1
|
Wu W, Lohani S, Homan T, Krieger-Redwood K, Hoffman P. Healthy ageing has divergent effects on verbal and non-verbal semantic cognition. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024; 77:1179-1189. [PMID: 37542428 PMCID: PMC11103919 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231195341] [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: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023]
Abstract
Semantic cognition refers to the storage and appropriate use of knowledge acquired over the lifespan and underpins our everyday verbal and non-verbal behaviours. Successful semantic cognition requires representation of knowledge and control processes which ensure that currently relevant aspects of knowledge are retrieved and selected. Although these abilities have been widely studied in healthy young populations and semantically impaired patients, it is unclear how they change as a function of healthy ageing, especially for non-verbal semantic processing. Here, we addressed this issue by comparing the performance profiles of young and older people on a semantic knowledge task and a semantic control task, across verbal (word) and non-verbal (picture) versions. The results revealed distinct patterns of change during adulthood for semantic knowledge and semantic control. Older people performed better in both verbal and non-verbal knowledge tasks than young people. However, although the older group showed preserved controlled retrieval for verbal semantics, they demonstrated a specific impairment for non-verbal semantic control. These findings indicate that the effects of ageing on semantic cognition are more complex than previously assumed, and that input modality plays an important role in the shifting cognitive architecture of semantics in later life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wu
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Suchismita Lohani
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Taylore Homan
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Paul Hoffman
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Riemann S, van Lück J, Rodríguez-Fornells A, Flöel A, Meinzer M. The role of frontal cortex in novel-word learning and consolidation: Evidence from focal transcranial direct current stimulation. Cortex 2024; 177:15-27. [PMID: 38824804 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.05.004] [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: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated that conventional transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can enhance novel-word learning. However, because of the widespread current that is induced by these setups and lack of appropriate control conditions, little is known about the underlying neural mechanisms. In the present double-blinded and sham-tDCS controlled study, we investigated for the first time if regionally precise focal tDCS targeting two key nodes of the novel-word learning network at different time points would result in regionally and temporally distinct effects. 156 participants completed a contextual novel-word-learning paradigm and learning success was probed immediately after the acquisition period and 30-min later. Participants were randomly assigned to six stimulation conditions: Active tDCS (1.5 mA) was administered to left inferior frontal (IFG) or middle temporal gyrus (MTG), either during acquisition or delayed recall. Control groups received sham-tDCS either during acquisition or delayed recall (50% IFG/MTG). Data were analyzed with a generalized linear mixed model with a binomial link function in a Bayesian framework. Our results showed that frontal tDCS selectively increased accuracy gains from immediate to delayed recall, irrespective of timing of the stimulation. There was no evidence for beneficial effects of middle temporal gyrus tDCS. Our findings confirm that IFG tDCS can enhance novel-word learning in a regionally, but not timing specific way. Tentatively, this may be explained by enhancement of semantic selection processes resulting in more effective consolidation and/or retrieval. Future studies using longer time intervals between assessments are required to clarify the potential contribution of neurophysiological after-effects of IFG tDCS administered during acquisition to enhanced consolidation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Riemann
- Department of Neurology, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany.
| | - Jil van Lück
- Department of Neurology, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany
| | - Antoni Rodríguez-Fornells
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, ICREA, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona - IDIBELL, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Agnes Flöel
- Department of Neurology, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Marcus Meinzer
- Department of Neurology, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zammit AR, Klein HU, Yu L, Levey AI, Seyfried NT, Wingo AP, Wingo TS, Schneider JA, Bennett DA, Buchman AS. Proteome-wide Analyses Identified Cortical Proteins Associated With Resilience for Varied Cognitive Abilities. Neurology 2024; 102:e207816. [PMID: 38165375 PMCID: PMC10834136 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000207816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Prior work suggests that cognitive resilience may contribute to the heterogeneity of cognitive decline. This study examined whether distinct cortical proteins provide resilience for different cognitive abilities. METHODS Participants were from the Religious Orders Study or the Rush Memory and Aging Project who had undergone annual assessments of 5 cognitive abilities and postmortem assessment of 9 Alzheimer disease and related dementia (ADRD) pathologies. Proteome-wide examination of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex using tandem mass tag and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry yielded 8,425 high-abundance proteins. We applied linear mixed-effect models to quantify residual cognitive change (cognitive resilience) of 5 cognitive abilities by regressing out cognitive decline related to age, sex, education, and indices of ADRD pathologies. Then we added terms for each of the individual proteins to identify cognitive resilience proteins associated with the different cognitive abilities. RESULTS We included 604 decedents (69% female; mean age at death = 89 years) with proteomic data. A total of 47 cortical proteins that provide cognitive resilience were identified: 22 were associated with specific cognitive abilities, and 25 were common to at least 2 cognitive abilities. NRN1 was the only protein that was associated with more than 2 cognitive abilities (semantic memory: estimate = 0.020, SE = 0.004, p = 2.2 × 10-6; episodic memory: estimate = 0.029, SE = 0.004, p = 5.8 × 10-1; and working memory: estimate = 0.021, SE = 0.004, p = 1.2 × 10-7). Exploratory gene ontology analysis suggested that among top molecular pathways, mitochondrial translation was a molecular mechanism providing resilience in episodic memory, while nuclear-transcribed messenger RNA catabolic processes provided resilience in working memory. DISCUSSION This study identified cortical proteins associated with various cognitive abilities. Differential associations across abilities may reflect distinct underlying biological pathways. These data provide potential high-value targets for further mechanistic and drug discovery studies to develop targeted treatments to prevent loss of cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea R Zammit
- From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (A.R.Z., L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.R.Z.), Neurological Sciences (L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Pathology (J.A.S.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL; Department of Neurology (H.-U.K.), Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; Departments of Neurology (A.I.L., N.T.S., T.S.W.) Psychiatry (A.P.W.), and Human Genetics (T.S.W.), and the Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Center (T.S.W.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Department of Biochemistry (N.T.S.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; and Division of Mental Health (A.P.W.), Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA
| | - Hans-Ulrich Klein
- From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (A.R.Z., L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.R.Z.), Neurological Sciences (L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Pathology (J.A.S.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL; Department of Neurology (H.-U.K.), Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; Departments of Neurology (A.I.L., N.T.S., T.S.W.) Psychiatry (A.P.W.), and Human Genetics (T.S.W.), and the Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Center (T.S.W.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Department of Biochemistry (N.T.S.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; and Division of Mental Health (A.P.W.), Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA
| | - Lei Yu
- From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (A.R.Z., L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.R.Z.), Neurological Sciences (L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Pathology (J.A.S.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL; Department of Neurology (H.-U.K.), Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; Departments of Neurology (A.I.L., N.T.S., T.S.W.) Psychiatry (A.P.W.), and Human Genetics (T.S.W.), and the Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Center (T.S.W.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Department of Biochemistry (N.T.S.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; and Division of Mental Health (A.P.W.), Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA
| | - Allan I Levey
- From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (A.R.Z., L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.R.Z.), Neurological Sciences (L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Pathology (J.A.S.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL; Department of Neurology (H.-U.K.), Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; Departments of Neurology (A.I.L., N.T.S., T.S.W.) Psychiatry (A.P.W.), and Human Genetics (T.S.W.), and the Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Center (T.S.W.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Department of Biochemistry (N.T.S.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; and Division of Mental Health (A.P.W.), Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA
| | - Nicholas T Seyfried
- From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (A.R.Z., L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.R.Z.), Neurological Sciences (L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Pathology (J.A.S.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL; Department of Neurology (H.-U.K.), Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; Departments of Neurology (A.I.L., N.T.S., T.S.W.) Psychiatry (A.P.W.), and Human Genetics (T.S.W.), and the Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Center (T.S.W.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Department of Biochemistry (N.T.S.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; and Division of Mental Health (A.P.W.), Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA
| | - Aliza P Wingo
- From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (A.R.Z., L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.R.Z.), Neurological Sciences (L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Pathology (J.A.S.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL; Department of Neurology (H.-U.K.), Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; Departments of Neurology (A.I.L., N.T.S., T.S.W.) Psychiatry (A.P.W.), and Human Genetics (T.S.W.), and the Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Center (T.S.W.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Department of Biochemistry (N.T.S.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; and Division of Mental Health (A.P.W.), Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA
| | - Thomas S Wingo
- From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (A.R.Z., L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.R.Z.), Neurological Sciences (L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Pathology (J.A.S.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL; Department of Neurology (H.-U.K.), Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; Departments of Neurology (A.I.L., N.T.S., T.S.W.) Psychiatry (A.P.W.), and Human Genetics (T.S.W.), and the Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Center (T.S.W.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Department of Biochemistry (N.T.S.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; and Division of Mental Health (A.P.W.), Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA
