Please mind the brain, and brain the mind!

True, there may be two language-processing systems, lexicon and syntax. However, could we not say more than that they are computationally and linguistically distinct? Where are they in the brain, why are they where they are, and how can their distinctness and functional properties be explained by biological principles? A brain model of language is necessary to answer these questions. One view is that two different types of corticocortical connections are most important for storing rules and their exceptions: short-range connections within the perisylvian language cortex and long-range connections between this region and other areas. Probabilities of neuroanatomical connections plus associative learning principles explain why different connection bundles specialize in rule storage versus exception learning. Linguistic issues related to language change and plural formation in German are addressed in closing.

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Review of the Monograph: Likhacheva O.S. Weaponry and warfare of the population of the Forest-Steppe Altai in the Early Iron Age (8th–1st centuries B.C.). Barnaul: Publ. IP I. A. Kolmogorov, 2020. 320 p. ISBN 978-5-91556-710-7

VESTNIK ARHEOLOGII ANTROPOLOGII I ETNOGRAFII ◽

10.20874/2071-0437-2021-55-4-21 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 248-253

Author(s):

N.N. Golovchenko

Keyword(s):

Central Asia ◽

Long Range ◽

Iron Age ◽

Short Range ◽

The Body ◽

Early Iron Age ◽

Forest Steppe ◽

Considerable Part ◽

Topic Area ◽

Different Types

The paper presents a review on a monograph by O.S. Likhacheva, concerned with the analysis of different types of weapons and reconstruction of some aspects of the warfare of the tribes of the Forest-Steppe Altai in the 8th–1st centuries B.C., which contains a representative album of illustrations, including photographs and drawings of artifacts, artistic interpretations of weapons and images of warriors, made by the author. O.S. Likhacheva carried out a meticulous analysis of numerous categories of weapons and their fragments. However, in the opinion of the author of this review, for a considerable part of the presented inventory there is a lack of context description of the finds in the ceremonial burial complexes. This leads to the description of the votive weapons as combative, ceremonially broken items as intact, and fragmentary separate armor-clad plates as a complete armor suit. Certain selectivity of the author in writing the historiography section narrows the attention of the researcher on only one region under consideration, thus ignoring the trans-cultural nature of some types of the weapons of short-range and long-range combat among the nomads of the Central Asia in the 8th–1st centuries B.C., as well as the body of the material from the monuments of the Novosibirsk Ob region which fit in the topic area of the research. The author recommends the book of O.S. Likhacheva to all interested in the history and archaeology of Altai Krai and Upper Ob region.

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Hierarchy in sensory processing reflected by innervation balance on cortical interneurons

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.abf5676 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (20) ◽

pp. eabf5676

Author(s):

Guofen Ma ◽

Yanmei Liu ◽

Lizhao Wang ◽

Zhongyi Xiao ◽

Kun Song ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Long Range ◽

Sensory Processing ◽

Visual Processing ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Brain Areas ◽

Local Interneurons ◽

Cortical Interneurons ◽

Different Types ◽

Virus Tracing ◽

The Brain

Sensory processing is subjected to modulation by behavioral contexts that are often mediated by long-range inputs to cortical interneurons, but their selectivity to different types of interneurons remains largely unknown. Using rabies-virus tracing and optogenetics-assisted recording, we analyzed the long-range connections to various brain regions along the hierarchy of visual processing, including primary visual cortex, medial association cortices, and frontal cortices. We found that hierarchical corticocortical and thalamocortical connectivity is reflected by the relative weights of inputs to parvalbumin-positive (PV+) and vasoactive intestinal peptide–positive (VIP+) neurons within the conserved local circuit motif, with bottom-up and top-down inputs preferring PV+ and VIP+ neurons, respectively. Our algorithms based on innervation weights for these two types of local interneurons generated testable predictions of the hierarchical position of many brain areas. These results support the notion that preferential long-range inputs to specific local interneurons are essential for the hierarchical information flow in the brain.

