861. [PMID: 31141787 PMCID: PMC6536856 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Successful language acquisition during development is imperative for lifelong function. Complex language networks develop throughout childhood. Perinatal stroke may cause significant language disabilities but function can also be remarkably normal. Studying such very early brain injury populations may inform developmental plasticity models of language networks. We examined functional connectivity (FC) of language networks in children with arterial and venous perinatal stroke and typically developing controls (TDC) in a population-based, controlled, cohort study. Resting state functional MRI was performed at 3 T (TR/TE = 2000/30 ms, 150 volumes, 3.6mm3 voxels). Seed-based analyses used bilateral inferior frontal and superior temporal gyri. A subset of stroke participants completed clinical language testing. Sixty-six children participated (median age: 12.85±3.8y, range 6-19; arterial N = 17; venous N = 15; TDC N = 34]. Children with left hemisphere strokes had comparable FC in their right hemispheres compared to TDC. Inter- and intra-hemispheric connectivity strengths were similar between TDC and PVI but lower for AIS. Reduced FC was associated with poorer language comprehension. Language networks can be estimated using resting-state fMRI in children with perinatal stroke. Altered connectivity may occur in both hemispheres, is more pronounced with arterial lesions, and is associated with clinical function. Our results have implications for therapeutic language interventions after early stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen L Carlson
- Calgary Pediatric Stroke Program, Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, AB, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), Calgary, AB, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
| | - Cole Sugden
- Calgary Pediatric Stroke Program, Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Brian L Brooks
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), Calgary, AB, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Neuropsychology Service, Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, AB, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Adam Kirton
- Calgary Pediatric Stroke Program, Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, AB, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), Calgary, AB, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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23
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Qi T, Schaadt G, Cafiero R, Brauer J, Skeide MA, Friederici AD. The emergence of long-range language network structural covariance and language abilities. Neuroimage 2019; 191:36-48. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Revised: 01/28/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
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24
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Schneider JM, Maguire MJ. Developmental differences in the neural correlates supporting semantics and syntax during sentence processing. Dev Sci 2019; 22:e12782. [DOI: 10.1111/desc.12782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Revised: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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25
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Choi EJ, Vandewouw MM, Young JM, Taylor MJ. Language Network Function in Young Children Born Very Preterm. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:512. [PMID: 30618688 PMCID: PMC6306484 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Language deficits are reported in preterm born children across development. Recent neuroimaging studies have found functional alterations in large-scale brain networks underlying these language deficits, but the early childhood development of the language network has not been investigated. Here, we compared intrinsic language network connectivity in 4-year-old children born VPT and term-born controls, using defined language regions (Broca's area, Wernicke's areas, and their homologues in the right hemisphere). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was obtained, and the group differences in whole-brain connectivity were examined from each seed as well as correlations with language outcomes. We found significantly decreased functional connectivity in almost all language regions in children born VPT compared to their term controls. Notably, Broca's area homologue in the right hemisphere emerged as a functional hub of decreased connectivity in VPT group, specifically to bilateral inferior frontal and supramarginal gyri; connectivity strength between Broca's area homologue with the right supramarginal and the left inferior frontal gyri was associated with better language outcomes at 4 years of age. Wernicke's area and its homologue also showed decreased inter-hemispheric connections to bilateral supramarginal gyri in the VPT group. Decreased intra- and inter-hemispheric connectivity among primary language regions suggests immature and altered function in the language network in children born VPT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun Jung Choi
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Marlee M Vandewouw
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Neurosciences & Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Julia M Young
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Neurosciences & Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Neurosciences & Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Schneider JM, Abel AD, Ogiela DA, McCord C, Maguire MJ. Developmental differences in the neural oscillations underlying auditory sentence processing in children and adults. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2018; 186:17-25. [PMID: 30199760 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2018.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2017] [Revised: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Although very young children seem to process ongoing language quickly and effortlessly, neuroimaging and behavioral studies reveal that children continue to mature in their language skills through adolescence. During this prolonged development, children likely engage the same basic cognitive processes and neural mechanisms to perform language tasks as adults, but in somewhat different ways. In this study we used time frequency analysis of EEG to identify developmental differences in the engagement of neural oscillations between children (ages 10-12) and adults while listening to naturally-paced sentences. Adults displayed consistent beta changes throughout the sentence compared to children, thought to be related to efficient syntactic integration, and children displayed more broadly distributed theta changes than adults, thought to be related to more effortful semantic integration. Few differences in alpha, related to verbal working memory, existed between groups. These findings shed new light on developmental changes in the neuronal processes underlying language comprehension.