| | - Julie A Schneider
- From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (A.R.Z., L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.R.Z.), Neurological Sciences (L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Pathology (J.A.S.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL; Department of Neurology (H.-U.K.), Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; Departments of Neurology (A.I.L., N.T.S., T.S.W.) Psychiatry (A.P.W.), and Human Genetics (T.S.W.), and the Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Center (T.S.W.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Department of Biochemistry (N.T.S.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; and Division of Mental Health (A.P.W.), Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA
| | - David A Bennett
- From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (A.R.Z., L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.R.Z.), Neurological Sciences (L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Pathology (J.A.S.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL; Department of Neurology (H.-U.K.), Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; Departments of Neurology (A.I.L., N.T.S., T.S.W.) Psychiatry (A.P.W.), and Human Genetics (T.S.W.), and the Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Center (T.S.W.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Department of Biochemistry (N.T.S.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; and Division of Mental Health (A.P.W.), Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA
| | - Aron S Buchman
- From the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (A.R.Z., L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.R.Z.), Neurological Sciences (L.Y., J.A.S., D.A.B., A.S.B.), and Pathology (J.A.S.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL; Department of Neurology (H.-U.K.), Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; Departments of Neurology (A.I.L., N.T.S., T.S.W.) Psychiatry (A.P.W.), and Human Genetics (T.S.W.), and the Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Center (T.S.W.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Department of Biochemistry (N.T.S.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; and Division of Mental Health (A.P.W.), Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Branzi FM, Lambon Ralph MA. Semantic-specific and domain-general mechanisms for integration and update of contextual information. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:5547-5566. [PMID: 37787648 PMCID: PMC10619409 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent research has highlighted the importance of domain-general processes and brain regions for language and semantic cognition. Yet, this has been mainly observed in executively demanding tasks, leaving open the question of the contribution of domain-general processes to natural language and semantic cognition. Using fMRI, we investigated whether neural processes reflecting context integration and context update-two key aspects of naturalistic language and semantic processing-are domain-specific versus domain-general. Thus, we compared neural responses during the integration of contextual information across semantic and non-semantic tasks. Whole-brain results revealed both shared (left posterior-dorsal inferior frontal gyrus, left posterior inferior temporal gyrus, and left dorsal angular gyrus/intraparietal sulcus) and distinct (left anterior-ventral inferior frontal gyrus, left anterior ventral angular gyrus, left posterior middle temporal gyrus for semantic control only) regions involved in context integration and update. Furthermore, data-driven functional connectivity analysis clustered domain-specific versus domain-general brain regions into distinct but interacting functional neural networks. These results provide a first characterisation of the neural processes required for context-dependent integration during language processing along the domain-specificity dimension, and at the same time, they bring new insights into the role of left posterior lateral temporal cortex and left angular gyrus for semantic cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca M. Branzi
- Department of Psychological SciencesInstitute of Population Health, University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
- MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences UnitThe University of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Benn Y, Ivanova AA, Clark O, Mineroff Z, Seikus C, Silva JS, Varley R, Fedorenko E. The language network is not engaged in object categorization. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:10380-10400. [PMID: 37557910 PMCID: PMC10545444 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad289] [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: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The relationship between language and thought is the subject of long-standing debate. One claim states that language facilitates categorization of objects based on a certain feature (e.g. color) through the use of category labels that reduce interference from other, irrelevant features. Therefore, language impairment is expected to affect categorization of items grouped by a single feature (low-dimensional categories, e.g. "Yellow Things") more than categorization of items that share many features (high-dimensional categories, e.g. "Animals"). To test this account, we conducted two behavioral studies with individuals with aphasia and an fMRI experiment with healthy adults. The aphasia studies showed that selective low-dimensional categorization impairment was present in some, but not all, individuals with severe anomia and was not characteristic of aphasia in general. fMRI results revealed little activity in language-responsive brain regions during both low- and high-dimensional categorization; instead, categorization recruited the domain-general multiple-demand network (involved in wide-ranging cognitive tasks). Combined, results demonstrate that the language system is not implicated in object categorization. Instead, selective low-dimensional categorization impairment might be caused by damage to brain regions responsible for cognitive control. Our work adds to the growing evidence of the dissociation between the language system and many cognitive tasks in adults.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yael Benn
- Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BH, United Kingdom
| | - Anna A Ivanova
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Oliver Clark
- Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BH, United Kingdom
| | - Zachary Mineroff
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Chloe Seikus
- Division of Psychology & Language Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Jack Santos Silva
- Division of Psychology & Language Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Rosemary Varley
- Division of Psychology & Language Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Evelina Fedorenko
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Elder JJ, Davis TH, Hughes BL. A Fluid Self-Concept: How the Brain Maintains Coherence and Positivity across an Interconnected Self-Concept While Incorporating Social Feedback. J Neurosci 2023; 43:4110-4128. [PMID: 37156606 PMCID: PMC10255005 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1951-22.2023] [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: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
People experience instances of social feedback as interdependent with potential implications for their entire self-concept. How do people maintain positivity and coherence across the self-concept while updating self-views from feedback? We present a network model describing how the brain represents the semantic dependency relations among traits and uses this information to avoid an overall loss of positivity and coherence. Both male and female human participants received social feedback during a self-evaluation task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. We modeled self-belief updating by incorporating a reinforcement learning model within the network structure. Participants learned more rapidly from positive than negative feedback and were less likely to change self-views for traits with more dependencies in the network. Further, participants back propagated feedback across network relations while retrieving prior feedback on the basis of network similarity to inform ongoing self-views. Activation in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) reflected the constrained updating process such that positive feedback led to higher activation and negative feedback to less activation for traits with more dependencies. Additionally, vmPFC was associated with the novelty of a trait relative to previously self-evaluated traits in the network, and angular gyrus was associated with greater certainty for self-beliefs given the relevance of prior feedback. We propose that neural computations that selectively enhance or attenuate social feedback and retrieve past relevant experiences to guide ongoing self-evaluations may support an overall positive and coherent self-concept.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We humans experience social feedback throughout our lives, but we do not dispassionately incorporate feedback into our self-concept. The implications of feedback for our entire self-concept plays a role in how we either change or retain our prior self-beliefs. In a neuroimaging study, we find that people are less likely to change their beliefs from feedback when the feedback has broader implications for the self-concept. This resistance to change is reflected in processing in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, a region that is central to self-referential and social cognition. These results are broadly applicable given the role that maintaining a positive and coherent self-concept plays in promoting mental health and development throughout the lifespan.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacob J Elder
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521
| | | | - Brent L Hughes
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Semantic cognition in healthy ageing: Neural signatures of representation and control mechanisms in naming typical and atypical objects. Neuropsychologia 2023; 184:108545. [PMID: 36934809 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108545] [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: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023]
Abstract
Effective use of conceptual knowledge engages semantic representation and control processes to access information in a goal-driven manner. Neuropsychological findings of patients presenting either degraded knowledge (e.g., semantic dementia) or disrupted control (e.g., semantic aphasia) converge with neuroimaging evidence from young adults, and delineate the neural segregation of representation and control mechanisms. However, there is still scarce research on the neurofunctional underpinnings of such mechanisms in healthy ageing. To address this, we conducted an fMRI study, wherein young and older adults performed a covert naming task of typical and atypical objects. Three main age-related differences were found. As shown by age group and typicality interactions, older adults exhibited overactivation during naming of atypical (e.g., avocado) relative to typical concepts in brain regions associated to semantic representation, including anterior and medial portions of left temporal lobe (respectively, ATL and MTG). This provides evidence for the reorganization of neural activity in these brain regions contingent to the enrichment of semantic repositories in older ages. The medial orbitofrontal gyrus was also overactivated, indicating that the processing of atypical concepts (relative to typical items) taxes additional control resources in the elderly. Increased activation in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) was observed in naming typical items (relative to atypical ones), but only for young adults. This suggests that naming typical items (e.g., strawberry) taxes more on control processes in younger ages, presumably due to the semantic competition set by other items that share multiple features with the target (e.g., raspberry, blackberry, cherry). Together, these results reveal the dynamic nature of semantic control interplaying with conceptual representations as people grow older, by indicating that distinct neural bases uphold semantic performance from young to older ages. These findings may be explained by neural compensation mechanisms coming into play to support neurocognitive changes in healthy ageing.