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The Now-or-Never bottleneck: A fundamental constraint on language

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x1500031x ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 39 ◽

Cited By ~ 168

Author(s):

Morten H. Christiansen ◽

Nick Chater

Keyword(s):

Language Acquisition ◽

Language Learning ◽

Language Processing ◽

Language Change ◽

Language System ◽

New Material ◽

Linguistic Input ◽

Duality Of Patterning ◽

Available Information ◽

The Brain

AbstractMemory is fleeting. New material rapidly obliterates previous material. How, then, can the brain deal successfully with the continual deluge of linguistic input? We argue that, to deal with this “Now-or-Never” bottleneck, the brain must compress and recode linguistic input as rapidly as possible. This observation has strong implications for the nature of language processing: (1) the language system must “eagerly” recode and compress linguistic input; (2) as the bottleneck recurs at each new representational level, the language system must build a multilevel linguistic representation; and (3) the language system must deploy all available information predictively to ensure that local linguistic ambiguities are dealt with “Right-First-Time”; once the original input is lost, there is no way for the language system to recover. This is “Chunk-and-Pass” processing. Similarly, language learning must also occur in the here and now, which implies that language acquisition is learning to process, rather than inducing, a grammar. Moreover, this perspective provides a cognitive foundation for grammaticalization and other aspects of language change. Chunk-and-Pass processing also helps explain a variety of core properties of language, including its multilevel representational structure and duality of patterning. This approach promises to create a direct relationship between psycholinguistics and linguistic theory. More generally, we outline a framework within which to integrate often disconnected inquiries into language processing, language acquisition, and language change and evolution.

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The Function of Words: Distinct Neural Correlates for Words Denoting Differently Manipulable Objects

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn.2009.21310 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 22 (8) ◽

pp. 1844-1851 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

Shirley-Ann Rueschemeyer ◽

Daan van Rooij ◽

Oliver Lindemann ◽

Roel M. Willems ◽

Harold Bekkering

Keyword(s):

Language Processing ◽

Tool Use ◽

Perception And Action ◽

Neural Correlates ◽

Conceptual Representation ◽

Brain Areas ◽

Fine Grained ◽

Different Types ◽

The Subject ◽

The Brain

Recent research indicates that language processing relies on brain areas dedicated to perception and action. For example, processing words denoting manipulable objects has been shown to activate a fronto-parietal network involved in actual tool use. This is suggested to reflect the knowledge the subject has about how objects are moved and used. However, information about how to use an object may be much more central to the conceptual representation of an object than information about how to move an object. Therefore, there may be much more fine-grained distinctions between objects on the neural level, especially related to the usability of manipulable objects. In the current study, we investigated whether a distinction can be made between words denoting (1) objects that can be picked up to move (e.g., volumetrically manipulable objects: bookend, clock) and (2) objects that must be picked up to use (e.g., functionally manipulable objects: cup, pen). The results show that functionally manipulable words elicit greater levels of activation in the fronto-parietal sensorimotor areas than volumetrically manipulable words. This suggests that indeed a distinction can be made between different types of manipulable objects. Specifically, how an object is used functionally rather than whether an object can be displaced with the hand is reflected in semantic representations in the brain.

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1. What is synaesthesia?

Synaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction ◽

10.1093/actrade/9780198749219.003.0001 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-19

Author(s):

Julia Simner

Keyword(s):

Sequence Space ◽

Rare Condition ◽

Men And Women ◽

Auditory Sequence ◽

Space And Time ◽

Different Types ◽

The Mind ◽

The Brain

Synaesthesia manifests in many different ways, and this poses a challenge in setting out a definition. ‘What is synaesthesia?’ explains that the triggers (inducers) and the resulting unusual associated sensations (concurrents) can be all manner of sensations, or even intangible concepts of personality, meaning, space, and time. It describes several different types of synaesthesia, including sound–colour, lexical–gustatory, visual–auditory, sequence–space, grapheme–colour, and sequence–personality synaesthesia. The number of people with synaesthesia make up around 4.4% of the population and it appears to affect men and women in equal numbers. Despite being a rare condition, synaesthesia provides intriguing information about how the mind interprets reality and how information is organised by the brain.