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Fronto-parietal numerical networks in relation with early numeracy in young children. Brain Struct Funct 2018; 224:263-275. [PMID: 30315414 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1774-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Early numeracy provides the foundation of acquiring mathematical skills that is essential for future academic success. This study examined numerical functional networks in relation to counting and number relational skills in preschoolers at 4 and 6 years of age. The counting and number relational skills were assessed using school readiness test (SRT). Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) was acquired in 123 4-year-olds and 146 6-year-olds. Among them, 61 were scanned twice over the course of 2 years. Meta-analysis on existing task-based numeracy fMRI studies identified the left parietal-dominant network for both counting and number relational skills and the right parietal-dominant network only for number relational skills in adults. We showed that the fronto-parietal numerical networks, observed in adults, already exist in 4-year and 6-year-olds. The counting skills were associated with the bilateral fronto-parietal network in 4-year-olds and with the right parietal-dominant network in 6-year-olds. Moreover, the number relational skills were related to the bilateral fronto-parietal and right parietal-dominant networks in 4-year-olds and had a trend of the significant relationship with the right parietal-dominant network in 6-year-olds. Our findings suggested that neural fine-tuning of the fronto-parietal numerical networks may subserve the maturation of numeracy in early childhood.
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Morningstar M, Nelson EE, Dirks MA. Maturation of vocal emotion recognition: Insights from the developmental and neuroimaging literature. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 90:221-230. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Revised: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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Flexible, rapid and automatic neocortical word form acquisition mechanism in children as revealed by neuromagnetic brain response dynamics. Neuroimage 2017; 155:450-459. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.03.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Revised: 03/03/2017] [Accepted: 03/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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D'Souza D, D'Souza H, Karmiloff-Smith A. Precursors to language development in typically and atypically developing infants and toddlers: the importance of embracing complexity. JOURNAL OF CHILD LANGUAGE 2017; 44:591-627. [PMID: 28393740 DOI: 10.1017/s030500091700006x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
In order to understand how language abilities emerge in typically and atypically developing infants and toddlers, it is important to embrace complexity in development. In this paper, we describe evidence that early language development is an experience-dependent process, shaped by diverse, interconnected, interdependent developmental mechanisms, processes, and abilities (e.g. statistical learning, sampling, functional specialization, visual attention, social interaction, motor ability). We also present evidence from our studies on neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g. Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Williams syndrome) that variations in these factors significantly contribute to language delay. Finally, we discuss how embracing complexity, which involves integrating data from different domains and levels of description across developmental time, may lead to a better understanding of language development and, critically, lead to more effective interventions for cases when language develops atypically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean D'Souza
- Centre for Brain & Cognitive Development,Birkbeck,University of London,London,UK, andUCL Institute of Education,University College London,London,UK
| | - Hana D'Souza
- Centre for Brain & Cognitive Development,Birkbeck,University of London,London,UK, andLondon Down Syndrome Consortium,University College London,London,UK
| | - Annette Karmiloff-Smith
- Centre for Brain & Cognitive Development,Birkbeck,University of London,London,UK, andLondon Down Syndrome Consortium,University College London,London,UK