Collapse
|
8
|
Gurunandan K, Carreiras M, Paz-Alonso PM. Verbal production dynamics and plasticity: functional contributions of language and executive control systems. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:740-753. [PMID: 35271700 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Bilingual language production requires both language knowledge and language control in order to communicate in a target language. Learning or improving a language in adulthood is an increasingly common undertaking, and this has complex effects on the cognitive and neural processes underlying language production. The current functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment investigated the functional plasticity of verbal production in adult language learners, and examined the dynamics of word retrieval in order to dissociate the contributions of language knowledge and executive control. Thirty four adults who were either intermediate or advanced language learners, underwent MRI scanning while performing verbal fluency tasks in their native and new languages. A multipronged analytical approach revealed (i) time-varying contributions of language knowledge and executive control to verbal fluency performance, (ii) learning-related changes in the functional correlates of verbal fluency in both the native and new languages, (iii) no effect of learning on lateralization, and (iv) greater functional coupling between language and language control regions with greater second language experience. Collectively, our results point to significant functional plasticity in adult language learners that impacts the neural correlates of production in both the native and new languages, and provide new insight into the widely used verbal fluency task.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kshipra Gurunandan
- BCBL Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Paseo Mikeletegi 69, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain
| | - Manuel Carreiras
- BCBL Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Paseo Mikeletegi 69, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain.,IKERBASQUE Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 5, 48013 Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain.,Department of Basque Language and Communication, EHU/UPV, Barrio Sarriena, 48940 Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Pedro M Paz-Alonso
- BCBL Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Paseo Mikeletegi 69, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain.,IKERBASQUE Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 5, 48013 Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Yin CH, Yang FPG. The Effects of Working Memory Capacity in Metaphor and Metonymy Comprehension in Mandarin-English Bilinguals’ Minds: An fMRI Study. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12050633. [PMID: 35625020 PMCID: PMC9139067 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12050633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
This study investigated the role of working memory capacity (WMC) in metaphoric and metonymic processing in Mandarin–English bilinguals’ minds. It also explored the neural correlations between metaphor and metonymy computations. We adopted an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) design, which consisted of 21 English dialogic sets of stimuli and 5 conditions: systematic literal, circumstantial literal, metaphor, systematic metonymy, and circumstantial metonymy, all contextualized in daily conversations. Similar fronto-temporal networks were found for the figurative language processing patterns: the superior temporal gyrus (STG) for metaphorical comprehension, and the inferior parietal junction (IPJ) for metonymic processing. Consistent brain regions have been identified in previous studies in the homologue right hemisphere of better WMC bilinguals. The degree to which bilateral strategies that bilinguals with better WMC or larger vocabulary size resort to is differently modulated by subtypes of metonymies. In particular, when processing circumstantial metonymy, the cuneus (where putamen is contained) is activated as higher-span bilinguals filter out irrelevant information, resorting to inhibitory control use. Cingulate gyrus activation has also been revealed in better WMC bilinguals, reflecting their mental flexibility to adopt the subjective perspective of critical figurative items with self-control. It is hoped that this research provides a better understanding of Mandarin–English bilinguals’ English metaphoric and metonymic processing in Taiwan.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Hsin Yin
- Department of Teaching and Learning, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
| | - Fan-Pei Gloria Yang
- Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan
- Center for Cognition and Mind Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan
- Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Wu W, Hoffman P. Validated measures of semantic knowledge and semantic control: normative data from young and older adults for more than 300 semantic judgements. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211056. [PMID: 35223052 PMCID: PMC8847894 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that knowledge representations and control processes are the two key components underpinning semantic cognition, and are also crucial indicators of the shifting cognitive architecture of semantics in later life. Although there are many standardized assessments that provide measures of the quantity of semantic knowledge participants possess, normative data for tasks that probe semantic control processes are not yet available. Here, we present normative data from more than 200 young and older participants on a large set of stimuli in two semantic tasks, which probe controlled semantic processing (feature-matching task) and semantic knowledge (synonym judgement task). We verify the validity of our norms by replicating established age- and psycholinguistic-property-related effects on semantic cognition. Specifically, we find that older people have more detailed semantic knowledge than young people but have less effective semantic control processes. We also obtain expected effects of word frequency and inter-item competition on performance. Parametrically varied difficulty levels are defined for half of the stimuli based on participants' behavioural performance, allowing future studies to produce customized sets of experimental stimuli based on our norms. We provide all stimuli, data and code used for analysis, in the hope that they are useful to other researchers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wu
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 7 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK
| | - Paul Hoffman
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 7 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Li F, Hong X, He Z, Wu S, Zhang C. Investigating Heritage Language Processing: Meaning Composition in Chinese Classifier-Noun Phrasal Contexts. Front Psychol 2021; 12:782016. [PMID: 34975671 PMCID: PMC8718634 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.782016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate how Chinese-Malay bilingual speakers with Chinese as heritage language process semantic congruency effects in Chinese and how their brain activities compare to those of monolingual Chinese speakers using electroencephalography (EEG) recordings. To this end, semantic congruencies were manipulated in Chinese classifier-noun phrases, resulting in four conditions: (i) a strongly constraining/high-cloze, plausible (SP) condition, (ii) a weakly constraining/low-cloze, plausible (WP) condition, (iii) a strongly constraining/implausible (SI) condition, and (iv) a weakly constraining/implausible (WI) condition. The analysis of EEG data focused on two event-related potential components, i.e., the N400, which is known for its sensitivity to semantic fit of a target word to its context, and a post-N400 late positive complex (LPC), which is linked to semantic integration after prediction violations and retrospective, evaluative processes. We found similar N400/LPC effects in response to the manipulations of semantic congruency in the mono- and bilingual groups, with a gradient N400 pattern (WI/SI > WP > SP), a larger frontal LPC in response to WP compared to SP, SI, and WI, as well as larger centro-parietal LPCs in response to WP compared to SI and WI, and a larger centro-parietal LPC for SP compared to SI. These results suggest that, in terms of event-related potential (ERP) data, Chinese-Malay early bilingual speakers predict and integrate upcoming semantic information in Chinese classifier-noun phrase to the same extent as monolingual Chinese speakers. However, the global field power (GFP) data showed significant differences between SP and WP in the N400 and LPC time windows in bilinguals, whereas no such effects were observed in monolinguals. This finding was interpreted as showing that bilinguals differ from their monolingual peers in terms of global field power intensity of the brain by processing plausible classifier-noun pairs with different congruency effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fei Li
- School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiangfei Hong
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhaoying He
- School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Sixuan Wu
- School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chenyi Zhang
- School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Encoding and inhibition of arbitrary episodic context with abstract concepts. Mem Cognit 2021; 50:546-563. [PMID: 34409567 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-021-01212-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Context is critical for conceptual processing, but the mechanism underpinning its encoding and reinstantiation during abstract concept processing is unclear. Context may be especially important for abstract concepts-we investigated whether episodic context is recruited differently when processing abstract compared with concrete concepts. Experiments 1 and 2 presented abstract and concrete words in arbitrary contexts at encoding (Experiment 1: red/green colored frames; Experiment 2: male/female voices). Recognition memory for these contexts was worse for abstract concepts. Again using frame color and voice as arbitrary contexts, respectively, Experiments 3 and 4 presented words from encoding in the same or different context at test to determine whether there was a greater recognition memory benefit for abstract versus concrete concepts when the context was unchanged between encoding and test. Instead, abstract concepts were less likely to be remembered when context was retained. This suggests that at least some types of episodic context-when arbitrary-are attended less, and may even be inhibited, when processing abstract concepts. In Experiment 5, we utilized a context-spatial location-which (as we show) tends to be relevant during real-world processing of abstract concepts. We presented words in different locations, preserving or changing location at test. Location retention conferred a recognition memory advantage for abstract concepts. Thus, episodic context may be encoded with abstract concepts when context is relevant to real-world processing. The systematic contexts necessary for understanding abstract concepts may lead to arbitrary context inhibition, but greater attention to contexts that tend to be more relevant during real-world processing.
Collapse
|
13
|
The interplay between domain-general and domain-specific mechanisms during the time-course of verbal associative learning: An event-related potential study. Neuroimage 2021; 242:118443. [PMID: 34352392 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans continuously learn new information. Here, we examined the temporal brain dynamics of explicit verbal associative learning between unfamiliar items. In the first experiment, 25 adults learned object-pseudoword associations during a 5-day training program allowing us to track the N400 dynamics across learning blocks within and across days. Successful learning was accompanied by an initial frontal N400 that decreased in amplitude across blocks during the first day and shifted to parietal sites during the last training day. In Experiment 2, we replicated our findings with 38 new participants randomly assigned to a consistent learning or an inconsistent learning group. The N400 amplitude modulations that we found, both within and between learning sessions, are taken to reflect the emergence of novel lexical traces even when learning concerns items for which no semantic information is provided. The shift in N400 topography suggests that different N400 neural generators may contribute to specific word learning steps through a balance between domain-general and language-specific mechanisms.