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Time and Entrepreneurial Risk Behavior

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice ◽

10.1177/104225879802200206 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 69-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 76

Author(s):

T. K. Das ◽

Bing-Sheng Teng

Keyword(s):

Risk Behavior ◽

Long Range ◽

Short Range ◽

Future Orientation ◽

Empirical Testing ◽

Risk Propensity ◽

Different Types ◽

Cognitive Approaches

Risk and risk behavior form an important segment of the entrepreneurship literature. Entrepreneurial risk behavior has been studied with both trait and cognitive approaches, but the findings do not adequately explain either how entrepreneurs differ from non-entrepreneurs, or how different types of entrepreneurs can be specified in terms of their risk behavior. This paper is an attempt to address these issues by introducing two temporal attributes that we consider significant for understanding risk behavior, given that risk is inherently embedded in time. First, we suggest the notion of risk horizon, differentiating short-range risk from long-range risk. Second, we examine the risk behavior of entrepreneurs in terms of their individual future orientation, in tandem with their risk propensity. We propose a temporal framework that seeks to explain, at once, the different types of risk behavior among entrepreneurs as well as the distinction between entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs. The framework is also applied to networking and alliancing activities of entrepreneurs. Finally, a number of propositions are developed to facilitate empirical testing of the insights implicit in the temporal framework of entrepreneurial risk behavior.

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“Where is Dementia?” A Systematic Literature Review Exploring Neuroanatomical Aspects of Dementia

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/persp2.sig15.9 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (15) ◽

pp. 9-23 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Chorong Oh ◽

Leonard LaPointe

Keyword(s):

English Language ◽

Signs And Symptoms ◽

Behavioral Symptoms ◽

Journal Articles ◽

People With Dementia ◽

Different Types ◽

Precise Diagnosis ◽

Physical Changes ◽

The Brain ◽

Language Literature

Dementia is a condition caused by and associated with separate physical changes in the brain. The signs and symptoms of dementia are very similar across the diverse types, and it is difficult to diagnose the category by behavioral symptoms alone. Diagnostic criteria have relied on a constellation of signs and symptoms, but it is critical to understand the neuroanatomical differences among the dementias for a more precise diagnosis and subsequent management. With this regard, this review aims to explore the neuroanatomical aspects of dementia to better understand the nature of distinctive subtypes, signs, and symptoms. This is a review of English language literature published from 1996 to the present day of peer-reviewed academic and medical journal articles that report on older people with dementia. This review examines typical neuroanatomical aspects of dementia and reinforces the importance of a thorough understanding of the neuroanatomical characteristics of the different types of dementia and the differential diagnosis of them.

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The Acute Effect of Alcohol on Various Memory Processes

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000038 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 249-252 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Márk Molnár ◽

Roland Boha ◽

Balázs Czigler ◽

Zsófia Anna Gaál

Keyword(s):

Low Dose ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Acute Effect ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Term Memory ◽

Memory Processes ◽

Different Types ◽

The Brain ◽

Legal Consequences

This review surveys relevant and recent data of the pertinent literature regarding the acute effect of alcohol on various kinds of memory processes with special emphasis on working memory. The characteristics of different types of long-term memory (LTM) and short-term memory (STM) processes are summarized with an attempt to relate these to various structures in the brain. LTM is typically impaired by chronic alcohol intake but according to some data a single dose of ethanol may have long lasting effects if administered at a critically important age. The most commonly seen deleterious acute effect of alcohol to STM appears following large doses of ethanol in conditions of “binge drinking” causing the “blackout” phenomenon. However, with the application of various techniques and well-structured behavioral paradigms it is possible to detect, albeit occasionally, subtle changes of cognitive processes even as a result of a low dose of alcohol. These data may be important for the consideration of legal consequences of low-dose ethanol intake in conditions such as driving, etc.

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