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Xiao Y, Brauer J, Lauckner M, Zhai H, Jia F, Margulies DS, Friederici AD. Development of the Intrinsic Language Network in Preschool Children from Ages 3 to 5 Years. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0165802. [PMID: 27812160 PMCID: PMC5094780 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Resting state studies of spontaneous fluctuations in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) blood oxygen level dependent signal have shown great potential in mapping the intrinsic functional connectivity of the human brain underlying cognitive functions. The aim of the present study was to explore the developmental changes in functional networks of the developing human brain exemplified with the language network in typically developing preschool children. To this end, resting-sate fMRI data were obtained from native Chinese children at ages of 3 and 5 years, 15 in each age group. Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) was analyzed for four regions of interest; these are the left and right anterior superior temporal gyrus (aSTG), left posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG), and left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). The comparison of these RSFC maps between 3- and 5-year-olds revealed that RSFC decreases in the right aSTG and increases in the left hemisphere between aSTG seed and IFG, between pSTG seed and IFG, as well as between IFG seed and posterior superior temporal sulcus. In a subsequent analysis, functional asymmetry of the language network seeding in aSTG, pSTG and IFG was further investigated. The results showed an increase of left lateralization in both RSFC of pSTG and of IFG from ages 3 to 5 years. The IFG showed a leftward lateralized trend in 3-year-olds, while pSTG demonstrated rightward asymmetry in 5-year-olds. These findings suggest clear developmental trajectories of the language network between 3- and 5-year-olds revealed as a function of age, characterized by increasing long-range connections and dynamic hemispheric lateralization with age. Our study provides new insights into the developmental changes of a well-established functional network in young children and also offers a basis for future cross-culture and cross-age studies of the resting-state language network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaqiong Xiao
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany
- * E-mail: (YQX); (HCZ)
| | - Jens Brauer
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mark Lauckner
- Max Planck Research Group for Neuroanatomy & Connectivity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hongchang Zhai
- College of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, R.P. China
- * E-mail: (YQX); (HCZ)
| | - Fucang Jia
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, R.P. China
| | - Daniel S. Margulies
- Max Planck Research Group for Neuroanatomy & Connectivity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Angela D. Friederici
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany
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Functional organization of the language network in three- and six-year-old children. Neuropsychologia 2016; 98:24-33. [PMID: 27542319 PMCID: PMC5407357 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2016] [Revised: 08/02/2016] [Accepted: 08/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The organization of the language network undergoes continuous changes during development as children learn to understand sentences. In the present study, functional magnetic resonance imaging and behavioral measures were utilized to investigate functional activation and functional connectivity (FC) in three-year-old (3yo) and six-year-old (6yo) children during sentence comprehension. Transitive German sentences varying the word order (subject-initial and object-initial) with case marking were presented auditorily. We selected children who were capable of processing the subject-initial sentences above chance level accuracy from each age group to ensure that we were tapping real comprehension. Both age groups showed a main effect of word order in the left posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG), with greater activation for object-initial compared to subject-initial sentences. However, age differences were observed in the FC between left pSTG and the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). The 6yo group showed stronger FC between the left pSTG and Brodmann area (BA) 44 of the left IFG compared to the 3yo group. For the 3yo group, in turn, the FC between left pSTG and left BA 45 was stronger than with left BA 44. Our study demonstrates that while task-related activation was comparable, the small behavioral differences between age groups were reflected in the underlying functional organization revealing the ongoing development of the neural language network. We examined functional connectivity of sentence processing in 3- and 6-year-olds. Performance-matched age groups activated left pSTG for processing complex syntax. 6-year-olds had stronger connectivity between left BA44 and pSTG than 3-year-olds. 3-year-olds had greater connectivity between left BA45 and pSTG than BA44 and pSTG. Functional connectivity results could be related to behavioral performance.