Collapse
|
14
|
Pomper R, Kaushanskaya M, Saffran J. Change is hard: Individual differences in children's lexical processing and executive functions after a shift in dimensions. LANGUAGE LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT 2021; 18:229-247. [PMID: 35600505 PMCID: PMC9122267 DOI: 10.1080/15475441.2021.1947289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Language comprehension involves cognitive abilities that are specific to language as well as cognitive abilities that are more general and involved in a wide range of behaviors. One set of domain-general abilities that support language comprehension are executive functions (EFs), also known as cognitive control. A diverse body of research has demonstrated that EFs support language comprehension when there is conflict between competing, incompatible interpretations of temporarily ambiguous words or phrases. By engaging EFs, children and adults are able to select or bias their attention towards the correct interpretation. However, the degree to which language processing engages EFs in the absence of ambiguity is poorly understood. In the current experiment, we tested whether EFs may be engaged when comprehending speech that does not elicit conflicting interpretations. Different components of EFs were measured using several behavioral tasks and language comprehension was measured using an eye-tracking procedure. Five-year-old children (n=56) saw pictures of familiar objects and heard sentences identifying the objects using either their names or colors. After a series of objects were identified using one dimension, children were significantly less accurate in fixating target objects that were identified using a second dimension. Further results reveal that this decrease in accuracy does not occur because children struggle to shift between dimensions, but rather because they are unable to predict which dimension will be used. These effects of predictability are related to individual differences in children's EFs. Taken together, these findings suggest that EFs may be more broadly involved when children comprehend language, even in instances that do not require conflict resolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ron Pomper
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 West Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Margarita Kaushanskaya
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705, USA
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Goodnight Hall, 1975 Willow Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jenny Saffran
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 West Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Jedidi Z, Manard M, Balteau E, Degueldre C, Luxen A, Philips C, Collette F, Maquet P, Majerus S. Incidental Verbal Semantic Processing Recruits the Fronto-temporal Semantic Control Network. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:5449-5459. [PMID: 34180511 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The frontoparietal semantic network, encompassing the inferior frontal gyrus and the posterior middle temporal cortex, is considered to be involved in semantic control processes. The explicit versus implicit nature of these control processes remains however poorly understood. The present study examined this question by assessing regional brain responses to the semantic attributes of an unattended stream of auditory words while participants' top-down attentional control processes were absorbed by a demanding visual search task. Response selectivity to semantic aspects of verbal stimuli was assessed via a functional magnetic resonance imaging response adaptation paradigm. We observed that implicit semantic processing of an unattended verbal stream recruited not only unimodal and amodal cortices in posterior supporting semantic knowledge areas, but also inferior frontal and posterior middle temporal areas considered to be part of the semantic control network. These results indicate that frontotemporal semantic networks support incidental semantic (control) processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Z Jedidi
- GIGA - Cyclotron Research Centre in vivo imaging, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium.,Department of Neurology, CHU Liège, Domaine Universitaire du Sart-Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - M Manard
- GIGA - Cyclotron Research Centre in vivo imaging, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - E Balteau
- GIGA - Cyclotron Research Centre in vivo imaging, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - C Degueldre
- GIGA - Cyclotron Research Centre in vivo imaging, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - A Luxen
- GIGA - Cyclotron Research Centre in vivo imaging, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - C Philips
- GIGA - Cyclotron Research Centre in vivo imaging, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - F Collette
- GIGA - Cyclotron Research Centre in vivo imaging, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - P Maquet
- GIGA - Cyclotron Research Centre in vivo imaging, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium.,Department of Neurology, CHU Liège, Domaine Universitaire du Sart-Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - S Majerus
- GIGA - Cyclotron Research Centre in vivo imaging, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium.,Psychology & Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium.,Fund for Scientific Research - FNRS, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Haitas N, Amiri M, Wilson M, Joanette Y, Steffener J. Age-preserved semantic memory and the CRUNCH effect manifested as differential semantic control networks: An fMRI study. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0249948. [PMID: 34129605 PMCID: PMC8205163 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249948] [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: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Semantic memory representations are overall well-maintained in aging whereas semantic control is thought to be more affected. To explain this phenomenon, this study aims to test the predictions of the Compensation Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis (CRUNCH) focusing on task demands in aging as a possible framework. The CRUNCH effect would manifest itself in semantic tasks through a compensatory increase in neural activation in semantic control network regions but only up to a certain threshold of task demands. This study will compare 40 young (20-35 years old) with 40 older participants (60-75 years old) in a triad-based semantic judgment task performed in an fMRI scanner while manipulating levels of task demands (low vs. high) through semantic distance. In line with the CRUNCH predictions, differences in neurofunctional activation and behavioral performance (accuracy and response times) are expected in young vs. old participants in the low- vs. high-demand conditions manifested in semantic control Regions of Interest.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Niobe Haitas
- Laboratory of Communication and Aging, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mahnoush Amiri
- Laboratory of Communication and Aging, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Maximiliano Wilson
- Centre de Recherche CERVO – CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale et Département de Réadaptation, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Yves Joanette
- Laboratory of Communication and Aging, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jason Steffener
- Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Jung JY, Rice GE, Lambon Ralph MA. The neural bases of resilient semantic system: evidence of variable neuro-displacement in cognitive systems. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:1585-1599. [PMID: 33877431 PMCID: PMC8096767 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02272-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore an important research goal in cognitive and clinical neuroscience: What are the neurocomputational mechanisms that make cognitive systems "well engineered" and thus resilient across a range of performance demands and to mild levels of perturbation or even damage? A new hypothesis called 'variable neuro-displacement' suggests that cognitive systems are formed with dynamic, spare processing capacity, which balances energy consumption against performance requirements and can be resilient to changes in performance demands. Here, we tested this hypothesis by investigating the neural dynamics of the semantic system by manipulating performance demand. The performance demand was manipulated with two levels of task difficulty (easy vs. hard) in two different ways (stimulus type and response timing). We found that the demanding semantic processing increased regional activity in both the domain-specific semantic representational system (anterior temporal lobe) and the parallel executive control networks (prefrontal, posterior temporal, and parietal regions). Functional connectivity between these regions was also increased during demanding semantic processing and these increases were related to better semantic task performance. Our results suggest that semantic cognition is made resilient by flexible, dynamic changes including increased regional activity and functional connectivity across both domain-specific and domain-general systems. It reveals the intrinsic resilience-related mechanisms of semantic cognition, mimicking alterations caused by perturbation or brain damage. Our findings provide a strong implication that the intrinsic mechanisms of a well-engineered semantic system might be attributed to the compensatory functional alterations in the impaired brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Je Young Jung
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - Grace E Rice
- MRC Cognition and Brain Science Unit (CBU), University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Matthew A Lambon Ralph
- MRC Cognition and Brain Science Unit (CBU), University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Alves M, Figueiredo P, Roberto MS, Raposo A. Using concept typicality to explore semantic representation and control in healthy ageing. Cogn Process 2021; 22:539-552. [PMID: 33928471 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-021-01024-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Successful use of conceptual knowledge entails the assembling of semantic representations and control processes to access the subsets of knowledge relevant in each situation. Research has suggested that representation and control mechanisms interact to support categorization. Notably, depleted representations in semantic dementia and disrupted control processes in semantic aphasia impair categorization of atypical concepts. Yet, it remains unclear how knowledge accumulation and control decay in healthy ageing impact categorization. To address this question, we compared young and older adults' performance in a categorization task of items varying in concept typicality. Critically, older adults were more accurate in categorizing atypical concepts than the younger counterparts, as indicated by the interaction between group and typicality. Moreover, the elderly outperformed the younger in categorizing atypical concepts that were also less familiar. Thus, the decay in semantic control observed along ageing did not significantly hinder the categorization of atypical items. Our data suggest that, relative to young adults, older adults possess enriched conceptual knowledge, which supports retrieval of the category-related features needed for categorizing atypical and less familiar exemplars.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mara Alves
- Faculdade de Psicologia, Research Center for Psychological Science, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1649-013, Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Patrícia Figueiredo
- ISR-Lisboa/LARSyS and Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Magda Sofia Roberto
- Faculdade de Psicologia, Research Center for Psychological Science, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1649-013, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana Raposo
- Faculdade de Psicologia, Research Center for Psychological Science, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1649-013, Lisboa, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Kim J, Jung J, Nam K. Neural correlates of confusability in recognition of morphologically complex Korean words. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0249111. [PMID: 33857191 PMCID: PMC8049294 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249111] [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: 12/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
When people confuse and reject a non-word that is created by switching two adjacent letters from an actual word, is called the transposition confusability effect (TCE). The TCE is known to occur at the very early stages of visual word recognition with such unit exchange as letters or syllables, but little is known about the brain mechanisms of TCE. In this study, we examined the neural correlates of TCE and the effect of a morpheme boundary placement on TCE. We manipulated the placement of a morpheme boundary by exchanging places of two syllables embedded in Korean morphologically complex words made up of lexical morpheme and grammatical morpheme. In the two experimental conditions, the transposition syllable within-boundary condition (TSW) involved exchanging two syllables within the same morpheme, whereas the across-boundary condition (TSA) involved the exchange of syllables across the stem and grammatical morpheme boundary. During fMRI, participants performed the lexical decision task. Behavioral results revealed that the TCE was found in TSW condition, and the morpheme boundary, which is manipulated in TSA, modulated the TCE. In the fMRI results, TCE induced activation in the left inferior parietal lobe (IPL) and intraparietal sulcus (IPS). The IPS activation was specific to a TCE and its strength of activation was associated with task performance. Furthermore, two functional networks were involved in the TCE: the central executive network and the dorsal attention network. Morpheme boundary modulation suppressed the TCE by recruiting the prefrontal and temporal regions, which are the key regions involved in semantic processing. Our findings propose the role of the dorsal visual pathway in syllable position processing and that its interaction with other higher cognitive systems is modulated by the morphological boundary in the early phases of visual word recognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeahong Kim