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Abstract
Language-processing functions follow heterogeneous developmental trajectories. The human embryo can already distinguish vowels in utero, but grammatical complexity is usually not fully mastered until at least 7 years of age. Examining the current literature, we propose that the ontogeny of the cortical language network can be roughly subdivided into two main developmental stages. In the first stage extending over the first 3 years of life, the infant rapidly acquires bottom-up processing capacities, which are primarily implemented bilaterally in the temporal cortices. In the second stage continuing into adolescence, top-down processes emerge gradually with the increasing functional selectivity and structural connectivity of the left inferior frontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Skeide
- 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
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Fengler A, Meyer L, Friederici AD. How the brain attunes to sentence processing: Relating behavior, structure, and function. Neuroimage 2016; 129:268-278. [PMID: 26777477 PMCID: PMC4819595 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Revised: 11/24/2015] [Accepted: 01/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Unlike other aspects of language comprehension, the ability to process complex sentences develops rather late in life. Brain maturation as well as verbal working memory (vWM) expansion have been discussed as possible reasons. To determine the factors contributing to this functional development, we assessed three aspects in different age-groups (5–6 years, 7–8 years, and adults): first, functional brain activity during the processing of increasingly complex sentences; second, brain structure in language-related ROIs; and third, the behavioral comprehension performance on complex sentences and the performance on an independent vWM test. At the whole-brain level, brain functional data revealed a qualitatively similar neural network in children and adults including the left pars opercularis (PO), the left inferior parietal lobe together with the posterior superior temporal gyrus (IPL/pSTG), the supplementary motor area, and the cerebellum. While functional activation of the language-related ROIs PO and IPL/pSTG predicted sentence comprehension performance for all age-groups, only adults showed a functional selectivity in these brain regions with increased activation for more complex sentences. The attunement of both the PO and IPL/pSTG toward a functional selectivity for complex sentences is predicted by region-specific gray matter reduction while that of the IPL/pSTG is additionally predicted by vWM span. Thus, both structural brain maturation and vWM expansion provide the basis for the emergence of functional selectivity in language-related brain regions leading to more efficient sentence processing during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Fengler
- 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
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Developmental differences in beta and theta power during sentence processing. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2016; 19:19-30. [PMID: 26774879 PMCID: PMC6988103 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2016.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2015] [Revised: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in ERPs and oscillatory dynamic occur during auditory sentence processing. Adults are significantly better at identifying syntactic errors compared to children. Adults display a significant P600 effect and theta/beta power decrease. Children display a significant N400 effect and smaller decrease in theta/beta power. These findings suggest syntactic processing skills are still developing by age 12.
Although very young children process ongoing language quickly and effortlessly, research indicates that they continue to improve and mature in their language skills through adolescence. This prolonged development may be related to differing engagement of semantic and syntactic processes. This study used event related potentials and time frequency analysis of EEG to identify developmental differences in neural engagement as children (ages 10–12) and adults performed an auditory verb agreement grammaticality judgment task. Adults and children revealed very few differences in comprehending grammatically correct sentences. When identifying grammatical errors, however, adults displayed widely distributed beta and theta power decreases that were significantly less pronounced in children. Adults also demonstrated a significant P600 effect, while children exhibited an apparent N400 effect. Thus, when identifying subtle grammatical errors in real time, adults display greater neural activation that is traditionally associated with syntactic processing whereas children exhibit greater activity more commonly associated with semantic processing. These findings support previous claims that the cognitive and neural underpinnings of syntactic processing are still developing in adolescence, and add to them by more clearly identifying developmental changes in the neural oscillations underlying grammatical processing.
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Abstract
UNLABELLED Acquisition of language skills depends on the progressive maturation of specialized brain networks that are usually lateralized in adult population. However, how genetic and environmental factors relate to the age-related differences in lateralization of these language pathways is still not known. We recruited 101 healthy right-handed subjects aged 9-40 years to investigate age-related differences in the anatomy of perisylvian language pathways and 86 adult twins (52 monozygotic and 34 dizygotic) to understand how heritability factors influence language anatomy. Diffusion tractography was used to dissect and extract indirect volume measures from the three segments of the arcuate fasciculus connecting Wernicke's to Broca's region (i.e., long segment), Broca's to Geschwind's region (i.e., anterior segment), and Wernicke's to Geschwind's region (i.e., posterior segment). We found that the long and anterior arcuate segments are lateralized before adolescence and their lateralization remains stable throughout adolescence and early adulthood. Conversely, the posterior segment shows right lateralization in childhood but becomes progressively bilateral during adolescence, driven by a reduction in volume in the right hemisphere. Analysis of the twin sample showed that genetic and shared environmental factors influence the anatomy of those segments that lateralize earlier, whereas specific environmental effects drive the variability in the volume of the posterior segment that continues to change in adolescence and adulthood. Our results suggest that the age-related differences in the lateralization of the language perisylvian pathways are related to the relative contribution of genetic and environmental effects specific to each segment. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our study shows that, by early childhood, frontotemporal (long segment) and frontoparietal (anterior segment) connections of the arcuate fasciculus are left and right lateralized, respectively, and remain lateralized throughout adolescence and early adulthood. In contrast, temporoparietal (posterior segment) connections are right lateralized in childhood, but become progressively bilateral during adolescence. Preliminary twin analysis suggested that lateralization of the arcuate fasciculus is a heterogeneous process that depends on the interplay between genetic and environment factors specific to each segment. Tracts that exhibit higher age effects later in life (i.e., posterior segment) appear to be influenced more by specific environmental factors.
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Longitudinal changes in resting-state fMRI from age 5 to age 6years covary with language development. Neuroimage 2015; 128:116-124. [PMID: 26690809 PMCID: PMC4767215 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2015] [Revised: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging is a powerful technique to study the whole-brain neural connectivity that underlies cognitive systems. The present study aimed to define the changes in neural connectivity in their relation to language development. Longitudinal resting-state functional data were acquired from a cohort of preschool children at age 5 and one year later, and changes in functional connectivity were correlated with language performance in sentence comprehension. For this, degree centrality, a voxel-based network measure, was used to assess age-related differences in connectivity at the whole-brain level. Increases in connectivity with age were found selectively in a cluster within the left posterior superior temporal gyrus and sulcus (STG/STS). In order to further specify the connection changes, a secondary seed-based functional connectivity analysis on this very cluster was performed. The correlations between resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and language performance revealed developmental effects with age and, importantly, also dependent on the advancement in sentence comprehension ability over time. In children with greater advancement in language abilities, the behavioral improvement was positively correlated with RSFC increase between left posterior STG/STS and other regions of the language network, i.e., left and right inferior frontal cortex. The age-related changes observed in this study provide evidence for alterations in the language network as language develops and demonstrates the viability of this approach for the investigation of normal and aberrant language development.
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Wu CY, Vissiennon K, Friederici AD, Brauer J. Preschoolers' brains rely on semantic cues prior to the mastery of syntax during sentence comprehension. Neuroimage 2015; 126:256-66. [PMID: 26497266 PMCID: PMC4739511 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.10.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2015] [Revised: 09/10/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Sentence comprehension requires the integration of both syntactic and semantic information, the acquisition of which seems to have different trajectories in the developing brain. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined the neural correlates underlying syntactic and semantic processing during auditory sentence comprehension as well as its development in preschool children by manipulating case marking and animacy hierarchy cues, respectively. A functional segregation was observed within Broca's area in the left inferior frontal gyrus for adults, where the pars opercularis was involved in syntactic processing and the pars triangularis in semantic processing. By contrast, five-year-old children sensitive to animacy hierarchy cues showed diffuse activation for semantic processing in the left inferior frontal and posterior temporal cortices. While no main effect of case marking was found in the left fronto-temporal language network, children with better syntactic skills showed greater neural responses for syntactically complex sentences, most prominently in the posterior superior temporal cortex. The current study provides both behavioral and neural evidence that five-year-old children compared to adults rely more on semantic information than on syntactic cues during sentence comprehension, but with the development of syntactic abilities, their brain activation in the left fronto-temporal network increases for syntactic processing. Adults showed a functional segregation in Broca's area for syntax and semantics. Brodmann Area (BA) 44 was involved in syntactic and BA 45 in semantic processing. Preschoolers relied more on semantic animacy than on syntactic case marking cues. Children showed adult-like left fronto-temporal activation for semantic processing. The left fronto-temporal activation for syntax correlated with syntactic abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiao-Yi Wu
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Kodjo Vissiennon
- 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
| | - Jens Brauer
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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39
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de Bode S, Smets L, Mathern GW, Dubinsky S. Complex syntax in the isolated right hemisphere: Receptive grammatical abilities after cerebral hemispherectomy. Epilepsy Behav 2015; 51:33-9. [PMID: 26253599 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2015.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Revised: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 06/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In this study, we explored the syntactic competence of the right hemisphere (RH) after left cerebral hemispherectomy, on the premise that it (syntactic competence) is known to be one of the most strongly left-lateralized language functions. As basic syntactic development for individuals in this subject pool has already been extensively explored, we focused instead on the investigation of complex syntactic constructions that are normally acquired later in childhood, i.e., between 7 and 9years of age. METHODS Grammatical competence in 10 participants who had undergone left cerebral hemispherectomy was compared to that of a group of normally developing children, with the two groups matched by the size of their vocabulary. The two tests we used for this research were created by the 1st language acquisition linguists and were designed to test sets of constructions categorized and differentiated by the order in which they are normally acquired and by the type of grammatical competence that they involve. RESULTS We found that both groups followed the same developmental sequence of syntactic development with five (50%) postsurgical participants (all with prenatal etiologies) reaching nearly mature command of sentence grammar. Seizures negatively impacted performance on all tests. CONCLUSIONS The isolated RH has the potential to support the complex grammatical categories that emerge relatively late in the normal acquisition of English by native speakers. Successful performance may be related to the timing of the initial insult and seizure control following hemispherectomy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lieselotte Smets