- Department of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - JeYoung Jung
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Kichun Nam
- Department of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Abstract
An essential aim in the research on semantic cognition is to understand the interplay between the structure of semantic representation and controlled processes that operate on it to generate flexible behaviours. To evaluate the link between semantic network connectivity and semantic control functions (semantic inhibition and switching), we employed a network theory approach and revealed that controlled semantic processing was reliably associated with connectivity of conceptual representation. In particular, our results show that efficient information flow afforded by high connectivity of semantic network is coupled with superior switching but poor inhibition ability. These findings suggest that the network architectures that facilitate efficient semantic activation spreading aid flexible transitions between semantic clusters but impede inhibition employed to suppress inappropriate or interfering semantic representations. Overall, our study provides a novel insight into the mechanisms underlying controlled semantic processing that is recruited to disentangle from habitual structure of semantic representation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Marko
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology, Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Department of Applied Informatics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Igor Riečanský
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology, Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Burton H, Reeder RM, Holden T, Agato A, Firszt JB. Cortical Regions Activated by Spectrally Degraded Speech in Adults With Single Sided Deafness or Bilateral Normal Hearing. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:618326. [PMID: 33897343 PMCID: PMC8058229 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.618326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Those with profound sensorineural hearing loss from single sided deafness (SSD) generally experience greater cognitive effort and fatigue in adverse sound environments. We studied cases with right ear, SSD compared to normal hearing (NH) individuals. SSD cases were significantly less correct in naming last words in spectrally degraded 8- and 16-band vocoded sentences, despite high semantic predictability. Group differences were not significant for less intelligible 4-band sentences, irrespective of predictability. SSD also had diminished BOLD percent signal changes to these same sentences in left hemisphere (LH) cortical regions of early auditory, association auditory, inferior frontal, premotor, inferior parietal, dorsolateral prefrontal, posterior cingulate, temporal-parietal-occipital junction, and posterior opercular. Cortical regions with lower amplitude responses in SSD than NH were mostly components of a LH language network, previously noted as concerned with speech recognition. Recorded BOLD signal magnitudes were averages from all vertices within predefined parcels from these cortex regions. Parcels from different regions in SSD showed significantly larger signal magnitudes to sentences of greater intelligibility (e.g., 8- or 16- vs. 4-band) in all except early auditory and posterior cingulate cortex. Significantly lower response magnitudes occurred in SSD than NH in regions prior studies found responsible for phonetics and phonology of speech, cognitive extraction of meaning, controlled retrieval of word meaning, and semantics. The findings suggested reduced activation of a LH fronto-temporo-parietal network in SSD contributed to difficulty processing speech for word meaning and sentence semantics. Effortful listening experienced by SSD might reflect diminished activation to degraded speech in the affected LH language network parcels. SSD showed no compensatory activity in matched right hemisphere parcels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Harold Burton
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, United States
| | - Ruth M Reeder
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, United States
| | - Tim Holden
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, United States
| | - Alvin Agato
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, United States
| | - Jill B Firszt
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, United States
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Kim G, Kwon M, Kang W, Lee SH. Is Reconsolidation a General Property of Memory? Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:643106. [PMID: 33732126 PMCID: PMC7959766 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.643106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Memory reconsolidation holds great hope for memory modification approaches and clinical treatments of mental disorders associated with maladaptive memories. However, it remains controversial as to whether reconsolidation is a general property of all types of memory. Especially, discrepancies have been reported in research focusing on whether declarative memory undergoes reconsolidation, and whether old memories can be reorganized after retrieval. Here, we discuss how these inconsistent results can be reconciled and what information we need to uncover for the general use of reconsolidation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gayoung Kim
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Minjae Kwon
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Wonjun Kang
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Sue-Hyun Lee
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea.,Program of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Zhong J, Wu H, Wu F, He H, Zhang Z, Huang J, Cao P, Fan N. Cortical Thickness Changes in Chronic Ketamine Users. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:645471. [PMID: 33841212 PMCID: PMC8026883 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.645471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Previous studies have examined the effects of long-term ketamine use on gray matter volume. But it is unclear whether chronic ketamine use alters cortical thickness and whether cortical thickness changes in chronic ketamine users are associated with cognitive deficits observed in chronic ketamine users. Methods: Here, 28 chronic ketamine users and 30 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. Cortical morphometry based on Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12) was used to measure cortical thickness. Cognitive performance was measured by MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). Two-sample t-test was used to assess differences in cortical thickness and cognitive performance between the two groups. Partial correlation analysis was used for assessing correlations between cortical thickness changes and clinical characteristics, cognitive performance in chronic ketamine users. Results: Chronic ketamine users exhibited significantly reduced cortical thickness in frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes compared to HC [false discovery rate (FDR) corrected at p < 0.05]. In chronic ketamine users, the average quantity (g) of ketamine use/day was negatively correlated with cortical thickness in the left superior frontal gyrus (SFG), right caudal middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and right paracentral lobule. The frequency of ketamine use (days per week) was negatively correlated with cortical thickness in the left isthmus cingulate cortex. Duration of ketamine use (month) was negatively correlated with cortical thickness in the left precentral gyrus. The chronic ketamine users showed significantly poorer cognitive performance on the working memory (P = 0.009), visual learning (P = 0.009), speed of processing (P < 0.000), and Matrics composite (P = 0.01). There was no correlation between scores of domains of MCCB and reduced cortical thickness. Conclusion: The present study observed reduced cortical thickness in multiple brain areas, especially in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in chronic ketamine users. Dose, frequency, and duration of ketamine use was negatively correlated with cortical thickness of some brain areas. Our results suggest that chronic ketamine use may lead to a decrease of cortical thickness. But the present study did not observe any correlation between reduced cortical thickness and decreased cognitive performance in chronic ketamine users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jun Zhong
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Huiai Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huawang Wu
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Huiai Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fengchun Wu
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Huiai Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hongbo He
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Huiai Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhaohua Zhang
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Huiai Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiaxin Huang
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Huiai Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Penghui Cao
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Huiai Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ni Fan
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Huiai Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Jeong H, Li P, Suzuki W, Sugiura M, Kawashima R. Neural mechanisms of language learning from social contexts. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 212:104874. [PMID: 33220647 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Humans learn languages in real-life situations by integrating multiple signals, including linguistic forms, their meanings, and the actions and intentions of speakers. However, little is known about the neural bases underlying the social learning of a second language (L2) in adults. In this study, 36 adults were asked to learn two sets of L2 spoken words through translation versus simulated social interactive videos (social learning). Brain activation during word learning was measured using fMRI. Greater activation was observed in the bilateral superior temporal sulcus, posterior middle temporal gyri, and right inferior parietal lobule during social learning as compared with translation learning. Furthermore, higher activity in the right temporal parietal junction, right hippocampus, and motor areas was observed during the initial stage of social learning, with the more successful performance being at the time of overnight testing. We argue that social learning may strengthen the link from new L2 forms to rich L2 semantic representations wherein memory properties are embodied, multimodal, and richly contextualized.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyeonjeong Jeong
- Graduate School of International Cultural Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
| | - Ping Li
- Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, Faculty of Humanities, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | | | - Motoaki Sugiura
- Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; International Research Institute for Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Ryuta Kawashima
- Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Liu H, Miyakoshi M, Nakai T, Annabel Chen SH. Aging patterns of Japanese auditory semantic processing: an fMRI study. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2020; 29:213-236. [DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2020.1861202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hengshuang Liu
- National Key Research Centre for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Adjunct Researcher in the Bilingual Cognition and Development Lab, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
| | - Makoto Miyakoshi
- Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, Institute for Neural Computation, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Toshiharu Nakai
- Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shen-Hsing Annabel Chen
- Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Centre for Research and Development in Learning, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (Lkcmedicine), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
The left prefrontal cortex supports inhibitory processing during semantic memory retrieval. Cortex 2020; 134:296-306. [PMID: 33316604 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Semantic control refers to a set of neural and cognitive mechanisms that govern semantic processing and retrieval. Neuroimaging studies have indicated that controlled semantic processing engages the left prefrontal cortex (PFC), yet the functional role of the prefrontal activity in semantic control is poorly understood and was therefore addressed in the present study. We used a double-blind randomized controlled experiment, in which participants from three distinct groups received anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over left lateral PFC (n = 40), a control tDCS over temporoparietal cortex (n = 40), or sham stimulation (n = 41), while executing automatic and controlled semantic retrieval tasks as well as additional control tasks assessing working memory and semantic judgement. We demonstrate that anodal tDCS of the left lateral PFC improved inhibition of prepotent semantic associations but had no significant effect on retrieval of habitual associates or switching between retrieval rules. The prefrontal tDCS also enhanced working memory capacity, but this effect did not account for the improved semantic inhibition. The control temporoparietal tDCS did not affect semantic retrieval. Our findings show that semantic inhibition and switching represent distinct components of the semantic control system and indicate that the left lateral PFC is involved in a filtering process that constrains the accessible semantic representations (i.e., a proactive pre-retrieval inhibition) or suppresses already retrieved responses (i.e., a retroactive post-retrieval inhibition). The recognition of such an inhibitory process could inspire novel treatments targeting altered semantic processing.