- Department of Linguistics, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Gary W Mathern
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Mattel Children's Hospital, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Mattel Children's Hospital, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Brain Research Institute, Mattel Children's Hospital, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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40
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Broce I, Bernal B, Altman N, Tremblay P, Dick AS. Fiber tracking of the frontal aslant tract and subcomponents of the arcuate fasciculus in 5-8-year-olds: Relation to speech and language function. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2015; 149:66-76. [PMID: 26186231 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2015.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2014] [Revised: 03/31/2015] [Accepted: 06/13/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Long association cortical fiber pathways support developing networks for speech and language, but we do not have a clear understanding of how they develop in early childhood. Using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) we tracked the frontal aslant tract (FAT), arcuate fasciculus (AF), and AF segments (anterior, long, posterior) in 19 typical 5-8-year-olds, an age range in which significant improvement in speech and language function occurs. While the microstructural properties of the FAT and the right AF did not show age-related differences over the age range we investigated, the left AF evidenced increasing fractional anisotropy with age. Microstructural properties of the AF in both hemispheres, however, predicted receptive and expressive language. Length of the left FAT also predicted receptive language, which provides initial suggestion that this pathway is important for language development. These findings have implications for models of language development and for models of the neurobiology of language more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Broce
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Byron Bernal
- Department of Radiology - Brain Institute, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Nolan Altman
- Department of Radiology - Brain Institute, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Pascale Tremblay
- Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Québec, Québec City, QC, Canada; Département de Réadaptation, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
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Xiao Y, Friederici AD, Margulies DS, Brauer J. Development of a selective left-hemispheric fronto-temporal network for processing syntactic complexity in language comprehension. Neuropsychologia 2015; 83:274-282. [PMID: 26352468 PMCID: PMC4780430 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Revised: 08/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The development of language comprehension abilities in childhood is closely related to the maturation of the brain, especially the ability to process syntactically complex sentences. Recent studies proposed that the fronto-temporal connection within left perisylvian regions, supporting the processing of syntactically complex sentences, is still immature at preschool age. In the current study, resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired from typically developing 5-year-old children and adults to shed further light on the brain functional development. Children additionally performed a behavioral syntactic comprehension test outside the scanner. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations was analyzed in order to identify the functional correlation networks of language-relevant brain regions. Results showed an intrahemispheric correlation between left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and left posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) in adults, whereas an interhemispheric correlation between left IFG and its right-hemispheric homolog was predominant in children. Correlation analysis between resting-state functional connectivity and sentence processing performance in 5-year-olds revealed that local connectivity within the left IFG is associated with competence of processing syntactically simple canonical sentences, while long-range connectivity between IFG and pSTS in left hemisphere is associated with competence of processing syntactically relatively more complex non-canonical sentences. The present developmental data suggest that a selective left fronto-temporal connectivity network for processing complex syntax is already in functional connection at the age of 5 years when measured in a non-task situation. The correlational findings provide new insight into the relationship between intrinsic functional connectivity and syntactic language abilities in preschool children. resting state ALFF correlated in adults between left IFG and left pSTS. resting state ALFF correlated in children between left IFG and right homolog area. intrahemispheric connectivity co-varies with syntactic processing skills in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaqiong Xiao
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Daniel S Margulies
- Max Planck Research Group for Neuroanatomy & Connectivity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jens Brauer
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