Collapse
|
27
|
Lindsey A, Bunker L, Mozeiko J, Coelho C. Primed to cue. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2020; 86:105998. [PMID: 32470645 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2020.105998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Revised: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The behavioral effects of lexical priming are well studied in the cognitive sciences. Clinical use of the term and widespread implementation of priming based behavioral interventions has remained limited. This is despite the fact that response-contingent cueing, a behavioral intervention technique used during many cognitive-linguistic interventions, is grounded in theories of priming research. The aim of this manuscript is to connect behavioral performance changes observed following priming with those noted following cueing, providing a theoretical rationale for the therapeutic use of both priming and cueing in language and cognitive interventions. In this review, we establish a conceptual basis for how both primes and cues serve to pre-engage the neural system by triggering the retrieval of linked conceptual knowledge, resulting in faster and more accurate responses. Differences between the two (primes and cues) have been linked to timing and conscious intentional engagement, though these distinctions are often task dependent. Additionally, this paper will provide evidence of the clinical utility of priming. Studies of priming in adults with acquired brain injuries are discussed and clinical interventions based on theories of priming are examined. Furthermore, the present work will briefly detail the inhibitory effects of priming to aid clinicians and researchers in deciding how to pair primes and cues with intended retrieval targets. In summation, the present work is intended to bridge two related fields providing both theoretical and clinical insight with respect to the use of primes and cues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- André Lindsey
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut Storrs, CT, United States; Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.
| | - Lisa Bunker
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.
| | - Jennifer Mozeiko
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut Storrs, CT, United States; Connecticut Institute for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.
| | - Carl Coelho
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut Storrs, CT, United States; Connecticut Institute for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Oh Y, Chesebrough C, Erickson B, Zhang F, Kounios J. An insight-related neural reward signal. Neuroimage 2020; 214:116757. [PMID: 32194279 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Moments of insight, a phenomenon of creative cognition in which an idea suddenly emerges into awareness as an "Aha!" are often reported to be affectively positive experiences. We tested the hypothesis that problem-solving by insight is accompanied by neural reward processing. We recorded high-density EEGs while participants solved a series of anagrams. For each solution, they reported whether the answer had occurred to them as a sudden insight or whether they had derived it deliberately and incrementally (i.e., "analytically'). Afterwards, they filled out a questionnaire that measures general dispositional reward sensitivity. We computed the time-frequency representations of the EEGs for trials with insight (I) solutions and trials with analytic (A) solutions and subtracted them to obtain an I-A time-frequency representation for each electrode. Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) analyses tested for significant I-A and reward-sensitivity effects. SPM revealed the time, frequency, and scalp locations of several I > A effects. No A > I effect was observed. The primary neural correlate of insight was a burst of (I > A) gamma-band oscillatory activity over prefrontal cortex approximately 500 ms before participants pressed a button to indicate that they had solved the problem. We correlated the I-A time-frequency representation with reward sensitivity to discover insight-related effects that were modulated by reward sensitivity. This revealed a separate anterior prefrontal burst of gamma-band activity, approximately 100 ms after the primary I-A insight effect, which we interpreted to be an insight-related reward signal. This interpretation was supported by source reconstruction showing that this signal was generated in part by orbitofrontal cortex, a region associated with reward learning and hedonically pleasurable experiences such as food, positive social experiences, addictive drugs, and orgasm. These findings support the notion that for many people insight is rewarding. Additionally, these results may explain why many people choose to engage in insight-generating recreational and vocational activities such as solving puzzles, reading murder mysteries, creating inventions, or doing research. This insight-related reward signal may be a manifestation of an evolutionarily adaptive mechanism for the reinforcement of exploration, problem solving, and creative cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yongtaek Oh
- Department of Psychology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | | | - Brian Erickson
- Department of Psychology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Fengqing Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - John Kounios
- Department of Psychology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Bartel G, Marko M, Rameses I, Lamm C, Riečanský I. Left Prefrontal Cortex Supports the Recognition of Meaningful Patterns in Ambiguous Stimuli. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:152. [PMID: 32153364 PMCID: PMC7050495 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Processing of ambiguous visual stimuli has been associated with an increased activation of the left lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) in neuroimaging studies. Nevertheless, the functional role of prefrontal activity in this process is not fully understood. In this experiment we asked participants to evaluate ambiguous inkblots from the Rorschach test, while stimulating the left lateral PFC using excitatory anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). In addition, visual insight ability was assessed as a control measure requiring visual and conceptual restructuring and convergent thinking rather than divergent idea generation employed to interpret the equivocal Rorschach inkblots. Using a randomized double-blind design, we demonstrated that anodal tDCS increased the number of meaningful patterns recognized in the inkblots but had no significant effect on visual insight. These findings support the role of left lateral PFC in the processing of ambiguous visual information and object recognition. More generally, we discuss that the PFC may be involved in the mechanisms supporting the activation of stored visual and semantic representations in order to compensate for less informative bottom-up inputs and thus facilitate flexible cognition and idea generation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grégory Bartel
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Marko
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology, Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Department of Applied Informatics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Imani Rameses
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Igor Riečanský
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology, Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Peters GJ, Smith DM. The medial prefrontal cortex is needed for resolving interference even when there are no changes in task rules and strategies. Behav Neurosci 2020; 134:15-20. [PMID: 31789536 PMCID: PMC6944745 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a key role in behavioral flexibility, and the ability to resolve conflict from shifting strategies, task rules or attentional demands seems to be a hallmark of PFC function. Conflict also occurs in the domain of memory and the PFC plays an important role in the ability to cope with interference between competing retrieval targets. Previous studies often involved both interference and changes in task demands, which makes it difficult to determine the degree to which mnemonic interference per se engages PFC processing. We trained rats on a continuous matching to sample task in two conditions that varied in terms of the amount of interference present but not the task demands and found that temporary inactivation of the medial PFC caused a greater impairment in the high-interference condition. This result suggests that the PFC plays an important role in resolving interference which can be distinguished from its role in shifting task demands. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Collapse
|
31
|
Neural theta oscillations support semantic memory retrieval. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17667. [PMID: 31776375 PMCID: PMC6881370 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53813-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Lexical-semantic retrieval emerges through the interactions of distributed prefrontal and perisylvian brain networks. Growing evidence suggests that synchronous theta band neural oscillations might play a role in this process, yet, their functional significance remains elusive. Here, we used transcranial alternating current stimulation to induce exogenous theta oscillations at 6 Hz (θ-tACS) over left prefrontal and posterior perisylvian cortex with a 180° (anti-phase) and 0° (in-phase) relative phase difference while participants performed automatic and controlled retrieval tasks. We demonstrate that θ-tACS significantly modulated the retrieval performance and its effects were both task- and phase-specific: the in-phase tACS impaired controlled retrieval, whereas the anti-phase tACS improved controlled but impaired automatic retrieval. These findings indicate that theta band oscillatory brain activity supports binding of semantically related representations via a phase-dependent modulation of semantic activation or maintenance.