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Weiss-Croft LJ, Baldeweg T. Maturation of language networks in children: A systematic review of 22years of functional MRI. Neuroimage 2015. [PMID: 26213350 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.07.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding how language networks change during childhood is important for theories of cognitive development and for identifying the neural causes of language impairment. Despite this, there is currently little systematic evidence regarding the typical developmental trajectory for language from the field of neuroimaging. We reviewed functional MRI (fMRI) studies published between 1992 and 2014, and quantified the evidence for age-related changes in localisation and lateralisation of fMRI activation in the language network (excluding the cerebellum and subcortical regions). Although age-related changes differed according to task type and input modality, we identified four consistent findings concerning the typical maturation of the language system. First, activation in core semantic processing regions increases with age. Second, activation in lower-level sensory and motor regions increases with age as activation in higher-level control regions reduces. We suggest that this reflects increased automaticity of language processing as children become more proficient. Third, the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus (regions associated with the default mode network) show increasing attenuation across childhood and adolescence. Finally, language lateralisation is established by approximately 5years of age. Small increases in leftward lateralisation are observed in frontal regions, but these are tightly linked to performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise J Weiss-Croft
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, Developmental Neurosciences Programme, UCL Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
| | - Torsten Baldeweg
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, Developmental Neurosciences Programme, UCL Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
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43
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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]
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44
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Jeon HA, Friederici AD. Degree of automaticity and the prefrontal cortex. Trends Cogn Sci 2015; 19:244-50. [PMID: 25843542 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2015.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2015] [Revised: 02/27/2015] [Accepted: 03/06/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), with more anterior areas [Brodmann area (BA) 45, 47, and 10], has been known to be activated as cognitive hierarchy increases. However, this does not hold for highly automatic processes such as first language (L1), where the posterior region (BA 44) is known as the key area for the processing of complex linguistic hierarchy. Discussing this disparity, we propose that the degree of automaticity (DoA) is a crucial factor for the framework of functional mapping in the PFC: the posterior-to-anterior gradient system for more controlled processes and the posterior-confined system for automatic processes. We support this view with previous findings and provide a new perspective on the functional organization of the PFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeon-Ae Jeon
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany
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45
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Relationship between receptive vocabulary and the neural substrates for story processing in preschoolers. Brain Imaging Behav 2014; 9:43-55. [DOI: 10.1007/s11682-014-9342-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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46
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Croft LJ, Baldeweg T, Sepeta L, Zimmaro L, Berl MM, Gaillard WD. Vulnerability of the ventral language network in children with focal epilepsy. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 137:2245-57. [PMID: 24941948 PMCID: PMC4107744 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awu154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Croft et al. present fMRI and functional connectivity analyses of the language network in children with epilepsy and healthy controls. In both groups, the network is organised into dorsal and ventral systems. Activation of the ventral network is reduced in children with epilepsy, in association with poorer language function. Children with focal epilepsy are at increased risk of language impairment, yet the neural substrate of this dysfunction is not yet known. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging we investigated the impact of focal epilepsy on the developing language system using measures of network topology (spatial organization of activation) and synchrony (functional connectivity). We studied healthy children (n = 48, 4–12 years, 24 females) and children with focal epilepsy (n = 21, 5–12 years, nine females) with left hemisphere language dominance. Participants performed an age-adjusted auditory description decision task during functional magnetic resonance imaging, to identify perisylvian language regions. Mean signal change was extracted from eight left perisylvian regions of interest and compared between groups. Paired region of interest functional connectivity analysis was performed on time course data from the same regions, to investigate left network synchrony. Two principal component analyses were performed to extract (i) patterns of activation (using mean signal change data); and (ii) patterns of synchronized regions (using functional connectivity data). For both principal component analyses two components (networks) were extracted, which mapped onto the functional anatomy of dorsal and ventral language systems. Associations among network variables, age, epilepsy-related factors and verbal ability were assessed. Activated networks were affected by age and epilepsy [F(2,60) = 3.74, P = 0.03]: post hoc analyses showed, for healthy children, activation in both ventral and dorsal networks decreased with age (P = 0.02). Regardless of age and task performance, children with epilepsy showed reduced activation of the ventral network (P < 0.001). They also showed a trend for increased activation of the dorsal network (P = 0.08) associated with improved task performance (r = 0.62, P = 0.008). Crucially, decreased activation of the ventral network in patients predicted poorer language outcome ( = 0.47, P = 0.002). This suggests childhood onset epilepsy preferentially alters maturation of the ventral language system, and this is related to poorer language ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise J Croft