Collapse
|
32
|
Hoffman P. Divergent effects of healthy ageing on semantic knowledge and control: Evidence from novel comparisons with semantically impaired patients. J Neuropsychol 2019; 13:462-484. [PMID: 29667366 PMCID: PMC6766984 DOI: 10.1111/jnp.12159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Revised: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Effective use of semantic knowledge requires a set of conceptual representations and control processes which ensure that currently relevant aspects of this knowledge are retrieved and selected. It is well-established that levels of semantic knowledge increase across the lifespan. However, the effects of ageing on semantic control processes have not been assessed. I addressed this issue by comparing the performance profiles of young and older people on a verbal comprehension test. Two sets of variables were used to predict accuracy and RT in each group: (1) the psycholinguistic properties of words probed in each trial and (2) the performance on each trial by two groups of semantically impaired neuropsychological patients. Young people demonstrated poor performance for low-frequency and abstract words, suggesting that they had difficulty processing words with intrinsically weak semantic representations. Indeed, performance in this group was strongly predicted by the performance of patients with semantic dementia, who suffer from degradation of semantic knowledge. In contrast, older adults performed poorly on trials where the target semantic relationship was weak and distractor relationships strong - conditions which require high levels of controlled processing. Their performance was not predicted by the performance of semantic dementia patients, but was predicted by the performance of patients with semantic control deficits. These findings indicate that the effects of ageing on semantic cognition are more complex than has previously been assumed. While older people have larger stores of knowledge than young people, they appear to be less skilled at exercising control over the activation of this knowledge.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Hoffman
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE)Department of PsychologyUniversity of EdinburghUK
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Dopamine Enhances Item Novelty Detection via Hippocampal and Associative Recall via Left Lateral Prefrontal Cortex Mechanisms. J Neurosci 2019; 39:7920-7933. [PMID: 31405927 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0495-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The involvement of fronto-striatal circuits in item and associative memory retrieval as well as in the stabilization of memories by retrieval practice suggests that both retrieval and re-encoding of stored memories might rely on dopaminergic mechanisms in humans. We tested these hypotheses in a placebo-controlled pharmacological fMRI study using 2 mg of the D2 antagonist haloperidol administered acutely before a cued associative recall task of previously encoded picture-word pairs in 53 healthy humans of both sexes. The cued associative recall was moreover repeated 3 d later outside the scanner without pharmacological intervention. Dopaminergic modulation significantly improved associative recall performance and recognition accuracy of verbal items. Moreover, we observed a significant dopamine effect on re-encoding in terms of increased specificity of associative memories from the first to the second cued associative recall. Better association memory under haloperidol was linked with higher activity in the left lateral prefrontal cortex and right parietal cortex, suggesting that dopamine facilitates associative retrieval through increased recruitment of frontoparietal monitoring processes. In contrast, improved recognition of verbal items under haloperidol was reflected by enhanced novelty detection in the hippocampus and increased activity in saliency networks. Together, these results show distinct but concomitant positive effects of dopamine on associative recall and item recognition and suggest that the specificity of associative recall through re-encoding mechanisms is likewise augmented by dopamine.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Although the neurotransmitter dopamine has been linked with learning and memory for a long time, dopaminergic effects on item recognition in humans were demonstrated only recently. The involvement of fronto-striatal monitoring processes in association retrieval suggests that associative memory might be particularly affected by dopamine. Moreover, fronto-striatal dopaminergic signals have been hypothesized to determine the updating and re-encoding of previously retrieved memories. We here demonstrate clear facilitative effects of dopamine on associative recall and item recognition mediated by prefrontal and hippocampal mechanisms respectively. Additionally, effects on re-encoding were reflected by increased specificity of associative memories. These results augment our understanding of dopaminergic processes in episodic memory retrieval and offer new perspectives on memory impairments in dopamine-related disorders and their treatment.
Collapse
|
34
|
|
35
|
Novelty processing and memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease: A review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 100:237-249. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Revised: 12/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
|
36
|
Buchin ZL, Mulligan NW. Divided attention and the encoding effects of retrieval. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2019; 72:2474-2494. [PMID: 30975038 DOI: 10.1177/1747021819847141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Retrieving from memory both reveals as well as modifies memory. It is important to understand how these encoding effects of retrieval differ from other forms of encoding. One possible difference relates to attention: divided attention is well known to disrupt memory encoding but typically has much less impact on memory retrieval. However, less is known about the relative attentional demands of the encoding consequences of retrieval. The current experiments examined retrieval-based encoding using free recall, a retrieval task purported to require substantial attentional resources. In three experiments, participants studied common category exemplars (Phase 1), restudied or freely recalled the exemplars (Phase 2), and then took a final free-recall test (Phase 3). Phase 2 occurred under full attention (FA) or divided attention (DA). In all three experiments, the negative effect of DA on final recall was significant in the restudy but not retrieval condition. The pattern persisted with short (Experiment 1) or long study lists (Experiment 2), requiring lesser or greater retrieval effort, and with multiple Phase 2 tests, permitting the development of more elaborate retrieval strategies (Experiment 3). The encoding effects of retrieval appear resilient to distraction, even using a memory task that is more effortful and easily disrupted by DA (i.e., free recall). In addition, these results are inconsistent with elaboration and effort accounts of retrieval-based learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zachary L Buchin
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Neil W Mulligan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Kizilirmak JM, Schott BH, Thuerich H, Sweeney-Reed CM, Richter A, Folta-Schoofs K, Richardson-Klavehn A. Learning of novel semantic relationships via sudden comprehension is associated with a hippocampus-independent network. Conscious Cogn 2019; 69:113-132. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2019.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
38
|
Hoffman P, McClelland JL, Lambon Ralph MA. Concepts, control, and context: A connectionist account of normal and disordered semantic cognition. Psychol Rev 2019; 125:293-328. [PMID: 29733663 PMCID: PMC5937916 DOI: 10.1037/rev0000094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Semantic cognition requires conceptual representations shaped by verbal and nonverbal experience and executive control processes that regulate activation of knowledge to meet current situational demands. A complete model must also account for the representation of concrete and abstract words, of taxonomic and associative relationships, and for the role of context in shaping meaning. We present the first major attempt to assimilate all of these elements within a unified, implemented computational framework. Our model combines a hub-and-spoke architecture with a buffer that allows its state to be influenced by prior context. This hybrid structure integrates the view, from cognitive neuroscience, that concepts are grounded in sensory-motor representation with the view, from computational linguistics, that knowledge is shaped by patterns of lexical co-occurrence. The model successfully codes knowledge for abstract and concrete words, associative and taxonomic relationships, and the multiple meanings of homonyms, within a single representational space. Knowledge of abstract words is acquired through (a) their patterns of co-occurrence with other words and (b) acquired embodiment, whereby they become indirectly associated with the perceptual features of co-occurring concrete words. The model accounts for executive influences on semantics by including a controlled retrieval mechanism that provides top-down input to amplify weak semantic relationships. The representational and control elements of the model can be damaged independently, and the consequences of such damage closely replicate effects seen in neuropsychological patients with loss of semantic representation versus control processes. Thus, the model provides a wide-ranging and neurally plausible account of normal and impaired semantic cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Hoffman
- Neuroscience and Aphasia Research Unit, University of Manchester
| | - James L McClelland
- Department of Psychology, Center for Mind, Brain and Computation, Stanford University
| | | |
Collapse
|
39
|
Hoffman P. Reductions in prefrontal activation predict off-topic utterances during speech production. Nat Commun 2019; 10:515. [PMID: 30705284 PMCID: PMC6355898 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08519-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to speak coherently is essential for effective communication but declines with age: older people more frequently produce tangential, off-topic speech. Little is known, however, about the neural systems that support coherence in speech production. Here, fMRI was used to investigate extended speech production in healthy older adults. Computational linguistic analyses were used to quantify the coherence of utterances produced in the scanner, allowing identification of the neural correlates of coherence for the first time. Highly coherent speech production was associated with increased activity in bilateral inferior prefrontal cortex (BA45), an area implicated in selection of task-relevant knowledge from semantic memory, and in bilateral rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (BA10), implicated more generally in planning of complex goal-directed behaviours. These findings demonstrate that neural activity during spontaneous speech production can be predicted from formal analysis of speech content, and that multiple prefrontal systems contribute to coherence in speech. The ability to speak coherently is essential for effective communication, but little is known about the neural systems that support coherence. Here, the authors show that activity in two prefrontal cortex regions, BA10 and BA45, predicts the level of coherence in the speech of healthy older adults.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Hoffman
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Piai V, Zheng X. Speaking waves: Neuronal oscillations in language production. PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.plm.2019.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
|
41
|
Wang X, Bernhardt BC, Karapanagiotidis T, De Caso I, Gonzalez Alam TRDJ, Cotter Z, Smallwood J, Jefferies E. The structural basis of semantic control: Evidence from individual differences in cortical thickness. Neuroimage 2018; 181:480-489. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.07.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
|
42
|
Hoffman P, Loginova E, Russell A. Poor coherence in older people's speech is explained by impaired semantic and executive processes. eLife 2018; 7:38907. [PMID: 30179156 PMCID: PMC6150697 DOI: 10.7554/elife.38907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to speak coherently is essential for effective communication but declines with age: older people more frequently produce tangential, off-topic speech. The cognitive factors underpinning this decline are poorly understood. We predicted that maintaining coherence relies on effective regulation of activated semantic knowledge about the world, and particularly on the selection of currently relevant semantic representations to drive speech production. To test this, we collected 840 speech samples along with measures of executive and semantic ability from 60 young and older adults, using a novel computational method to quantify coherence. Semantic selection ability predicted coherence, as did level of semantic knowledge and a measure of domain-general executive ability. These factors fully accounted for the age-related coherence deficit. Our results indicate that maintaining coherence in speech becomes more challenging as people age because they accumulate more knowledge but are less able to effectively regulate how it is activated and used.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Hoffman