- 1 Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Torsten Baldeweg
- 1 Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Leigh Sepeta
- 1 Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Lauren Zimmaro
- 1 Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Madison M Berl
- 1 Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK1 Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - William D Gaillard
- 1 Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK1 Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
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47
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Skeide MA, Brauer J, Friederici AD. Syntax gradually segregates from semantics in the developing brain. Neuroimage 2014; 100:106-11. [PMID: 24927987 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.05.080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2014] [Revised: 05/02/2014] [Accepted: 05/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
An essential computational component of the human language faculty is syntax as it regulates how words are combined into sentences. Although its neuroanatomical basis is well-specified in adults, its emergence in the maturing brain is not yet understood. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a cross-sectional design, we discovered, that in contrast to what is known about adults 3-to-4- and 6-to-7-year-old children do not process syntax independently from semantics at the neural level already before these two types of information are integrated for the interpretation of a sentence. It is not until the end of the 10th year of life that children show a neural selectivity for syntax, segregated and gradually independent from semantics, in the left inferior frontal cortex as in the adult brain. Our results indicate that it takes until early adolescence for the domain-specific selectivity of syntax within the language network to develop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Skeide
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Jens Brauer
- 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
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48
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Jeon HA, Friederici AD. Two principles of organization in the prefrontal cortex are cognitive hierarchy and degree of automaticity. Nat Commun 2013; 4:2041. [PMID: 23787807 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2013] [Accepted: 05/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The lateral prefrontal cortex is known to be organized by cognitive hierarchies following a posterior-to-anterior gradient. Here we test whether this model applies across different cognitive domains by varying levels of cognitive hierarchy in first language, second language and non-language domains. These domains vary in their degree of automaticity with first language being the most automatic. For second language/non-language a clear gradient pattern of activation depending on the level of hierarchy is observed in the prefrontal cortex with the highest level of hierarchy recruiting its most anterior region, whereas for first language the highest level of hierarchy recruits its most posterior region. Moreover, second language/non-language and first language differ in the structural connectivity of their underlying networks. The current data strongly suggest that functional segregation of the prefrontal cortex is determined by cognitive hierarchy and the degree of automaticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeon-Ae Jeon
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
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49
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Yamasaki T, Ogata K, Maekawa T, Ijichi I, Katagiri M, Mitsudo T, Kamio Y, Tobimatsu S. Rapid maturation of voice and linguistic processing systems in preschool children: A near-infrared spectroscopic study. Exp Neurol 2013; 250:313-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2013.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2013] [Revised: 09/27/2013] [Accepted: 10/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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50
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Monzalvo K, Dehaene-Lambertz G. How reading acquisition changes children's spoken language network. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2013; 127:356-365. [PMID: 24216407 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2013.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Revised: 10/09/2013] [Accepted: 10/19/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
To examine the influence of age and reading proficiency on the development of the spoken language network, we tested 6- and 9-years-old children listening to native and foreign sentences in a slow event-related fMRI paradigm. We observed a stable organization of the peri-sylvian areas during this time period with a left dominance in the superior temporal sulcus and inferior frontal region. A year of reading instruction was nevertheless sufficient to increase activation in regions involved in phonological representations (posterior superior temporal region) and sentence integration (temporal pole and pars orbitalis). A top-down activation of the left inferior temporal cortex surrounding the visual word form area, was also observed but only in 9year-olds (3years of reading practice) listening to their native language. These results emphasize how a successful cultural practice, reading, slots in the biological constraints of the innate spoken language network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karla Monzalvo
- INSERM, U992, Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, F-91191 Gif/Yvette, France; CEA, DSV/I2BM, NeuroSpin Center, F-91191 Gif/Yvette, France; University Paris-Sud, Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, F-91191 Gif/Yvette, France
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