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE), Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Ekaterina Loginova
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE), Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Asatta Russell
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE), Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Nathaniel U, Thompson HE, Davies E, Arnold D, Hallam G, Stampacchia S, Smallwood J, Jefferies E. When comprehension elicits incomprehension: Deterioration of semantic categorisation in the absence of stimulus repetition. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2018; 71:1817-1843. [DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2017.1363793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Repetition improves retrieval from memory; however, under some circumstances, it can also impair performance. Separate literatures have investigated this phenomenon, including studies showing subjective loss of meaning following ‘semantic satiation’, slowed naming and categorisation when semantically related items are repeated and semantic ‘access deficits’ in aphasia. Such effects have been variously explained in terms of habituation of repeatedly accessed representations, increased interference from strongly activated competitors and long-term weight changes reflecting the suppression of non-targets on earlier trials (i.e., retrieval-induced forgetting). While studies of semantic satiation involve massed repetition of individual items, competition and weight changes at the conceptual level should elicit declining comprehension for non-repeated items: this pattern has been demonstrated for picture naming but effects in categorisation are less clear. We developed a paced serial semantic task (PSST), in which participants identified category members among distracters. Performance in healthy young adults deteriorated with ongoing retrieval for non-repeated words belonging to functional categories (e.g., picnic), taxonomic categories (e.g., animal) and feature-based categories (e.g., colour red – ‘tomato’, ‘post box’). This decline was greatest at fast presentation speeds (when there was less time to overcome competition/inhibition) and for strongly associated targets (which may have accrued more inhibition to facilitate earlier target categorisation). Deteriorating performance was also seen across words and pictures, consistent with a conceptual locus. We observed a release from deteriorating categorisation following a switch to a new category, demonstrating that this was not a general effect of time on task. Patients with semantic aphasia, who have deficient semantic control, maintained their performance throughout the categories, unlike younger adults: this finding is hard to reconcile with accounts of declining performance that propose a build-up of competition, since the patients should have had greater difficulty resolving such competition. These results instead suggest that declining performance on our goal-driven categorisation task was linked to the use of a controlled retrieval strategy by healthy young adults. Patients may not have inhibited related non-target knowledge to facilitate initial categorisation like younger volunteers, and consequently they were less vulnerable to declining comprehension in this paradigm. Together, these results demonstrate circumstances which produce declines in continuous categorisation in healthy adults.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Upasana Nathaniel
- Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, York, UK
| | | | - Emma Davies
- Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, York, UK
| | - Dominic Arnold
- Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, York, UK
| | - Glyn Hallam
- Department of Psychology, School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK
| | - Sara Stampacchia
- Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, York, UK
| | - Jonathan Smallwood
- Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, York, UK
| | - Elizabeth Jefferies
- Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, York, UK
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Rice GE, Caswell H, Moore P, Lambon Ralph MA, Hoffman P. Revealing the Dynamic Modulations That Underpin a Resilient Neural Network for Semantic Cognition: An fMRI Investigation in Patients With Anterior Temporal Lobe Resection. Cereb Cortex 2018; 28:3004-3016. [PMID: 29878076 PMCID: PMC6041810 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
One critical feature of any well-engineered system is its resilience to perturbation and minor damage. The purpose of the current study was to investigate how resilience is achieved in higher cognitive systems, which we explored through the domain of semantic cognition. Convergent evidence implicates the bilateral anterior temporal lobes (ATLs) as a conceptual knowledge hub. While bilateral damage to this region produces profound semantic impairment, unilateral atrophy/resection or transient perturbation has a limited effect. Two neural mechanisms might underpin this resilience to unilateral ATL damage: 1) the undamaged ATL upregulates its activation in order to compensate; and/or 2) prefrontal regions involved in control of semantic retrieval upregulate to compensate for the impoverished semantic representations that follow from ATL damage. To test these possibilities, 34 postsurgical temporal lobe epilepsy patients and 20 age-matched controls were scanned whilst completing semantic tasks. Pictorial tasks, which produced bilateral frontal and temporal activation, showed few activation differences between patients and control participants. Written word tasks, however, produced a left-lateralized activation pattern and greater differences between the groups. Patients with right ATL resection increased activation in left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Patients with left ATL resection upregulated both the right ATL and right IFG. Consistent with recent computational models, these results indicate that 1) written word semantic processing in patients with ATL resection is supported by upregulation of semantic knowledge and control regions, principally in the undamaged hemisphere, and 2) pictorial semantic processing is less affected, presumably because it draws on a more bilateral network.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grace E Rice
- Neuroscience and Aphasia Research Unit (NARU), University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Helen Caswell
- Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, Salford Royal Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | - Perry Moore
- Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - Paul Hoffman
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE), Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
An individual differences approach to semantic cognition: Divergent effects of age on representation, retrieval and selection. Sci Rep 2018; 8:8145. [PMID: 29802344 PMCID: PMC5970266 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-26569-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Semantic cognition refers to the appropriate use of acquired knowledge about the world. This requires representation of knowledge as well as control processes which ensure that currently-relevant aspects of knowledge are retrieved and selected. Although these abilities can be impaired selectively following brain damage, the relationship between them in healthy individuals is unclear. It is also commonly assumed that semantic cognition is preserved in later life, because older people have greater reserves of knowledge. However, this claim overlooks the possibility of decline in semantic control processes. Here, semantic cognition was assessed in 100 young and older adults. Despite having a broader knowledge base, older people showed specific impairments in semantic control, performing more poorly than young people when selecting among competing semantic representations. Conversely, they showed preserved controlled retrieval of less salient information from the semantic store. Breadth of semantic knowledge was positively correlated with controlled retrieval but was unrelated to semantic selection ability, which was instead correlated with non-semantic executive function. These findings indicate that three distinct elements contribute to semantic cognition: semantic representations that accumulate throughout the lifespan, processes for controlled retrieval of less salient semantic information, which appear age-invariant, and mechanisms for selecting task-relevant aspects of semantic knowledge, which decline with age and may relate more closely to domain-general executive control.
Collapse
|
46
|
Vignaud P, Donde C, Sadki T, Poulet E, Brunelin J. Neural effects of mindfulness-based interventions on patients with major depressive disorder: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 88:98-105. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
|
47
|
Mollo G, Jefferies E, Cornelissen P, Gennari SP. Context-dependent lexical ambiguity resolution: MEG evidence for the time-course of activity in left inferior frontal gyrus and posterior middle temporal gyrus. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2018; 177-178:23-36. [PMID: 29421269 PMCID: PMC5840520 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2018.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2017] [Revised: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
An MEG study investigated the role of context in semantic interpretation by examining the comprehension of ambiguous words in contexts leading to different interpretations. We compared high-ambiguity words in minimally different contexts (to bowl, the bowl) to low-ambiguity counterparts (the tray, to flog). Whole brain beamforming revealed the engagement of left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and posterior middle temporal gyrus (LPMTG). Points of interest analyses showed that both these sites showed a stronger response to verb-contexts by 200 ms post-stimulus and displayed overlapping ambiguity effects that were sustained from 300 ms onwards. The effect of context was stronger for high-ambiguity words than for low-ambiguity words at several different time points, including within the first 100 ms post-stimulus. Unlike LIFG, LPMTG also showed stronger responses to verb than noun contexts in low-ambiguity trials. We argue that different functional roles previously attributed to LIFG and LPMTG are in fact played out at different periods during processing.
Collapse
|
48
|
Hoffman P, Morcom AM. Age-related changes in the neural networks supporting semantic cognition: A meta-analysis of 47 functional neuroimaging studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 84:134-150. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Revised: 11/10/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|
49
|
Young KS, van der Velden AM, Craske MG, Pallesen KJ, Fjorback L, Roepstorff A, Parsons CE. The impact of mindfulness-based interventions on brain activity: A systematic review of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 84:424-433. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Revised: 07/29/2017] [Accepted: 08/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
|
50
|
Parker A, Powell D, Dagnall N. Effects of Saccade Induced Retrieval Enhancement on conceptual and perceptual tests of explicit & implicit memory. Brain Cogn 2017; 121:1-10. [PMID: 29275124 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2017.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Revised: 10/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The effects of saccadic horizontal (bilateral) eye movements upon tests of both conceptual and perceptual forms of explicit and implicit memory were investigated. Participants studied a list of words and were then assigned to one of four test conditions: conceptual explicit, conceptual implicit, perceptual explicit, or perceptual implicit. Conceptual tests comprised category labels with either explicit instructions to recall corresponding examples from the study phase (category-cued recall), or implicit instructions to generate any corresponding examples that spontaneously came to mind (category-exemplar generation). Perceptual tests comprised of word-fragments with either explicit instructions to complete these with study items (word-fragment-cued recall), or implicit instructions to complete each fragment with the first word that simply 'popped to mind' (word-fragment completion). Just prior to retrieval, participants were required to engage in 30 s of bilateral vs. no eye movements. Results revealed that saccadic horizontal eye movements enhanced performance in only the conceptual explicit condition, indicating that Saccade-Induced Retrieval Enhancement is a joint function of conceptual and explicit retrieval mechanisms. Findings are discussed from both a cognitive and neuropsychological perspective, in terms of their potential functional and neural underpinnings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Parker
- Manchester Metropolitan University, Department of Psychology, 53 Bonsall Street, Manchester M15 6GX, United Kingdom.
| | - Daniel Powell
- Manchester Metropolitan University, Department of Psychology, 53 Bonsall Street, Manchester M15 6GX, United Kingdom
| | - Neil Dagnall
- Manchester Metropolitan University, Department of Psychology, 53 Bonsall Street, Manchester M15 6GX, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|